Umame, Churchgate, Mumbai Asian Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Umame, Churchgate, Mumbai
Phone: 088670 26026
Address: 1st Floor, East Wing, Cambata Building, Near Eros Theatre, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400020 India
Time: 12:30 PM to 03.30 PM – 07:30 PM to 12:00 AM [Monday closed] Meals for two: Rs. 3,000
Cuisines: Japanese, Chinese, Sushi
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Table booking recommended, Indoor Seating, Luxury Dining

Back with a bang! Better than ever Trust the award-winning owner and chef Farrokh Khambata to turn the biggest setback into a bigger comeback. The pandemic made him shut Umame for two years, but simultaneously opened up the floodgates of his creativity. He experimented, created, reinvented and reopened Umame with brand new brilliant masterpieces. For many, an old favourite, too. Umame was celebrated and showered with awards since 2013, as were his other restaurants, Joss and Amadeus. To cheek out Umame thoroughly, I go back twice over (and pay full bills each time).

Umame, Churchgate, Mumbai: First Family Of Fine Food

The perfect venue to dine with is the first family of fine food. They have generations of gourmet DNA. Be it the Oomerbhoys – manufacturers of edible oils and fine cheese or the Jaikishans – manufacturers of the equally hugely popular range of granola and muesli. We dine with style diva, beauty with brains, Roohi Oomberbhoy Jaikishan and her 25-year-old son Amaan. Tech entrepreneur Amaan is now taking the fine food family’s work to another level. He’s the founder of a unique food tech application, whose global premiere is in New York next month. Due to work commitments, Chetan Jaikishan is unable to join in, so (in order to get his palate opinion), we pack his favourite dishes. Before giving a five star rating, I checked out the veg-etarian menu, too. This over a fabulous family dinner in the exclusive private dining room with Ananya, Kanika and Anant Goenka, and Dimly Uday Singh. Each time, the consensus was the same, ‘Superb’.

Umame, Churchgate, Mumbai: Ambiance

Centrally located at Churchgate. Perched on the first floor, Umame sprawls in a large dimly lit hall with a fully stocked stylish black marble bar. The long narrow alfresco balcony is a great option, too.

Frilly Eggs To Sashimi

Taste the Orient. Over ninety dishes served here include Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Burmese, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. One must taste the new dishes (75% are new). Attention, all sashimi and sushi savants, Nirvana is sure to be your nirvana. It’s Farrokh’s new heavenly and creamy, new-style sashimi roll of Big Eye Tuna, Chilled Salmon and Creamy Avocado, topped with gold leaf.

Vegetarians are pampered with the creamy, dreamy White Phantom Rolls (Double Avocado and Mascarpone). Delicately melt in your mouth ‘Sakhu’, is a thin rice flour dumpling (stretched on a special cloth), plump with edamame and black truffle.

Indonesian Panko Tofu with Sambol hits the vegetarian spot. As does my fave Panko Crust ‘Tofu topped with aubergine and okra. Don’t leave without tasting the Frilly Eggs, crispy frilly, gooey with a spicy sweet palm sugar dressing. Red meat buffs can go for the Vietnamese Loc Loc Beef, melting soft Southern Thai Styled Barbequed Spare Ribs (new Thai style crushed fresh herbs coffee palm sugar), the piece de resistance – fall-off-the-bone Knuckle of Lamb with a Wasabi Mash Coal Smoked Baby Indian Salmon, Japanese-style sesame seeds et al.

Amongst the old favorites are Khowsuey (Penang style which originated in Joss) and Thai curries. The sweet finale of Chocolate Cigars and even better is the delicate mas-terpiece in textures, the Fib Mille Fbuille with Salted Caramel Ice cream.

The Fifth Most Gourmet Taste

We celebrate the return of Umame! Award-winning owner-chef Farrokh Khambata sets an inspirational example of converting the pandemic setback into a stonger, more delicious comeback. He ensures the purity of the ingredients, the lilting clarity of their flavours and visually arresting presentations, too.

Japanese professor Kikunae Ikeda, who named the fifth taste as umame, would be thrilled with Umame and the way it lives up to its name.