The rising popularity of Peruvian food has been unstoppable since 2011 when Ferran Adrià, considered one of the best chefs in the world, announced that Peru held the key to the future of gastronomy. Another boost for Peruvian cuisine came at the end of 2013 when super-chef Alain Ducasse declared: “Peru will become one of the leading actors on the global culinary scene”, and the Culinary Institute of America named 2014 “the Year of Peruvian Cuisine”. The past couple of years have seen those early rumblings develop into a full-blown explosion of foodie enthusiasm.
However, in India the cuisine has been largely under-represented. Barring Atul Kocchar’s BKC restaurant Lima, India has been rather slow in playing culinary catch-up to this vibrant cuisine. Koishii - the latest kid on the restaurant block - is an attempt to change that.
Ambience
Koishii feels like its own distinct world. Partly because it’s floating on the 37th floor of St Regis Hotel, but majorly due to its sepia-toned interiors softly lit by crystal chandeliers. The 16-feet-high ceiling adds to the splendour.
It has the aesthetic and vibe of a snobbish gentleman’s club. But there are intimate pockets filled with books, antiques and artifacts, too. The showstopper is the bar enveloped by a brass gantry that shows off its pricey bottles and swanky glassware.
Japanese Peruvian jugalbandi
At Koishii, Peruvian food gets a gentle Japanese touch. It may seem that Peru and Japan are worlds away from one another, or at least the breadth of the Pacific Ocean. Yet, in a culinary sense, they are bosom buddies.
Since Japanese immigrants began to settle in Peru in the later nineteenth century, Japanese and Peruvian cuisines have bonded over their love of raw fish and influenced and inspired one another.
Chef Kinyo Tristan, a Peruvian himself, shows off this connection with Nikkei dishes – a cuisine that brings the delicate touch of Japanese cooking to the flavours and ingredients of Peru.
Food
Among the menu’s 72 dishes, hamachi ceviche is your boarding pass to Peru. The fish chunks set in a deep pool of leche de tigre (a citrus-based, spicy marinade which literally translates to tiger’s milk) are heightened by raw onions and creamy avocado. Roasted corn puffs sprinkled around add a pleasing crunch. This dish has both punch and freshness.
For vegetarians, there's mango ceviche which shows Kinyo’s expertise in injecting veg food with creativity, playfulness and intensity. Here, the hapus is joined by sweet potato, onion tempura and quinoa puff. It’s both hot and cold, acidic and starchy, robust and delicate. And, the coconut milk broth is an absolute jewel.
Fruits and vegetables are treated in creative ways here. Like the goma salad, which is a simple dish of baby spinach, parmesan and yuzu dressing. Watermelon carpaccio is yet another example. Eight-hour slow-cooked watermelon slices are lifted by a sweet ponzu dressing and tofu bits. A rewarding dish.
The only dish that elicits the odd moment of clumsiness at Koishii is the crisp-skirted karaange chicken (fried chicken). This juicy, crispy chicken is worth making a mess on the table, though. It comes with three dipping sauces and makes a perfect match for Jules a gin and aperol-based cocktail.
Still, all this is a mere palate-tickling foreplay for the Australian lamb chops from the robata grill section. The chops are luscious, breathing just the right amount of tingly fire from the Peruvian anticucho sauce. It’s accompanied by a creamy quinotto, a risotto-like dish made with quinoa. Do call for the full-bodied whiskey sour to match the robust flavour of this dish. I ended my maiden meal at Koishii with the feather light and moist tres leches.
Koi in Japanese is the act of falling in love and Itishi is the feeling of doing something for someone you love. Koishii is a great addition to Mumbai’s dining scene in that it allows you to try and fall in love with a distinctive cuisine without crossing the world to do so.
Where: The Penthouse, Level 37, The St Regis Mumbai. Tel: 8657907732/ 8657907734
Meal for two: Rs 6,000, plus taxes (without alcohol)
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