From creamy burrata toast and smoky chicken to experimental cocktails and indulgent desserts, we explored Sorena’s five-city menu to find the hits, misses and surprises.

Walk into Sorena and the first thing you notice isn't the menu — it's the sheer scale of the place. A large chandelier and central island bar immediately pull your attention in, while a DJ and familiar music give the room a lively, social energy. But the real question is whether the food and drinks can match the dramatic setting.

Sorena, Bandra's new global cuisine restaurant, attempts to answer that by taking diners through five cities — Mumbai, New York, Sicily, Tokyo and Istanbul — in a single meal.

A grand first impression

Spread across two floors of Mansionz One on Linking Road, the restaurant moves between lively social spaces, quieter corners and private dining areas. It welcomes you in with grand, earth-toned interiors, vibrant international artworks, and textured flooring.

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A sweeping curved staircase connects both levels, serving as a sculptural centre-piece, while an enormous handcrafted chandelier of artisanal glass and metal fragments dazzles overhead.

The central bar remains the focal point, while the interiors are designed to make the restaurant feel equally suited to group dinners and drinks. The concept is ambitious, but interestingly, the food itself doesn't always try to be as experimental as the setting suggests.

A culinary trip across five cities

Head Chef Sachin Kadam, who created the menu, says the concept was to make each city feel distinct without turning the experience into a gimmick. 

"The idea was to create a culinary journey across Tokyo, Sicily, Istanbul, New York and Mumbai. Each city has a distinct food identity, but all five are also deeply cosmopolitan, shaped by many cultures, flavours and cooking traditions coming together. We wanted to bring that diversity onto one menu, keeping the experience both familiar and exploratory,” he explains. 

That approach is particularly evident in the food. Rather than dramatically reinventing classics, Sorena mostly keeps the flavours recognisable and lets the city's influence come through in the ingredients and presentation.

Zaatar Chicken |

The Zaatar Chicken, inspired by Istanbul, is a good example. Chicken is cooked with hung curd and zaatar spice, then served with pickled onion, jalapeño and tomato salad alongside mint mayo. The chicken is tender inside with a lightly roasted, smoky exterior, while the sauce adds plenty of creaminess. The zaatar brings an earthy, herby note without overwhelming the chicken. It is a rich and flavourful starter that works because the components don't compete with one another.

Sicilian Carrot Agrodolce Burrata Toasted Pistachio |

From Sicily, the Sicilian Carrot Agrodolce Burrata Toasted Pistachio takes a lighter approach. A crisp ciabatta toast is layered with carrot mousse, tomatoes, burrata and pistachio, with more carrot purée served alongside. The dish is creamy, fresh and mildly sweet, although the carrot flavour itself remains subtle. The burrata softens the crisp toast, while the pistachio gives some much-needed texture.

Rainbow Salmon Sushi |

The Rainbow Salmon Sushi, representing Tokyo, is visually stunning but less convincing on the palate. Blue pea rice, cucumber, avocado, cream cheese and Norwegian salmon are rolled together and topped with more salmon and caviar. The avocado and cream cheese give it a creamy texture, but the salmon didn't taste as fresh as expected. It is pleasant enough, but compared with some of the other dishes, it lacks a stronger flavour profile.

Dingri Dolma |

Mumbai gets a more familiar treatment with the Dingri Dolma, a button mushroom preparation cooked in tomato purée, garam masala and herbs. Served with chur chur paratha, it feels closer to classic Indian home-style food than a restaurant experiment. Creamy, warming and packed with familiar spices, it is the sort of dish that doesn't need much explanation to work.

Seafood Risotto |

The Seafood Risotto brings together lobster, calamari, seabass and prawns with Arborio rice, parmesan and an Arrabbiata sauce. The tomato base gives it a noticeable tanginess, while the parmesan adds creaminess. It is a decent risotto, although the tomato flavour remains the dominant note.

Chef Sachin explains that this restraint was intentional. “For me, authenticity starts with respecting the original character of a dish. There's no need to change something just to be different. The focus is on getting the flavours, techniques and balance right. The creativity comes through in the presentation and in how the dishes come together as part of the larger Sorena experience. The soul of each dish stays intact.”

The bar gets experimental

If the food stays relatively grounded, the cocktails are where Sorena gets more adventurous.

Cocktail consultant Dimi, who created the beverage programme, says the team avoided making the drinks overly literal interpretations of their respective cities.

“We looked beyond the obvious associations of each city and explored its mood, flavours and drinking culture, then translated those into cocktails that felt natural within Sorena's identity,” he states.

Half Truths |

The Half Truths, inspired by Tokyo, is a tequila-based clarified cocktail made with Jose Cuervo Silver, ripe mango water, Thai chilli tincture, saline and acid solution. It opens with mango and a gentle spice, followed by tequila and a lingering chilli heat. The tequila isn't particularly aggressive, making this a light, easygoing drink rather than a spirit-forward one.

2 AM Somewhere |

The 2 AM Somewhere from Sicily takes a darker route with Jim Beam whiskey, fino sherry, toasted coriander, nutmeg and salted caramel ice cream. It starts sweet, moves into whiskey and finishes with a slight bitterness. Dimi describes the drink as an exploration of “a darker, more indulgent side of Sicily,” using salted caramel to round out the spirit and spices.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent |

For those who prefer dessert-like cocktails, New York's Guilty Until Proven Innocent is perhaps the most obvious choice. Made with filter coffee gin, hazelnut and melted vanilla ice cream, it is creamy and sweet, with coffee leading the flavour profile and a subtle gin note underneath. It genuinely feels closer to dessert in a glass than a conventional cocktail.

No Loose Ends |

The Mumbai-inspired No Loose Ends, however, was less successful for me. Made with Ketel One Vodka, puffed rice, Aperol, mango, nutmeg and acids, it has a citrusy opening and mild sweetness, but the flavours don't come together as strongly as the other cocktails. The vodka is barely noticeable, and the drink ultimately feels a little flat.

Dimi says the intention was to make the flavours evolve rather than let the spirit dominate. “It's a balance. Flavour draws you in, but the spirit gives the drink its structure and identity, and we don't want it to disappear behind the ingredients or techniques.”

Still Dancing |

The Still Dancing, an Istanbul-based mocktail, was a safer option. Pomegranate juice, molasses, condensed coconut milk and basil create a sweet, creamy drink with a noticeable pomegranate flavour. It works well if you prefer your non-alcoholic drinks on the sweeter side.

Dessert steals the spotlight

Dessert is where Sorena left the strongest impression. The Brooklyn Blackout Cake, influenced by New York, combines chocolate and hazelnut mousse with sponge and mixed-berry sorbet. The mousse is rich without becoming excessively sweet, while the sorbet cuts through the chocolate with acidity and freshness. It is indulgent but balanced.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake |

The Mumbai-inspired Lychee Silky Yogurt is another strong finish. Lychee coulis, baked yoghurt, rose petals and pistachio create a dessert that is creamy, fruity and slightly floral. The lychee flavour is prominent, while the pistachios add crunch and the yoghurt keeps the sweetness in check.

Lychee Silky Yogurt |

Final verdict 

Overall, Sorena is more successful with its food and desserts than with every cocktail. The kitchen doesn't seem interested in reinventing familiar dishes simply for the sake of novelty, and that restraint works in several places. The cocktail programme, meanwhile, takes more risks with clarification, infusions and unusual flavour combinations, with mixed results depending on the drink.

The interiors undeniably provide the wow factor, making Sorena an interesting place for a group evening, particularly if you want to explore different styles of food and drinks under one roof. Just don't expect every dish to be a revelation. The better reason to return may be the combination of the setting, familiar food and a cocktail menu that gives you plenty to experiment with.

Other details

Where: 11th & 12th Floor, Mansionz One, Linking Road, Bandra

Cost for two: Approximately ₹4000 (including alcohol)

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