A year ago, when Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo and entrepreneur and restaurateur Shilpa Datla opened Kembara in Hyderabad, they already had Mumbai in mind for their next outpost. As planned, the Asian restaurant recently opened its doors in the city.
Located in Bandra Kurla Complex, in the midst of high-rise office buildings and glitzy restaurants, Kembara feels like an oasis of calm with its earthy pastel palette, high ceilings and plenty of light flooding in through its glass doors. With an eye-catching lighting installation made of cane as the centrepiece, the emphasis is on keeping it simple and unfussy, in keeping with the food they serve.
Unlike their Hyderabad counterpart, Shilpa tells us that the Mumbai outlet has more seafood and even the spice levels have been adjusted keeping the palate of the customers in mind. As for Chef Seefah — known for her Thai and Japanese fare served at her eponymous restaurant Seefah in Bandra — the challenge was to ensure that customers understand that Kembara is no Seefah, but a separate entity serving pan-Asian classic comforts. Expect dishes from Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malay, Korean and many more when you step inside the aesthetically-designed space by Studio Padmini Pandey.
Chicken sukho Thai noodle at Kembara | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sushi, dimsum, baos, soups and salads are aplenty in the menu and one would be hard-pressed to make their decision but we eventually call for the spicy crab and prawn dimsum as our entry into Kembara’s world. The generously-stuffed seafood dimsum has robust flavours and spicy undertones. Next on the table arrives the spider roll maki, hamachi sashimi and hotate nigiri. The soft-shell crab tempura in the maki is elevated with spicy mayo and tobiko while the hamachi sashimi is delicately flavoured. Plates of stir fried turnip cakes deliver the perfect combination of crunch and spice of garlic and chilli. The hot and sour shredded potato salad is a revelation with its chilli oil and Sichuan spice — I am definitely going back for this.
The bar is open and we get our hands on the Green Tea Geisha, a cooling drink of cold-brewed green tea, gin and sake. For someone who does not like sweet cocktails, this refreshing drink is a sure-shot winner. The tequila-based Root Elixir has a hint of spice from ginger and spiced wine foam and is a worthy addition to the menu.
Back to the food, and this time we order the mains. The soft shell crab in Thai chilli paste is a no-brainer. Paired with Thai style fried Rice, the curry has the right balance of flavours and spice with the succulent crab meat. The lemongrass cheesecake with seasonal berries topping comes drenched in caramel sauce, which is a bit of a turn-off. However, considering this is the only dish we do not see ourselves ordering again, Kembara’s Asian delicacies are a worthy addition to the neighbourhood.
Kembara is at Shop no 11, Ins Tower, Opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051. Here a meal for two costs ₹2,000
