Asia on my plate

Lemon Leaf — a new pan Asian restaurant in Colaba — is stirring up some seriously decadent treats.

Remember “Aoi”, the cozy sushi café tucked away in the bylanes of Bandra It seems to have teleported to South Mumbai in a bigger and better avatar. After Aoi and Shiro, Chef Samir Juvekar recreates the magic in the bylanes of Colaba at “Lemon Leaf”.

The place is extremely well done up and is spacious by Mumbai’s standards. The freshness of the place is felt both in its décor and its food. Every table has a theme of its own, yet they all seamlessly blend into each other to give the place a signature look — like a posh living room, if you will.

We strongly recommend reserving a table in advance, given the heavy footfalls at the restaurant even on a weekday. We were lucky to get a table for two on a Monday night and got to ordering almost immediately.

As a pan Asian restaurant, the menu is a treasure trove for sushi, dimsum, rice and noodles. The sushis are one of the freshest the city has to offer. A special mention for the wasabi served alongside the sushi which is easily the strongest and most pungent offering of the restaurant. Understandably, they offer only a “drop” of this pungent overpowering goodness.

The meal began with a flavorful hot bowl of miso soup. What followed was an array of sushis and dimsums. The ingredients are fresh and the place offers as many options for vegetarians as it does for meat eaters. The tempura sushi was our favourite not only for its taste but also for the fact that something that is deep fried can be so non-greasy.

The sizzling chicken with bacon bits is something between a starter and a main course. Served with a poached egg on top in a petite hot plate, it’s appeasing both to the eye and the tongue.

The grilled snapper in Sri Lankan curry brings the essence of the sea and the coast to the table with a respectable portion of the catch floating in an abyss of spiced up coconut milk based gravy.

Topping up the treat was a rather innovative dessert — vegetable ice creams!

We ordered a scoop beetroot (yes beetroot!) ice ream, roasted pumpkin ice cream with spices and black sesame ice cream with honey. Even if you’re not a big fan of veggies, try them. You’ll surprise yourself. The flavours are intense and not superficial unlike most places who simply drizzle flavouring onto a vanilla base. If you have not yet had your fill, dig into the chocolate sushi for a mild chocolate dose.

Moving on, to the non-gluttonous details, the staff is courteous, the pricing is reasonable and above all the culinary experience is a treat for your tastebuds. Definitely worth taking a leaf out of this book.

Stars: 3 and a half Meal for two: Rs 2,500 4, Mandlik Road, Behind Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba.