Barring its confused interiors and jarring Bollywood music, a new Japanese eatery in South Mumbai whips up an authentic culinary experience
Prawn Tempura with creamy, spicy mayo
Japani
Food: Good
Service: Quick
Ambience: Average
Prawn Tempura with creamy, spicy mayo
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In a deserted bylane behind the Radio Club in Colaba, a signboard that reads Japani in part-English, part-Devanagri script, caught our attention. Piqued, we entered the three-month-old restaurant. The spacious interiors weren’t very Japanese in appeal but we spotted the traditional wooden table with low seating. This contemporary version of the table had space to suspend one’s feet below instead of having to sit with them folded.
Mochi Ice Cream
When we had checked the restaurant out on an online portal earlier in the evening, the photographs showed a wall painted with a funky image of a woman dressed in a traditional kimono and red sunglasses. We couldn’t spot it in the restaurant, maybe because one section was blocked for a private party. The ambience spelt confusion as the DJ spun Bollywood tracks from the Rs 90s while we browsed through a menu that listed a variety of sushi, along with Japanese and Korean curries.
Japanese Katsu Curry
While we spotted familiar mentions like the Maki roll and Carpaccio, there were a whole lot of exotic appetisers, mains and hot pots that included live cooking at the table. We started with the traditional sushi. The Sake Maki Salmon Roll (Rs 500) with sticky rice wrapped in seaweed was perfectly done. The restaurant’s expertise in sushi raised our hopes. Next, we tried the Prawn Tempura (Rs 650) with creamy, spicy mayo. The battered and deep-fried prawns could also be tried with a creamy wasabi sauce but we stuck to the spiced mayo. The coating was wafery-thin, and the prawn was crunchy.
The Sake Maki Salmon Roll
This was followed by the Japanese Katsu Curry (Rs 590). The dish had cubes/diced portions of pork fried with bread gram cooked in Donbury (soya-based) sauce that was served with roasted potatoes, steamed carrots and thick, sticky rice. It was mild, flavourful and delicious. While we savoured this for the first time, our fellow foodies shared that it reminded them of a curry that they had tasted on the famous Bullet train in Japan.
Keen to try a Japanese dessert, we opted for the Mochi Ice Cream (Rs 350). Our dish featured pounded sticky rice with a green tea ice cream filling. You can try the same with a vanilla filling. We found the combination interesting and different but we are quite certain we’ll pick something else on our next visit.
While the interesting menu deserves an encore, and the prompt service gets a special mention, the owners might want to relook at the ambience by introducing a few cultural elements from Japan, including piped music that’s in sync with its Oriental leanings, to make the experience memorable.
Time: 12 noon to 3 pm, 7 pm to 12.30 am
At: 41/42, Minoo Desai Marg, behind Radio Club, Colaba.
Call: 33126804
Japani didn’t know we were there. the guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals.
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