GLUTTONY @ KUAI KITCHEN, MUMBAI

DRAGON DAIQUIRI

The bustling Colaba Causeway in Mumbai city is not only home to some crazy trinket shops but also legendary restaurants. Trying to make its space in this bustling locality is Kuai Kitchen, a QSR (quick service restaurant) serving up delectable Asian fare. The brand is the brainchild of Neville Vazifdar, the man behind fine dining restaurants Royal China and Jia-The Oriental Kitchen.
 
The place is a petite one with a handful of tables available for those who wish to dine in. But , it has a wonderful casual vibe and some great food. I decided to dine in and Rajesh Shrestha and his team provided excellent suggestions and service to make this meal a memorable one.
 
So, here is a look at the grub I devoured at this place:

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DUMPLINGS
Both the dumplings that I tried had an absolutely perfect flour coating that was not thick, not chewy and encased a generous amount of filling.
- VEGETABLE DUMPLING WITH CORIANDER
These were your quintessential vegetarian dumplings filled with chopped veggies like carrots, onions and flavoured with whole fresh green coriander. 
- CHICKEN & PRAWN SUI MAI
These were typical open-faced dumplings with a juicy filling of prawn and chicken meat. The meats were lightly seasoned and retained their sweetness to make this dumpling delectable.

SUSHI
I ended up trying two Americanized vegetarian sushi as under:
- CRUNCHY CALIFORNIA ROLL 
The rice was perfectly tart and came packed around a small sheet of nori, mock crab meat & avocado. A coating of fried tempura flour flakes introduced a nice crunch in the sushi. A side of wasabi & dynamite sauce brought a subtle heat to the sushi making it flavourful.
 - AVOCADO MAKI ROLL
This sushi comprised of sushi rice roll encompassing avocado chunks & nori sheet along with mayonnaise. This dish failed to appeal to my palate as I found the use of mayonnaise very brazen and it overpowered every other element of the sushi. 

SALAD
- SMOKED CHICKEN SALAD
- This was a simple salad of crispy, smoked chicken & microgreens with a sweet & sour dressing. 
APPETIZERS
- SALT &  PEPPER PRAWNS
The prawns were batter fried and were crispy & moist. The acccompanying onion and chili pepper relish in which the prawns were coated brought an apt spiciness to the dish.
- CHICKEN YAKITORI SKEWER
Bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken along with shallots were charcoal grilled on skewers. Coated in a glaze of sugar and soya based sauce, the chicken had a pleasing sweet flavour.
- DYNAMITE PRAWNS 
This was the second prawn starter I tried and for me it was the dish of the day. These too were crispy batter fried luscious prawns but were doused in oodles of dynamite sauce (mix of mayonnaise+Sriracha sauce) that added a nice punch to the appetizer.

MAIN COURSE
- CHICKEN PAD THAI  
Flat noodles were sauteed with egg, chicken strips, onion & bell peppers to arrive at this dish. However, the noodles had a very overpowering flavor of lemon grass and left me a bit disappointed.
- FISH WITH CHILI OIL & SPRING ONION
This was a spectacular saucy, fried basa fish preparation spiked with a spicy chilli oil and spring onions. I enjoyed this dish on its own but for those who want to pair it with starch do select steamed rice.

MOCKTAIL
- DRAGON DAIQUIRI (mocktail) 
It's sweet, citrusy tart & fizzy notes proved it to be a perfect beverage to accompany some of the aforesaid piquant Asian dishes we ordered.
DESSERT
- CHOCOLATE KUAI PIE
I ended the meal with these cute, panda-faced shaped steamed buns stuffed with a dollop of bitter-sweet chocolate. This dessert is an unusual treat but I love steamed buns so thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
I will definitely return to this place to sample more of their dishes. You too try out this place and let me know of your experience.
Till then, HAPPY EATING...

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