KMC*, Fort, Mumbai

Restaurant Name: KMC*, Fort, Mumbai
Phone: +919987653397
Address: Kitab Mahal, 1st Floor, Shop No.2, Azad Maidan, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001 India
Time: 09:00 AM – 12:00 midnight
Meals for two: Rs. 1,000
Cuisines: Continental, Bar
Facilities: Breakfast, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Nightlife, Indoor Seating, Romantic Dining, Wifi

KMC*, Fort, Mumbai: About

Exciting new trend alert! This is it. For me, it’s the single most exciting restaurant trend in Mumbai’s restaurant scape. It bypasses the wealthy gourmet. No flashy décor, no international trend and brand slavishness here. No over-the top expensive pricing with loud music to match. Instead, this homegrown trend reaches out to the urban common person. Pioneered in a big way by Riyaz Amlani’s game-changing Social, doubling up as coworking spaces and more. I’m happy to report that the month-and-a-half old KMC* refines that further.

We pop in on a Monday evening (their neighboring Ekaa is shut on Mondays) and laze in a lounger (see photo), nibble through the menu, over order (as usual) and pay a bill of ₹7519 (including wine and desserts).

Familiar And Comforting

Located in the crammed and cacophonic Fort area, KMC* is perched in the heritage building of Kitab Mahal. Walk up the narrow staircase into the high-ceilinged room (with a glass-walled kitchen on the mezzanine floor). There’s a floor-to-ceiling library (there are books by JK Rowling, Enid Blyton and RK Narayan). A long community table of recycled wood, loungers, a printer and a typewriter (that works) and a little corner with merchandise like quirky keychains, diaries, postcards and pop-culture posters are there. At the bar, coffee machine and infusions of tea, wine bottles and craft beer on tap. Feeling of familiarity and comfort that encourages lingering here. And for sure, no one hurries you out.

Culinary Nostalgia And Innovation

We eat our way through the short comprehensive menu. Coming up tops is the textural and flavour masterpiece, Coffee Glazed Roots, infused in a sweet and sour glaze of in-house coffee, spicy curd-base with walnut oil, chilly oil, herb oil, adding subtle layers of flavour. Love the pop of pickled grapes. Masoor Dal in Tomato Ragout, marries home made pasta, foamed citrus yoghurt with meringue. Moist and dense cornbread in a skillet with bacon jam and methi relish redefines innovative comfort. Munchies like the flaxseed crisp, paired with chowli bean purée, roasted vegetable and avocado drizzled with smoked oil are must tries.

Ask for the dense orange and chocolate cake, warm and moist banana bread with nuts, balance of honeyed sweetness offset by tahini and miso.

Average price of dishes are ₹500. Kudos to Chef Niyati and Chef Dhriti Mankame. Choice of wines, vinocktails, fully stocked bar, freshly-brewed coffees and more.

Minus Points: KMC*, Fort, Mumbai

Parking can be daunting if you are driving yourself (though we are told there is valet and pay and park services). Too much of stodge and dough in some of the dishes. The Buff Sando (buff tongue) and the beignets, topped with sukhat shrimp powder mix are examples of the same.

Foamed citrus yogurt spiked with sage and lemon gelato could do with more meringue and a balance of flavour.

Defies Labels… Comforts Yet Stimulates

This new arrival, defies all labels. Not only does it offer community spaces like baugs, gymkhanas and Irani cafes, where people would just visit to eat, but also meet and talk. It’s a space that revolves around people. Seemingly irreconcilable opposites are held in a warm, fuzzy and happy clutch here. Innovative and comforting, nostalgic and futuristic bring together a space that is old and new. From condiments to concoctions and from confluence to coworking. From café to carafe, circle to centre and from culture to crew. From individual to collective and many more the place will be what you want it to be and I love that!

Even though it’s new, KMC already has regulars, we bump into lawyer Ranjit who finds it comforting to pop into KMC’s solace after a long day.

Chef Niyati Rao and Sagar Neve offer Mumbaikers KMC*, an open-all-day space that is fluid in all its form, the food and the space, and the vibe. Nestled in the heritage building of Kitaab Mahal, it defies all labels.

The brilliant 27-year-old founders of the fine-dine restaurant EKAA hit the sweet spot again with KMC*. They redefine comfort at comforting prices in a comforting yet progressive space and we love that!