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The first memorable thing about Even Steven is that it shares a wall with Khao Man Gai – a joint most Mumbaikars will defend with their life. The second memorable thing about Even Steven is that they’re big on their mascot, which is named…Steven.
He’s on the kitchen window, wall art, and sauce bottles. And there are many sauces. Just not ketchup, which is a banned condiment at Even Steven. That’s the third memorable thing.
The menu’s shaped by Chef Christopher Fernandes, and surprisingly, given his penchant for open-fire cooking and smoking meat, there are loads of vegetarian dishes. Eggs, sandwiches, salads, big plates, bakes, and house-made sauces that won’t…ahem…make you miss ketchup. But there are other house rules, like no splitting or cutting burgers and sandwiches that aren’t already halved. And no drama. I wonder what that means.
Some dishes succeed fairly decently in their safe-ish attempt to push the envelope: the avocado on toast’s got a posh makeover, the doughnuts come with fried chicken, and the French toast has hints of crab.
Other dishes are also quite good: the Arnold Bennett omelette features generous portions of jumbo lump crab in smoked garlic butter with Gruyère cheese and lemon hollandaise – a take on The Savoy’s iconic dish. The eight-hour braised buff melt in sourdough’s also decent, though the birria jus didn’t quite land. The grilled haloumi in airy ciabatta (pesto, charred tomato, and smoky romesco) is equally well done.
The rigatoni, on the other hand, is simply passable. I have a feeling this is more of a sandwich and smaller plates place.
On the beverages front, Even Steven’s well armed, and it has to be, considering it’s in Bandra, which is prime caffeine territory. Their beans, sourced from Bombay Island Coffee Company, produce manual brews, drip coffees, frappes, and cold brews, alongside iced teas, straight-up teas, mocktails and dessert drinks. And, of course, matcha. Some of the more interesting takes include a Coca-Cola espresso, an iced strawberry mocha, a babychino, and so on. The pineapple coffee, though, was a let down – the milk had curdled by the time it reached me.
Onto the space itself – designed by architect-turned-restaurateur Geeta Amin, also co-founder of Even Steven – which is warm and earthy. Portafilters as handles, terracotta tiles, and even a small library.
One thing though, that really does set Even Steven apart from the rest of the Bandra places, is the bathroom. More grooming products than I’ve ever seen in a public loo – from a manicure kit and safety kits to Inde Wild fragrances and a hair dryer. Is this the fourth memorable thing?
Time Out tip: Scan the QR code in the washroom, and you’ll get freebies. Winks.