Akina Contemporary Japanese Restaurant And Bar, Bandra, Mumbai

Restaurant Name: Akina Contemporary Japanese Restaurant And Bar, Bandra, Mumbai
Phone: +918976452911, +918976452899, +918779606872
Address: Golden Palace, Turner Rd, opposite Mala Sinha Bunglow, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050 India
Time: 12:30 Noon – 01:00 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 3,000
Cuisines: Japanese, Asian, Bar, Sushi, Beverages, Desserts
Facilities: Full Bar Available, Serves Cocktails, Indoor Seating, Desserts and Bakes

Hot haute news! Mumbai’s brand new, high octane Modern Japanese restaurant sashayed into Bandra a few weeks ago. The dramatically lit Akina rocks to the beat of an international chef and a DJ. Its vibe is that of Zuma, Sushi Sambha and that ilk…get the picture? It instantly magnetized our stylistas, gliterattis and wannabes. I got instant feedback, some swearing by its international qualities, others swearing at its high price points.

It definitely is Mumbai’s most significant modern Japanese restaurant opening. So, before taking off for London for the Worlds 50 Best Restaurant Awards, we make an urgent dash to Bandra. It’s a rainy night, but Akina is packed.

Is There Hope Behind The Hype? We Check Out…

We dine with the charming gourmet couple who globe trot and live the “wine life”. Sonal Holland, an international wine critic and judge is the only Indian recipient of the globally coveted ‘Master of Wine’. Andrew Holland is the CEO of the largest hedge fund in India with passion for football and Manchester United, where he hails from.

With us is my Japanese food expert Shyam Ghia, he’s a purist, fan of traditional Japanese food ever since he first visited Japan forty years ago. We eat our way through the menu and are rivetted to hear more details about Sonal’s entrepreneurial ventures in wine education, consultancy, retail and events.

To begin the meal, Sonal chooses a bottle of excellent red wine (₹8000) and including and a cocktail that I pay a bill of ₹ 36,743. 00 for the four of us. My three guests enjoy the food but still have not gotten over the steep pricing. Our review follows…

The Akina Experience:

Forget minimalism! Walk into “maximalism” and opulence. Throbbing to DJ music, beneath a dramatically lit, shimmery, rippled patterned, ceiling, is a 5000 sq ft space which seats 85 on two levels. A sushi bar, Akina Privé Lounge and cocktail bar et al. Ushering and serving here are international staff from four continents. An international DJ too. DJ Tina has played in Dubai, London and Ibiza.

Great attention to detail, including dinner ware and crockery by indigenous artisans from India and Japan. 58 wine labels and nine sake labels too.

Sushi To Warayaki:

A combination of innovation and tradition sparkles the menu. Plenty of choice for the Japanese food buff. Spearheaded by the Australia-based Chef Jesse Blake, they stake their claim to be the first to introduce straw-roasted (Warayaki) cuisine to Mumbai and do so only in seven out of their 55 dishes.

We sample it all. From sushi and tempura to Robatayaki. The recommended raw include: Akina New Style Nigiri Sel Lobster Ceviche. Go for the Innovative and tasty Tuna Pizza, spicy Eggplant Tacos and freshly made at the table guacamole. One must ask for the world wide favourites like the Rock Shrimp Tempura Black Cod and Spinach and Soba Salad. The asparagus skewer Tokyo wing Yakitori is okay to taste. Avoidable, thick skinned prawns and scallop dumplings. Lacklustre and small portioned desserts like the Matcha Tres Leches Chocolate textures.

My Point:

I’m convinced that the world is divided into two kinds of Japanese food buffs. The first kind prefer to concentrate on the pristine and pure flavours of Japanese food, minus a distracting rocking ambiance. The second lot flock to the contemporary rocking experiences (Zuma, Sushi Samba, Netsu making waves in London and Dubai and now Akina in Mumbai). Sure, most of Akina’s dishes are artfully presented and infused with bold imagination, vibrant flavours and the straw roasted warayaki is not really the main focus. However, my guests and I could do without the frenetic energy, the dim ambiance, the music which starts thump-thump-thumping as the night wears on. But we are obviously in a minority because despite the high-price points Akina is packed. The restaurant’s young dynamo partners Hitesh Keswani (his Greek Opa Kipos is outstanding fun-dining) and Ryan Acharya, are obviously determined to make a statement of Akina as an international, rocking celebratory modern Japanese restaurant. They’ve hit the sweet spot.