After journeying the world, Indian Accent is finally here in Mumbai

From dilwalon ki Dilli to fast paced NYC, Indian accent is now finally in sapno ki nagri- Mumbai. Situated right in the heart of the city at Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, this trailblazer is all set to showcase the fireworks of modern Indian food.

Greeted by a polite staff, you enter in style, or rather accent, in this 75-seater restaurant whose architecture is inspired by Mumbai’s Art Deco Movement. This architectural style in the city prominently exhibits Indian influences, particularly seen in the design of office buildings, homes and cinema theatres of Mumbai.

Indian Accent also has two exclusive private dining rooms, one accommodating up to 18 guests, while the other comfortably seats 10 guests and boasts an adjoining interactive live kitchen. And speaking of the kitchen, this is where all the magic happens here. The real magician and Culinary Director of Indian Accent, Chef Manish Mehtrota has put together a menu that emphasises an increased selection of seafood and a wider variety of vegetarian choices.It pays homage to the dining trends and seasonal bounty of the vibrant city.

The head magician, Chef Rijul Gulati surprised us in all the ways he could with their Chef’s tasting menu. The Chef’s Tasting menu is 6 courses of amazement and will leave you stunned. There is definitely a sense of familiarity in each dish, but at the same time it’ll also leave you with a sense of child-like curiosity. But I guess reading about it won’t give away much, let’s just take you through the Veg Tasting Menu:

Served in the cutest (yet most unconventional) cup ever, first arrive the Indian Accent Shorba, perfect to awaken your taste buds. It is creamy with that familiar chapata desi zing to it. And to make things just a tad bit interesting the Shorba is accompanied with a Blue Cheese Naan! Don’t make the mistake of judging the book by its cover here, because frankly speaking we thought that the funky and earthy taste of the cheese blended perfectly with the smoky naan.

Smoked Eggplant with Maple Plantain, Churan ka Karela with Rice Cracker, Chole Bhature in Dilli Papdi Chaat are the appetisers featured on the menu. These may be bite sized, but expect an explosion of zing, zest and piquance in your mouth, especially when you have the Dilli Papdi Chaat. And if we had to talk about the Churan ka Karela, well let’s just say you would never know that the hero ingredient of this appetiser is actually bitter gourd. They’ve swapped out the big oily bhaturas for mini ones that do the same job in just one bite, minus all the guilt. The Smoked Eggplant with crackers is definitely a new take on the classic chip and dip.

If juxtaposed with mushroom risotto the Morel with Gobindobhog and Mushroom Payesh with sprinklers of summer truffles may seem similar, but the latter has so much depth and yet is so comforting. If you love a good creamy texture, there’s a high chance you’ll end up licking your plate clean without a care about whether you are being watched or not!

Cutlets are such an integral part of Indian cuisine that no celebration/ event is complete without it. This tasting menu is no less than a celebration and hence there is Beet and Peanut Butter chop on their menu served with creamy goat cheese raita and a salad on the side. The deep red colour will leave a little stain on your tongue but the flavour will leave a lasting impression on your heart (moreover, your palate).

While rasam and vada could never go wrong together, Indian Accent has a way of upgrading it to suit the global palate while still staying close to its roots.The rasam is made with thengai paal which is coconut milk, which is what makes it different from the regular preparation. Whether you are into South-Indian cuisine or not, do not leave the place without at least trying this out first.

Then you are presented with the cutest palate cleanser before you move on to the main course. The Anar and Churan Kulfi Sorbet does the job well, but many feel that it is underplaying as it is just so much more than a palate cleanser. You open a cooker of emotions (quite literally) and it will remind you of your kitchen back at home and the ice popsicle will remind you of the summer you enjoyed as a kid.

After unleashing so many layers of different flavour profiles you are yet again served with something known as the Hundred Layer Paneer with a Tangy Tamatar Chaaman, a piece of nadru (lotus stem) and a small portion of rice. With this there’s a stuffed paneer kulcha with Black Dairy Daal and the quirkiest Wasabi Raita.

The showstopper, or rather the show starter in this case, because Indian Accent is known and recognised for its famous Daulat ki chaat. It is the fluffiest and the lightest dessert you will ever savour and have no regrets over enjoying it to your heatr’s content. Because if you don’t finish and enjoy every bit of it, you will surely regret it later. And as if this wasn’t enough, you’ve also got a variety of sweet dishes to pick from, like the Mishti Doi Cannoli, Pista ki Laun,j and another favourite. Badam Halwa Pie with Cheeni Malai Ice Cream. After tasting this you too will just come to agree that halwa and ice cream is a much better combination than brownie and ice cream.

Apart from the Chef’s Tasting Menu, they offer an à la carte menu as well that includes all the beloved dishes from Indian Accent, such as Meetha Achar Pork Ribs with Green Apple and Ghee Roast Soya Boti served alongside a Roomali Roti Pancake. Additionally, for their Mumbai menu, they’ve introduced unique and enticing dishes like Gunpowder Prawns in red rice and Smoked Chili and Raw Mango Curry, Guchhi Matar with asparagus in a Kashmiri Morel Pulao, and Burrata Chaat accompanied by Lotus Root Papdi and Mustard Tomato Jam.

The food isn’t all that the restaurant has to offer. They have a specially curated Jazz Age cocktail menu that is inspired by the Jazz era. This era spanning from the 1920s to the 1930s is commonly known as The Jazz Age, marked by the prevalence of lively rhythms as the defining music of the younger generation. F. Scott Fitzgerald characterised this period as one in which ’the parties were bigger, the pace faster, the buildings higher, and the morals looser’.

Bombay Sling, Byculla Cocktail Club, Retro Bourbon Punch and The Bombay Cocktail are some to name and definitely to try.

Even though we’ve given quite a brief, it is certain that you’ll have a new and fresh experience of your own. But well here’s a glimpse of what you can anticipate. Now go ahead and make your royal experiences which, without a doubt, Indian Accent as an establishment stands by.