A Menu of Memories At Modern European Restaurant La Panthera

It’s nearly impossible to eat a meal at La Panthera, the modern European restaurant in Mumbai, without being pummelled by an explosion of comfort-driven European flavours that hit every corner of your mouth. A reminder that taste is as much about emotion as it is about flavour.

The 100-seater vintage chic modern European restaurant launched by Chef Manuel Olveira and his wife Mickee Tuljapurkar in Mumbai is a lingering taste of unforgettable meals of Europe that the couple has savoured together through their extensive travel and Olveira’s desire to “express through the food, simply and honestly.”

So, when served with the sea bass ceviche, enlivened by Bloody Mary granita and crisp corn, followed by the steak tartare—a finely hand cut buff tenderloin on a potato pavé as Tapas as amuse-bouches, you immediately recognise it as preludes to a masterclass about to plate itself at your table.

While it is obvious for one to expect the taste of distant European shores once stepped beyond the ornate black entrance door inside the sophisticated manor living room, what makes the experience moments of intermittent culinary magic are the hands that shape every bite.

Long before the title “chef” carried weight, Manuel Olveira was helping his mother at 14, chopping vegetables, stirring sauces, and serving home-cooked Spanish food at their family-run restaurant in his hometown of Toledo. Today, at 40, Olveira owns two restaurants in Mumbai that bring Spanish and European flavours to local palates: La Loca Maria, a tribute to his mother, and La Panthera both that are close to 7,000 miles from home.

In an interview with Esquire India, Olveira insists that consistency is the backbone of his craft. “Kitchens drill that into you early—turn up, repeat, respect the craft,” he says. “What still feels new is the need to keep creating. You’re always starting again with a blank plate, thinking about what comes next.”

That philosophy is tangible in every corner of La Panthera, from the deliberate flow of a menu to the nuanced play of textures in a single bite. Over the years, travelling through Spain, Italy, France and Greece has changed how he looks at food and spaces that touch upon arts, old buildings, architecture.

“La Panthera isn’t meant to be Spanish or Italian or French - it’s our take on European comfort food, cooked well, served in a space that feels stylish, welcoming and a little bit like a European getaway,” the chef shares.

“A lot of the dishes come from very specific memories. The Bloody Mary Ceviche was inspired by a day in Greece - I was by the sea, eating a simple seafood dish and sipping a Bloody Mary, and the flavours just clicked. I remember thinking, why not turn this into a granita? The menu is really a collection of some of the best meals I’ve had across Europe, reworked in a way that feels natural to us.”

So, when asked what other totally different food combinations work totally well together, he recommends trying dark chocolate and olive oil. “A drizzle of really good extra-virgin olive oil over dark chocolate brings out bitterness and fruitiness.”

On The Plate

Many of the restaurant dishes have quickly become crowd favourites, a testament to Olveira’s ability to balance flavour profiles with serious culinary techniques. On the hot side, baked brie, charred octopus, and lobster rolls are perennial favourites, while the Neapolitan 48-hour fermented dough pizzas surprise diners with their delicate lightness.

The La Panthera pizza with ’nduja sausage and the Tartufo, paired with crust dips like Maria’s hot sauce or jalapeño queso, showcase both creativity and comfort. Mains such as grilled sea bass and tenderloin steak offer solid, reliable satisfaction, while desserts—the La Panthera profiteroles and his unique take on Tiramisu —have earned a loyal following, often leaving guests reluctant to share.

Creating this seamless experience, Olveira insists, is about orchestration of a meal from start to finish. “A great experience comes from getting the basics right and thinking ahead for the guest,” he explains.

The subtleties matter: how the table is lit, whether the music lets you talk easily, how the meal flows, or if your glass is topped up without you asking. None of it is flashy, but together it makes people comfortable and want to come back. “And of course, the food and drinks have to be great - that’s a given.”  

What truly makes a difference is Chef Olveira’s belief that a team working in harmony curates a dining experience worth remembering. And that’s exactly what he hopes both La Loca Maria and La Panthera will be remembered as—places restaurants diners trusted, returned to, and recommended to friends and family.

Still, for all the precision and flair he brings to his restaurants, there’s a delicious irony to Olveira’s personal life: he rarely cooks for himself.

Despite the fact that the chef delights his diners with dishes inspired by travels across Europe, when he seeks his personal comfort, it’s a simple sandwich or a Paella which is Spain's iconic rice dish made with Bomba rice slowly cooked in a rich seafood broth with prawns, lobster, squid and fish, eaten straight from the pan, a firm reminder of home.

One may suppose then that no matter how refined his professional cooking becomes, Chef Manuel Olveira’s emotional compass points home where his joy for feeding people once began.