If you hail from a family of voracious pescatarians, you would be prepared for most things that come from the sea. But, while you might have savoured catfish roe or tuna tartare, the sight of raw uni takes some getting used to.

We are slightly perplexed, therefore, when Chef Swapnil Doiphode brings out a tray of uni at Yuuka by Ting Yen. We are on the 37th floor of St Regis, Lower Parel, with the Mumbai coastline flung ahead of us, but all we can look at are the close rows of uni sitting on the tray. They are an alluring sunrise orange but, honestly, they look like little tongues. What’s more, uni (pronounced oo-ni) is the roe-filled gonad of a sea urchin (each sea urchin has five of these). Currently, Yuuka is the only restaurant in town serving this delicacy.