Are our Asian restaurants authentic enough?
Lets find out
A Delusional cuisine
Authentic Asian food in India was once a delusion — a cuisine miles apart from what we Indians had tweaked and recreated to suit our own palate and taste profile. Instead of learning from the East, we borrowed, bent, and boldly reinvented it.
If people from the East had seen what we were eating under the banner of “authentic Asian” — chicken chilli, veg Manchurian, and Schezwan chutney — it would have left them in utter disbelief…
But don’t get defensive just yet.
That statement might have held true a few years ago. Today, it doesn’t.
It is true that the Chinese cuisine that entered India was as different from its authentic counterpart as coriander is from parsley. Yet, when I think about it, the Indo-Chinese food we grew up loving played a crucial role in helping us appreciate real Asian cuisine later on.
That triple Schezwan rice and chilli chicken you relished had fiery, bold flavours — yes — but it also carried the umami depth of soy sauce,it also had the sharp tartness of vinegar, ofcourse it also had the guilty pleasure of MSG (Ajinomoto), and it also jad that fresh, herby bite of scallions. In hindsight, our taste buds were being wok-ed up.
When you think about it, these ingredients slowly carved a space in our palate. They quietly laid the foundation for Asian flavours in our food culture. They trained our taste buds without us even realizing it — one Manchurian at a time.In many ways, Indo-Chinese cuisine walked so authentic Asian cuisine could run.
As our fondness for these flavours grew and demand evolved, a few visionary chefs took matters into their own hands. They began working with these very flavour profiles and culinary techniques to build restaurants that could finally satisfy our curiosity for the real thing — or at least something much closer to it. What once began as a delicious misunderstanding turned into a stepping stone toward genuine appreciation.
With all this in place, me and my friend Siddhesh thought of hopping to some Asian restaurant and find out which restaurant steals the thunder from all.
We visited to 2 asian restaurants in Mumbai the other day,
first spot that we went to was,
-by Chef Lakhan Jethani.
Located in the bustling lanes of Bandra, Mizu Izakaya promises a contemporary Japanese dining experience.
As we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a warm and courteous welcome from the host and were seated at a table on the upper floor.
To be honest, I was not quite impressed by the ambience. There was no thoughtfully planned ambient lighting, and the absence of soft background music made the space feel quieter than it should for an izakaya-style setting. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just missing character.
We then ate the following dishes,
1. Futomaki : (7/10)
A generously sized sushi roll filled with fish, avocado, asparagus, and mascarpone, served alongside wasabi and pickled galangal.
This roll worked. All the elements of the filling came harmoniously together with the tart sushi rice and the herbaceous notes of the nori sheet.
2. Chicken and Basil Gyozas : (8/10)
Next, we had Japanese-style pan-seared gyozas with a distinct green wrapper, served with ponzu and yuzu chilli oil.
The plating was decent, but the ponzu and yuzu chilli oil were the real stars of the dish. They elevated the gyozas to another level and added a beautiful depth of flavour. This dish clearly understood flavour layering.
3. Smoked Pumpkin and Tempura Aubergine Bao : (6/10)
This was a togarashi-dusted bao with a filling that pleasantly surprised me.
I was a little sceptical about ordering this dish, but it turned out to be quite decent. The combination was creative and fairly well executed. While it didn’t blow me away, I appreciated the experimentation and the effort to step outside the predictable.
Opinion
Mizu Izakaya delivers food that shows promise, creativity, and good flavour understanding. Unfortunately, the ambience doesn’t quite support the dining experience the menu tries to create. A good experience overall — but one that could easily be elevated with better synchronisation between space, mood, and plate.
After mizu izakaya, we made our way to
-by Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo,
nestled on Hill Road, Bandra — a restaurant that doesn’t just serve food, it speaks.
From the moment you step in, you’re greeted with warmth by every staff member you cross paths with, setting the tone before you’ve even reached your table. The aura of the place whispers tales of tradition and culture, blending seamlessly with the calming blue walls that echo coastal hues from the Land of the Rising Sun to the heart of Thailand. It felt like the décor had a passport of its own.
The seating was wonderfully cozy and inviting. We were lucky enough to get a table by the window, where we could enjoy the bustling city views outside while soaking in the serene, ocean-inspired visuals within — truly the best of both worlds, or as they say, having our Thai and eating it too..
We had landed here for the mains and the dessert,
1. Spicy minced chicken set : (8/10)
This was the main course we ordered: jasmine rice topped with a fried egg, served alongside chilli basil minced chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly, with beautiful layering of flavours released from the freshness of basil and the heat of bird’s eye chillies. It paired wonderfully with the fragrant jasmine rice, making it a truly wholesome and satisfying plate
2. Tum tib Grob : (6.5/10)
For dessert, we chose this classic Thai preparation made with water chestnuts coated in tapioca flour, served in coconut milk with crushed ice. It was decent and refreshing, but not something that turned me into an instant fan.
Opinion
Overall A beautiful restaurant that does well deserved justice to the asian cuisine. The hospitality and overall vibe amalgamates perfectly with the food and gives a good multi-dimensional dining experience.
Final thoughts
After having multiple dishes from these two restaurants, I can confidently say that Mumbai’s Asian food scene is moving in the right direction. With chefs like Lakhan and Seefah working so meticulously towards promoting the cuisine and crafting their best work on the plate, the city is clearly in good culinary hands.
And of course, these were just my personal opinions — yours could vary, because everyone’s palate is as different and diverse as a gyoza to a momo. So go out there and try for yourself, unless you’re comfortable letting others decide what your taste buds should like. Afterall, the proof is in the pudding – or in this case the dumpling ;-)
You can CLICK HERE and get redirected to my blog, where i share my experience after visiting the Bohri mohallah in Mumbai.
I’d love to try the gyozas and the dessert, the dessert looks especially refreshing. I’ll definitely check out these restaurants; great recommendations!
Amazing recommendations, will surely try these out✨️