Lounge
The modern izakaya Donmai in Mumbai brings a taste of Japan
Summary
Chef Oishik Neogi and co-founder Sameer Uttamsingh talk about sakes, cooking techniques and where to eat in Japan
In Japan, izakayas are hubs for social dining with affordable menus. They serve comforting dishes—from ramen to yakitori and karage—complemented by sakes, cocktails and beers. “Typically, they are casual neighbourhood restaurants where people hangout with colleagues, friends or family after work," explains Sameer Uttamsingh. The Mumbai-based restaurant consultant opened a modern izakaya, Donmai, in Mumbai’s posh corporate area Worli last month. He partnered with young entrepreneur and artist Ish Patil who hails from the city’s prominent business family DY Patil.
Izakaya as a restaurant format is catching up in India because its menu is malleable. In other words, it can be tweaked to adapt to diverse palates while the soul of the food retains its Japanese essence. The kitchen is led by chef Oishik Neogi who polished his culinary chops in South Asian cooking at the J.W. Marriott in Vietnam, the Japanese restaurant Roboto in Goa and the Michelin-starred Gaa in Bangkok. Earlier last year, he was at the Japanese Culinary Institute in the city of Atami in east Japan. After his return to Mumbai, he joined Donmai.
In an interview with Lounge, Uttamsingh and Neogi talk about Japanese cooking, crockery and eating out in Atami.
What fascinates you about Japanese food?
Neogi: It’s so much more than sushis and sashimis. Japanese cooking is playful, innovative, produce-driven, no fuss, and the emphasis is on bringing out the flavour of each ingredient. We have a salad on our menu called the Kobujime Tomato Salad. Kobujime is an ancient process of preserving and treating fish wrapped in kombu, or seaweed. Here, instead of fish, we have cured tomatoes in seaweed which develops a rich umami flavor and develops a meatier profile. Then there’s Tataki shrooms. Tataki is a technique where and ingredients isn’t fully cooked to retain hints of its natural flavour and texture. In our dish, king oyster mushrooms are lightly seared and arranged on a plate.
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What prompted you to launch Donmai?
Uttamsingh: It’s a modern izakaya where we have tried to bring our take on food served in these casual Japanese places. In Mumbai, diners have become very appreciative of Japanese food, and the izakaya style is fairly popular. The market is ready for something which is on similar lines, but more contemporary and energetic. We thought of making the food slightly more elevated and the drinks are quite innovative.
Elaborate on your drinks programme.
Uttamsingh: There are spirit-forward as well as zero alcohol drinks and a selection of sakes from Japan’s Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Company and Kitaya Brewery. For cocktail, we have techniques borrowed from molecular gastronomy, like sous vide, and a few clarified options. Most of our drinks come with a small snack on the side. For instance we have a white Negroni flavoured with truffle and topped with truffle foam. It come with a roasted garlic twill dusted with sea salt to break the monotony of the beverage. There’s another drink, Togarashi. It’s a smoked Margarita spiced with togarashi. It’s paired with a barbequed rice crisp for an added depth of flavour.
Japan is known for its spectacular pottery. Do you have any interesting dishes featuring Japanese crockery?
Neogi: We have a rice dish cooked in traditional Japanese donabe pots. These vessels have a lacquered cover and perforated bottom. The last layer of the rice gets a nice, golden, crispy texture and a smoky flavour. Then it can be layered with fish, vegetables or more rice. At the restaurant, this is served as a sharing portion.
Can you share a brief list of restaurant recommendations in Japan?
Neogi: In Tokyo, there’s a family run place, Nanbantai which has served world leaders, like US President George Bush. The most interesting places are small eateries that don’t have any name and cannot be located on Google map. For instance, when I was at Atami, I visited a tiny place at the shopping district near the railway station that served only rice with unnagi (fresh water eel). I stood there for more than two hours to taste it. In the same area, there was a bakery that served fresh made-to-order milky buns neatly stuffed with adzuki (red bean paste) on one side, and pure white butter on the other. If you visit Japan, I would recommend asking locals about such places, explore and find your favourites.
