I’ve never actually been to Ellipsis Colaba during the day – it’s usually my stomping ground post 12am, when suitably inebriated.

Hardly surprising then, that finding it is an issue.

When I do finally manage to locate the elusive restaurant, I step into a cool oasis bopping to a soundtrack of nostalgic 50’s jazz, interesting light fixtures and intricate paintings whose scribbly brushstrokes dribble over onto the walls.

I am pleased that this attention to detail spills over to the serving of beverages – lime automatically offered with a simple Coke, drinks assembled in front of the diner.

I choose the Cobb Caesar salad for the sound of its attractive ingredients – avocado, bacon, chicken and most importantly, goat’s cheese.

The waiter brings a dish which is instead sprinkled with Parmesan, neglecting to mention earlier than goat’s cheese was unavailable. I am somewhat miffed at this grave error as the flavour and texture of different varieties of cheese is so great that one is not easily interchangable for the other.

The conservative amount of avocado fails to win me over, as does the colour – a sickly grey which hints that freshness might not be a priority in the ingredients.

Taking the lettuce between the teeth reveals a sogginess which suggests the salad has been pre-prepared, complete with dressing – lesson #1 in How Not To Store Your Salad. The chicken however, is soft and well-seasoned and the bacon bits provide dimension with adequate crunch.

Overall, the actual flavours are sharp, but the lack of sharpness and crispness of the lettuce are the contributing factors to the dish’s downfall.

The pork belly buns look adorable – hefty slabs of meat peeking out of squishy dough adorned with strands of bright red kimchee.

The meat used is high quality and devoid of much fat, hence easily gobbled up. The flesh holds the usual delicate sweetness of pork, which is balanced by the dripping piquancy of the kimchee.

For the price, the serving size of three buns is minimal – four or five would have been sufficient to provide an impression of value for money.

The price of the Wagyu burger stands out – 1000 INR. Is it made of gold? I ask sarcastically. I am later informed that the exorbitant price tag is for two patties, 750 for one.

My diet is telling me to stick to one, thankyou.

I wish I ordered two.

Ellipsis Colaba ‘s interpretation of a beef burger is magical – oozing cheese, crispy bacon, actual beef and caramelised onion breakdance feverishly around the mouth and warm sauce permeating the tastebuds with vinegar tones, minus the obligatory chilli.

This is as good as the Marriott burger used to be – I renounce any other Mumbai beef burger I have tried til date.

The hand-cut fries are also a delight in their intricate detail – every single fry at each end shows a tiny amount of skin – just enough to get me excited.

Seasoned with just enough garlic salt, they provide the perfect accompaniment, if not competition to the burger.

All in all the food at Ellipsis Colaba was great – some hits, some misses, but the flavour of each dish was unmistakably bang on.

The service is genuinely friendly, albeit not top of the range with communication.

The ambience lacks the mystery and magic provided by the dark cover of night but for a daytime dining venue, the crowd is refined and waiters friendly.

Service 9, Food 8.5.

Ellipsis Colaba is located at Amarchand Mansion, 16 Madame Cama Road, Colaba.