Sasha Goenka, who spent time in Paris and travelled widely, wanted to bring a slice of Europe to Mumbai — a space where one can come as they are, at any time of the day, and have a glass of wine or many, without needing an occasion or expertise for it. The result is Pique, the newly opened all-day wine bar in Fort.Wine bars can sound intimidating. Sasha was certain she wanted to create a place that’s anything but that. “Like you are sitting in your friend’s living room and opening a bottle of wine,” she says. Her idea comes through in a space that’s dimly lit, elegant but fun, filled with knick-knacks she picked up during her travels — ideal whether you are having a meal by yourself, on a date, at a post-work gathering, or catching up with friends.Sitting on Horniman Circle, right next to Galleries Lafayette and in the thick of Fort’s office district, Pique has already found itself a stream of walk-ins straight out of nearby law firms and banks — laptops open, ties loosened, one glass of wine at a time. At Pique, The food, led by award-winning chef and cheesemaker Aditya Raghavan, borrows generously from France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, filtered lightly through Indian ingredients and, occasionally, Indian flavour cues. (Express photo)The wine list features a mix of Indian and international options from Italy, France, Greece, the US, and Australia, spanning sparkling, rose, and even orange wine — a rarity on Mumbai wine lists, and something Sasha is particularly bullish about. Sasha, who is WSET Level 3 certified and trained in French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu, has curated the list to champion Indian producers alongside international ones — Grover, Bolgheri, and Fratelli currently feature prominently.Prices start at a refreshingly accessible Rs 850 for a glass, going up to Rs 10,000 for the most expensive bottle, with twelve wines currently available by the glass (soon to be more), and the list is set to rotate, with fresh labels expected to roll in from September.Sasha Goenka has also built in small, playful touches, like offering a wine by the glass on its “international day” — Albarino on Albarino Day, a discounted Pinot Noir on National Pinot Noir Day. “We’re just trying to make it fun,” she says.Cocktails, too, have a place on the menu, despite Pique’s wine-forward identity. “It was intentional — to be inclusive,” Sasha explains. “If you’re out with a group and someone wants a beer or a cocktail, why deny them that?” The signature drinks lean into European classics with playful twists — a Pizza-cante (tequila, white wine, basil, oregano, jalapeno and chilli, finished with paprika and a hint of pizza), a Wicked Martini with house-smoked olives, and a Mush Room cocktail built on umami stock and a white-chocolate-liqueur base made by fat-washing cacao butter with alcohol. The coffee, sourced from Nagpur-based roastery Corridor 7, rounds out a menu that clearly wasn’t an afterthought.Story continues below this ad Sasha Goenka, who is WSET Level 3 certified and trained in French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu, has curated the list to champion Indian producers alongside international ones — Grover, Bolgheri, and Fratelli currently feature prominently. (Express photo)The food, led by award-winning chef and cheesemaker Aditya Raghavan, borrows generously from France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, filtered lightly through Indian ingredients and, occasionally, Indian flavour cues. The chickpea fries — a riff on the classic Provencal panisse — get a dash of Bhavnagari chilli and a scoop of goat cheese; the pizzettes, made with a 40-hour fermented dough, are already a hit, we particularly enjoyed the one with caramelised onion and goat cheese topped with arugula. The cheese board that sees him pairing some of the best Indian artisanal cheese has turned into a bestseller, moving close to 60 portions a week.There’s a quiet insistence on sourcing well and sourcing clean — the charcuterie, made without sulphites or nitrites, gets its pink hue from beetroot juice instead, and its cure from celery, which contains natural nitrates, rather than industrial sodium nitrate. “It’s hard to find good charcuterie here that isn’t loaded with chemicals,” Sasha says. “I wanted people to be able to eat well without compromising on that.”The larger plates read like a European bistro’s greatest hits, gently localised. We loved the sea bass served with a classic French vierge sauce — the fish cooked perfectly, the skin holding the delicate piece together, the green sauce of olive oil, diced tomatoes, herbs and lemon juice light to eat but ate like a wholesome meal. Halloumi basted in brown butter and honey, served over a three-ingredient roasted buttery cauliflower mash and paired with a Basque-style piperade that works great for the Indian palate, was another dish we enjoyed. A small silent projector loops old cartoons and Chaplin clips in the background — not for anyone to watch, just there, the way a television might murmur on in someone’s living room. (Express photo)The one flourish of kitchen theatre on an otherwise unfussy menu is a cheese foam — a brie-based sauce stabilised with sodium citrate, then whipped into a light, pressurised foam using a siphon, served on the side with truffle chips. “It’s the only nerdy, scientific thing we do,” Sasha laughs. “Everything else is very simple, very honest food.” It is a must-try dish.Story continues below this adWeekends bring a compact brunch menu — four or five egg-forward dishes, including a Benedict, chorizo eggs, and a truffle scramble — a direct response to the steady stream of South Bombay regulars dropping in on Saturday and Sunday noon. On weekdays, there’s a value-driven express bistro lunch: where one can get a main and a side for as little as Rs 850 for veg, and Rs 1,150 for non-veg. One can add a glass of wine for Rs 450, a coffee for Rs 250 or dessert for Rs 400.If the food and wine are the anchor, the room itself does a lot of the talking. High chairs at the entrance are ideal for someone sitting by themselves with a book or laptop, happy to watch the city pass by; inside there are all kinds of seating arrangements, even seats by the bar. The space is layered with a cork wall guests are encouraged to build up bottle by bottle, and a shelf of peeled-off wine labels from every bottle tasted while building the list. A small silent projector loops old cartoons and Chaplin clips in the background — not for anyone to watch, just there, the way a television might murmur on in someone’s living room. Upstairs, Pique retains the exposed brick and original woodwork of the space’s previous occupant, and a flexible dining area doubles up for events, tastings, and more. Coming up soon are musical nights, Jazz, DJ and more.At 27, Sasha, daughter of Viveck Goenka, Chairman of The Express Group, is unambiguous about what she doesn’t want Pique to become: an occasion-only destination, or a place that leans on wine expertise as its personality. Formal tastings and a members’ program are both on the table for later in the year, once the space settles in — for now, the ambition is simpler. Walk in, in your shorts or your work clothes, and stay as long as you like. “I don’t want it to be perfect,” she says of the space, still filling in around her. “I want it to feel lived in.”