The NCPA has proven a good hunting ground for restaurateur Farrokh Khambata. He started with the fine dine European and Mediterranean restaurant Amadeus, and moved on to bistro Café at the NCPA. This month, he brings a new offering to the city, Izaya, launched on November 23.
Located in the serene surroundings of the NCPA, sandwiched between his other two babies, the sounds and sights at Izaya are familiar. The food, on the other hand, is not. The fine-dine serves Thai and Malay flavours, with a heavy emphasis on food grilled on the star of the restaurant, the Robatayaki grill. “I wanted to give the city something new. I love to reinvent myself, whether food or interiors. I chose my favourite cuisine, Asian. There’s a shortage of Thai restaurant in SoBo besides Thai Pavilion that offer authentic recipes and not just another fusion,” says Khambata.
To start with Khambata sent five chefs from his research and development team to learn about the cuisine from master chef Piyarat Ruangsang at Bangkok Thai Culinary School. Later, he and the team spent 15 days scouting for local food, sometimes travelling 80 km away from Bangkok for it. “It was a hit and miss. Much of the food we tasted was decent but it was at these small stalls and in the villages that we discovered the tastiest food,” says Khambata.
One such trip has resulted in the Izaya special, Sa Khoo – rice flour dumplings made by steaming them on a cloth stretched over a pot of boiling water. “I first came across this dish ten years ago at an event of the Thai consulate. Although I asked the chef for a recipe, he never gave it. During this trip, I knew I wanted to learn how to make it. I discovered this about 200km away about two days before we were leaving. Luckily, we found a chef who could teach us how to make it,” he says. Light to touch, and melt in the mouth, the Sa Khoo at Izaya has a see-through light skin concealing prawn and Thai chives.
The menu at Izaya has specialties like Hokkaido Corn with Japanese Seaweed; Amphawa Sweet Water Scallops, Spiked Yellow Bean and Thai Kumquat Spatchcock and Baby Back Tender Aburi Pork Ribs. The pork ribs are grilled well – they’re tender, falling off the bone, smoky and with a slight hint of coffee. The ingredients are imported – the Aburi pork and Hokkaido corn from Dubai, Wagyu from Dubai, tea from Thailand; only fresh seafood is used, imported from Kolkata.
The focus is on the three-tier Robata grill, which though not impressive to look at, dishes out food that’s perfectly smoky, full of flavour and just a bit healthy. “The idea of a Robata came much later. Every restaurant of mine has one specialty like khow suey, sushi or dim sum. In London, one of my favourite places to eat at is Roka, which uses the Robata grill. I didn’t want to do just another Japanese restaurant but thought of using the same technique of cooking on charcoal,” he says.
Khambata and his team found the food in Thailand a little too sweet for their taste, so they took care to ensure the food balances the sweet, spicy and salty elements well. The biggest example of this is the underrated Frilly Eggs. The name may be simple but the dish is complex – eggs that are crunchy on the outside but conceal soft yolks, crunchy vegetables, and a faintly sweet palm sugar dressing that ties the whole dish together. Khambata says to look out for The Yokka Kan – a four day menu that will feature dishes created around local, seasonal produce.
There’s nothing at Izaya to suggest that it is a Thai or Asian restaurant, barring the Thai script on the menu. The interiors are done up in dull shades of blue and grey, with chandeliers adding a bit of sparkle. During the day, soundproof doors will open up to the Amadeus lounge. At night, the best seating spot is outside, away from the hustle and bustle of the open kitchen, and into the mild embrace of Mumbai’s winter. It’s a good setting to dig into desserts, specially the warm Bread and Butter Pudding with a Crème Anglaise.
Izaya is located at Amadeus, NCPA, Nariman Point. A meal for two costs Rs 2,500.
