Mystique isn’t something the modern world lends itself to easily. With every ‘special’ moment uploaded to Insta and GPS pinging off your every location, secrets aren’t easy to keep and no new restaurant in Mumbai stays a hidden gem for very long. But Charlee is here to give it their best shot. The new bar-forward vegetarian dining space in Santacruz – co-founded by Suren Joshi (known for Joshi House, Sukoon, Shelter and Javaphile among others) and Mokksh Sani (Director of Mansionz and Living Liquidz)– is all but invisible from the outside unless you know where to look, even to the all-seeing eyes of Google Maps. (Hint: Look for the red Ferrari).

The Atmosphere

As you ascend the stairs from the shop below, the bright lights transition to dim mood lighting and hewn rock walls. Suren Joshi echoes the words of designers Kasturi Wagh and Vineet Hingorani of Kaviar Collaborative, and describes the interiors as ‘a mix of modern-day speakeasy and Batcave’. It’s not hard to see their vision coming to life as the flicker of lantern light illuminates the black-clad room and shimmers off the brushed brass accents. A juxtaposition between raw industrialism and quiet luxury.

The Concept

The decor sets the tone for its unique concept which was conceived after the success of Suren’s recent venture, Sukoon and their satvik garden. “More and more young people are opting for a vegetarian lifestyle and they need places to go that fit their vibe. And most vegetarians, especially Jains, feel more comfortable dining at places where the whole kitchen is vegetarian,” he explains, “When new non-vegetarian places open up in Mumbai with a chicken salad or what have you, people will flock to it but the popularity doesn’t always last. With vegetarian places, people are slower to come in and try it out, but then word starts to spread and it has the potential to be there for years. It’s like a slow burn.”

For most days of the week, Charlee falls squarely within the ‘restaurant and bar’ category, but extends its own definition for techno and hip-hop nights on Thursdays and Fridays, which is when the place leans into a more spirited club atmosphere and its speakeasy persona gets to come out to play.

At Charlee, the food plays off the bar-forward concept with primarily small plates and bar bites. Suren graciously admits that he had no part in the conceptualisation of the menus and hands the reins over to a dynamic duo of D’Souzas who poured their expertise into crafting the offerings at Charlee.

Chef Richard D’Souza, who also designed the menus at Sukoon and Joshi House, has taken a bold approach, with modern techniques shaping a menu of world cuisine that primarily highlights Indian and East Asian flavours, all meant to work hand in hand with their cocktails curated by Sunny M. D’Souza. Behind the bar, he’s opted for international styles of drinks with local ingredients. They create large batch infusions to guarantee consistency in their signature cocktails – something any person who’s been a bar regular will agree is worth its weight in gold. The bar and the kitchen both pull together to follow a sustainable ethos where ingredients are shared and repurposed to align with their zero-waste philosophy.

The Experience

At a bar-forward restaurant, where else would you start but with a cocktail? We opted for the Movie Time, a truffle-infused, fat-washed bourbon number with a hint of their in-house popcorn bitters. It deftly sidesteps Mumbai’s ever-growing list of unnecessary truffle oil items by being beautifully savoury and complex. The Kentucky Sour on the other hand was on the lighter end of the bourbon spectrum with notes of vanilla and passionfruit balancing between fruity and aromatic, while still having a citrus brightness. An intriguing side quest came in the form of their densely packed, air-bubble-free ice. It’s specially crafted to last longer without diluting your drinks and after two hours of careful monitoring, it was still going strong.

This was paired with some panko-crusted Brussels sprouts and a spiced kimchi mayo from their bar nibbles which leaned more into the deep-fried aspect than highlighting the flavour of sprouts themselves (which admittedly, many people would see as a bonus). For a bar, there is a surprising attention to detail in their salads and fresh dishes like the Beetroot Mango Carpaccio which pairs the natural sweetness of salt-baked beetroot with ripe mango slivers, peppery arugula and hazelnuts finished with a salty edge of feta. Or the Watermelon Tataki that was picture-perfect with a sweet watermelon disc topped with a tart citrus ponzu, balsamic caviar, arugula, feta and pistachios which all worked in harmony to turn what could easily have been an overdressed fruit plate into a cohesive dish.

Chef D’Souza clearly went all out in the innovation department for the Mushroom Galouti and the Nori Nachos. The first showcased a delicate round of saffron-glaze brushed khaari pastry and a mushroom pate centre that quite literally explodes with flavour and is an absolute must-try on the menu. The ‘nachos’ meanwhile make the trip from Mexico to Japan and feature seaweed sheets coated in a rice paste, deep fried into crisps and paired with aubergine and avocado tartare which despite its incongruous setting had elements reminiscent of Indian chaat. Mildly confusing, but ultimately delicious.

By then it was time for Sunny to introduce us to the next round of cocktails. First up was Root, a rosemary-smoked drink with turmeric, ginger, yuzu and sweet lime which while being very herb-forward was refreshed by the citrus notes and paired well with the food. The Asian Mule came in with a burst of fruitiness with a vodka base, the light sweetness of lychee juice and notes of lemongrass.

The Mushroom Edamame dumplings which sat amid a mushroom carpaccio moat which were everything a dumpling should be in terms of flavour, maybe fell a bit short in terms of balancing the tastes and textures and ended up feeling a little flat. The Charlee’s Baked Brie on the other hand with crisp layers of phyllo wrapped around a column of melted brie and topped with spiced honey and sumac was a return to their playful combinations. The Chimichurri Portbellos with cajun spice and mushroom jus, offered up a vegetarian dose of umami, while the Gunpowder Babycorn was another ideal bar nibble which could have done with a hint more spice but was not worse for its milder approach.

Though Charlee boasts a host of intriguing desserts, like the Sesame Cheesecake with Tahini Ice Cream, or a very on-brand Hangover Chocolate with poached cherries and cherry ice cream, we let the bar lead the way for a sweet finish with the Affogato Martini which was a decadent coffee martini with vanilla gelato. Probably not the right drink to start the night with, but definitely a good way to end it.

Charlee, with its name audaciously underlined, is a place that’s very confident in its concept and doesn’t hold back on making it known. It checks all the boxes for a fine-dining space, but there’s an atmosphere of rebelliousness simmering beneath the surface. As though it’s waiting to transition from a sedate space where Charlie Chaplin movies play in the background to a more debaucherous destination to sip on craft cocktails with unmelting ice till the wee hours. This versatility is intriguing and adds to the many reasons why it’s worth a visit…if you can find it that is.