A new restaurant that replaces Saki Naka landmark Mainland China wows with its quirky concoctions, soft baos and fried sushi. Go try
Fried Spicy Tuna Sushi. Pics/Sameer Markande
Stripped of iconic Chinese sculptures and bright golden lighting, Asia Kitchen and Bar, a new restaurant that replaces 22-year-old Mainland China at Saki Naka, offered a grungy welcome, with dim lights casting shadows on brick-and-mortar walls encased with antique bells and etched with Chinese lettering.
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However, we knew it wasn't yet-another-Asian-eatery-in-the-city when we spotted a fried version of sushi on the menu and the fail-safe folk of Hoppipola behind the bar, which also distinguished itself from its parent company, Speciality Restaurants' existing chain Asia Kitchen by Mainland China.
Sake Sangria
From Vietnamese Pho to ramen bowl, baos, dim sums, gyoza and Malaysian-style curries, the eats menu packed in a range of South East Asian flavours. We began with Fried Spicy Tuna Sushi (Rs 345). A burst of flavours greeted us as we tucked into a crispy coating that packed in sticky rice and a gooey mayo-tuna mix.
Bao tales
Next, we tried the Tofu and Mock Meat Bao (Rs 225). Warm and sponge-soft, the rotund, mildly-spiced vegetarian baos made for a great appetiser. They tasted better when dunked into an accompanying chilli-mint dip. Smoked Duck Rolls (Rs 295) featured deep-fried and crispy barrels stuffed with tender meat that caressed our taste buds with a barbeque-style smoked flavour. Meanwhile, Oriental Green Pizza (Rs 225) scored due to its wafer-thin sesame seed-pecked base topped with broccoli, tomatoes and cheese.
Slow Cooked Lamb Massaman Curry served with sticky rice and a variety of condiments
Sake meets Sangria
Among the Asian-flavoured signature cocktails, our favourites were Sake Sangria (Rs 475), Cambodian Cooler (Rs 425) and Absinthe Pine Driver (Rs 495). The sweet flavours of apple juice and passion fruit balanced out the tartness of Japanese sake and Mexican tequila in the smooth, Sake Sangria. Bubbling in a cane basket (molecular techniques at work), the Cambodian Cooler, sufficient for two, soothed our tired nerves with a strong hint of ginger coming through the vodka-watermelon mix.
Meanwhile, Absinthe Pine Driver turned out to be a sensory experience. The cocktail arrived in a tray with dried kaffir lime leaves and two slices of spiced pineapples hanging over them. As the bartender torched the leaves in front of us, their aromatic smoke wafted over the tangy-spicy pineapples and blended into the potent vodka-absinthe-pineapple juice concoction too. Each sip delighted us.
From the mains, we liked Slow Cooked Lamb Massaman Curry (Rs 325) that was accompanied by sticky rice and condiments like spicy red chilli chutney and rice wafers. Dotted with chunks of succulent lamb, the thick Thai curry presented a fine balance of spices like star anise, cinnamon, kaffir lime, galangal and ginger. Just like the sticky rice quickly soaked in the curry, it was polished off our plates within minutes too.
Break the dome
We ended the meal with Chocolate Dome (Rs 295), a dessert layered with honeyed crispy wonton noodles, brownie, caramel popcorn and oodles of chocolate sauce. We couldn't imagine a better ode to its predecessor, known for its darsaan.
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