World Cuisines

Global Food on a Platter

Travel has changed our eating habits. Investors and restaurateurs realising the need for speciality eateries based on popular cuisines of the world have begun investing in this space. While Chinese, Thai, Italian, French, Mexican restaurants have been around, you are now spoilt for choice with Japanese, Greek, Mediterranean, Peruvian being added to the list. Bombay has come of age. And how! Tantalise your tastebuds, go try the ones we have curated for you, a fashionable lot at that.

It's global, or should we call it, international, or world cuisine, all on a delectable platter, exclusively for you.

Koishii

Japanese is making its mark on Bombay’s restaurant-scape! Throw in Peruvian into the mix and you’ve got a stellar act in this fine-dine. One that’s topmost – literally – with exhilarating views of the city at night and a tapas bar by the same name. In the hands of Chef Kinyo and his able-bodied team, Koishii is painted with a palette of creativity, Peruvian ingredients on a backdrop of Japanese cooking techniques. So, dress smart casual and book a table for dinner at The Penthouse – at Koishii – which shares space with prime property such as Asilo and By The Mekong.

You feel like you’re stepping into a well-appointed living room with a bookshelf and a carpet in place, wooden interiors and leather upholstery, candelabra-esque chandeliers and lamps, those intricate dresser partitions of yore and a commanding bar space with the finest of spirits to raise yours.

Lounge a little with the Smoked Popcorn Sour with Laphroaig 10 YO, egg white and truffle spray or the Ginza Sour with Suntori Toki, ponzu and thyme shrub. Signature dishes are a must with these signature drinks. Take your pick from the Yuzu Miso Black Cod, the Lima to Tokyo Tiradito of Scottish salmon and avocado in hot oil, the Machu Picchu Ceviche with hamachi and Habanero chilli and an alluring Watermelon Carpaccio. The chefs have an omakase menu for you, of course, literally meaning 'I leave it up to you'. So go ahead and choose from the myriad. Or take a look at the a la carte menu for a wider selection. Those maki rolls are a must!

Dessert is a must, anywhere. At Koishii, the Chocolate & Caramel Pot is divine with coffee ice-cream and a rich chocolate sauce. The baked Key Lime Brûlée a refreshing take on the brûlée we know, done here with berries, a citrus soil and a pistachio crisp.

Akina

Japanese is among the rare ones in the financial capital, for sure, and then a fine-dine one, even more. Enter Hitesh Keswani’s contemporary spot on Turner Road in Bandra and breathe a sigh of relief that Japanese is growing, and well. Akina is modern, swish, eclectic and buzzing. Red interiors with an assortment of seating options in plush leather and shimmering ceilings with mirrored walls, a cocktail bar, a Prive lounge pumping out DJ music, and a menu that spans a variety of dishes with straw-roasted Japanese food known as warayaki thrown in, too.

When you take a seat at Akina, know that this is going to be an expensive affair. There’s Australian-based chef Jesse Blake behind the food giving it a modern twist, wines that include the elegant Pinot Noir from Saint Clair, NZ, cocktails like the Sakura Bliss with sakura liqueur with sparkling wine and a zest of orange and a sake collection to sip on at leisure. The Passionfruit Souffle is another exquisite creation to elevate Akina, with the freshest fruit, a black sesame ice-cream and a sesame leaf as garnish.

Dine on the silken Tuna Pizza with truffle for one and the Spinach & Soba Noodle Salad with Parmesan, dried miso and truffle-infused goma (black sesame sauce). While the edamame with salt was too stringy to manage, the Lobster Roll is quite the revelation with avocado that is smooth, kewpie mayo, wasabi tobiko caviar and puffed quinoa. Choose from the Smoked Eggplant from the robata grill or go clay with the Soy Braised Pork Noodle. Sushi, sashimi and nigiri can impress in their arrangement as does much else at Akina, served in glam style.

The Matcha Tres Leches is a matcha and mango amalgamation that would sate matcha lovers well – not us, though, it’s the addictive Chocolate Textures all the way.

Thai Naam

We keep coming back to this one because the man behind the fare here is a dear soul and a masterful chef with decades of experience until he was able to branch out and establish his standalone near the international airport, dedicated to Thai food. After all, Thai Pavilion at Taj President is what it is because of Chef Ananda Solomon. Thai Naam was born just a month before the lockdown in 2020 and is now thriving. The 96-seater is spacious and calming with Thai parasols at the entrance and Thai murals on white marble. The food is the star, a conflation of Thai culinary traditions and ingredients by the chef and his team’s expeditions through the nooks and corners of Thailand.

Vegetables and herbs are flown in from Thailand and incorporated in the freshest of dishes like a water chestnut and raw mango salad. The steamed John Dory is perfection in a lime and garlic sauce. You just can’t get enough of it. The multi-sensory experience continues at Thai Naam with the Thai Coconut Soup flavoured with herbs and scallops that are pan-seared with an orange and red wine reduction. Chicken Satay is so rightly marinated and soft shell crabs fiery with a Thai red chilli paste adornment. Thai curry lovers must go with the simple jasmine rice with a soulful yellow curry. Wrap it up with the Spiced Crème Brûlée decorated beautifully with sun-dried rose petals.

Opa Kipos

Shout Opa! Whether you choose to shake a leg at Zorba dancing or break a plate or two in keeping with the Greek tradition of celebration (you pay Rs 3500 per set of plates, FYI) or just imbibe the theatrical and gastronomical feast that is Opa Kipos from your table, a visit to this dedicatedly Greek restaurant with its ceilings over 20 ft. and pink bougainvillea draped over blue windows and white plastered walls, is a must, food lover.

With staff trained and some imported from the flagship in Dubai, and the Athens native, Chef Christos, at the helm, a plethora of Greek dishes are served efficiently, from salads to hummus platters, dramatic desserts and even peinirli, akin to the Turkish pide. The Figs & Goat Cheese Peinirli is customary here, deliciously so, as is the Greek Salad, prepared fresh at your table with the breaking down of a slab of Feta. Another dairy do is the Flaming Cheese, once again done at your table with Katsiki cheese flambéed with ouzo, that anise-flavoured Greek liqueur. Once at Opa, you have to order the lamb chops, done medium, seasoned lightly so that the NZ meat speaks more for itself, served with veggies. For vegetarians, the Mushroom Pastitsio is a wonderfully creamy dish with wild mushrooms, béchamel, truffle and Parmesan. Live life king size with the Tiger Prawns Orzo with a seaweed butter that is yum.

Desserts are no less a celebration at Opa with the grand Baklava Sundae the star. The sundae is certainly one to be shared, six can comfortably partake! Take a look at the crispy phyllo cup filled with pistachio ice-cream, Greek yogurt ice-cream with baklava, pistachio and cream. The chef will personally decimate the creation at your table and then, do dig in.

Bastian

This one by actress Shilpa Shetty is another grand culinary offering in Bombay, originally in Bandra and later in Worli. The high ceilings and the cane lamps, the wooden interiors, a green cover spread across ample square footage and the vertical bar that stands tall at 28 ft. accessible by a delicately designed elevator make Bastian attractive enough to visit and enjoy the fare laid out. The fare: pronounced quasi-Asian and Californian flavours now inclusive of Mexican, Latin American and European influences. Herbal and flowering teas, Non-Alcoholic Cocktails, Bowls, Littles, Salt, Sugar, Charred, Staples and Bites make up Bastian’s fun menu.

Tacos, hot dogs, burgers and buns are certainly fun and flavourful. The Harissa Paneer, Cheddar Cheese, Black Bean Salsa with Sour Cream Taco and the Shroom Burger comes with a thecha aioli and a “shake sauce” that you must taste to test and write back to us about. If you like pineapple with your wings, the buffalo sriracha is done juicy enough with scallions. Vegetarians can opt for paneer while vegans can choose the mockmeat version. Classics like the Truffle Fries are done with white truffle oil, scallions and a Parmesan finish. Bowls serve up the scrumptious Korean bulgogi with chicken, our favourite, and Littles offer an Avocado Poke Bowl to relish. Pasta on your mind? The Wild Mushroom Truffle is the way to go. Lobster lovers have the Thermidor, creamy Macau-style lobster with Parmesan and coconut cream.

Laze at Bastian with the Morning After Martini and the Bastian Cooler. And if that’s not enough sugar for the day, the Fireball Brownie and the Lotus Pull-Me-Up cake will cover that well. There’s also the Irish Coffee Cheesecake at Bastian. Multiple visits will probably work best, we think!