Literally! That’s what the newly-refurbished Asian bar and eatery in Bandra offers you on a platter – Asia! Right from Vietnamese to Indonesian, Japanese, and Thai – the best of Asian food and flavours can be savoured at this quiet eatery, tucked away in Bandra’s posh neighbourhood Pali Hill.
With new high-energy interiors, an all-day vibe, and lots of passion to serve its customers, it offers delectable Asian tastes and a lot more. The ambience in the restaurant was a mix of nice & classy and lively & vibrant. We were invited to taste the authentic Asian flavours and am I glad we took the opportunity?
We started our lunch with this incredible peach iced tea (hardly ever tasted any like this before) served in tall glasses. The sushi made of rolled avocado, cucumber, and cream cheese served with raw mango togarashi salsa proved to be the perfect accompaniment for our iced tea. While they have several offerings for teetotallers, they have an equally exciting bar offering exotic cocktails.
The chef decided to pamper us with dumplings of wok tossed blistered wild mushroom with truffle oil and crispy stir fry lotus stem with a tangy sauce (lotus stems were delicately wok tossed with just the perfect hint of tanginess).
We also asked for a salad, which is usually the perfect appetizer to build up an appetite for the main course and the dessert. The Vietnamese tender coconut and raw mango salad was a fresh and juicy coconut salad with Thai sweet chilli dressing – spot-on and just the right way to stimulate the appetite. We also had the traditional Thai herb-scented soup, aptly named Spicy Tom Yum.
Since we were already stuffed with these amazing appetisers and starters, we decided to keep the main course light because we didn’t want to miss the desserts that the restaurant has earned a reputation for. So, we called for a coriander garlic rice and spicy Thai-styled green curry cooked in coconut milk with greens and exotic vegetables. This was again just perfect and not too spicy even though it was described as that.
Finally, it was time for the icing on the cake, or in our case, for Dense Yucca Tres Leche (served with butterscotch ice cream) and Tab Tim Grob (traditional Thai dessert with jellied water chestnut and sweetened coconut milk), which was the perfect way to end our gastronomically exciting lunch. Our stomachs were full and satiated but the foodies in us will want to go back for more at the first given opportunity!
Photo courtesy: Arunima Takiar
