Peruvian flavours and Japanese technique blend into a luxury experience at Koishii

The Established’s first Dinner Club kicks off high in the sky at Mumbai’s luxury Nikkei cuisine restaurant–Koishii

On any Friday night, being in Mumbai’s Lower Parel district is a pulsating experience. Especially in a corner of the city’s newest luxe restaurant, Koishii, where The Established hosted its first-ever Dinner Club event.

If the city of Mumbai has been in hibernation for almost two years, it has wasted no time in getting back to its old ways, with restaurants full of hungry diners and bartenders swamped with cocktail orders. During the time largely spent indoors, the city’s best addresses have undergone transformations too, and the recently opened Koishii at The St Regis Mumbai exemplifies that. The restaurant benefits from stunning views of the city, high ceilings and most importantly, superlative food.

Sky high

Perched on level 37, alongside By the Mekong, the restaurant features a private dining area, a library space for informal get-togethers and a bar that is sure to be brimming over with drinkers on weekends. Its interiors recall everything from post-industrial ironworks to old British manors. The light from the chandeliers softens the space and the well-lit bar serves as an anchor around which a weekend crowd builds. A DJ spins nightly, but not loud enough to interrupt to make conversation impossible.

Koishii, which serves up Nikkei cuisine, puts a fresh twist on familiar dishes–whether it be the ceviche, tartares or sushi that are now du jour at many eateries across the city. Bringing together Peruvian and Japanese influences, its menu marries the quality ingredients that Japanese food showcases with spices and complexity aimed to please an Indian palette.

At the tasting dinner, Domenico Iannone–the General Manager of Penthouse at the St. Regis–cuts a dapper figure, soliciting feedback, while personalising the dining experience for tables that range from families to lone hotel guests. The Penthouse is a collection of restaurants and bars that will make up the top three floors and rooftop of the Lower Parel five-star establishment.

Food and tipple

There’s more than just sushi on offer, with the kitchen divided between a sushi bar, hot kitchen and robata grill–each under the capable eye of Chef Kinyo Rodas Tristan, who hails from Peru. We sampled a vibrant and tart Hamachi ceviche, which was complemented by cubes of sweet potato and roasted corn. The vegetables served as a smart textural foil to the tender, cubed fish. It’s one of many ceviche on the menu, including eggplant, corn and mango variants for vegetarians, all of which have won praise for their vibrant flavours. Across the menu, vegetarians will find a number of dishes to sample, whether it be the gorgeously presented avocado tartare or the shiitake mushroom tempura sushi. The former is served in a martini glass with corn dashi set below and a layer of ice between the dashi and the avocado. It is broken tableside, and while it’s a well-presented plate ideal for Instagram, it doesn’t compromise on taste.

Several dishes at Koishii are exceptionally presented, including the nigiri platter that is made smokier with dry ice and the robata grill orders that are served on mini charcoal grills. It’s an attention to detail that extends to other dining aspects, including the service–which is thoughtful but not overbearing. The anticuchos–or grilled skewers–are a great order for those seeking sharable nibbles with their food, while the Peruvian sea bass is a filling meal by itself, with a caramelised banana crust and hibachi-style rice. Upon the recommendation of our server, to end our meal, we tried a tres leches, which was spongy and soaked in the sweetened milk that lends it its name.

Dinner clubbing with The Established

A few days later, we returned on a Friday, when the bar was more crowded, the music louder and the dining room fully occupied. The Established was hosting its first Dinner Club event, which brought together an eclectic mix of people for an evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The event, in partnership with Chivas 18, is the first in a series planned across the country. At the inaugural evening the guest list included stylist Akshay Tyagi, Christian Louboutin country head Anjali Gaekwar and her sister Priya, Vikram Raizada, chef and entrepreneur Thomas Zacharias, gallerist Hena Kapadia and author Parmesh Shahani among others.

Over cocktails such as One Night in Tokyo (sake, tequila, yuzu orange peel and bitters) or a Classic Pisco Sour (Koishii-blend pisco, fresh lime juice and sugar syrup) and bottles of Chivas 18, conversations flowed. With a diverse group of attendees, there was both familiar catch-up and new introductions made. Sharing plates of crispy chicken karaage, friend prawns topped with mango and sour passion fruit sauce, assorted sushi, melt-in-the-mouth black cod and flaky salt-covered edamame were quickly emptied.

As the night progressed, head of the bar Zac Abbott was increasingly fielding requests for custom cocktails made with Monkey 47 and Chivas 18, which he handled with aplomb. Candice Kapp and Iannone, ever the gracious hosts, kept a watchful eye over food and drinks, while everyone in attendance loosened up. An ideal Friday night indeed kicks off the weekend.

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