Kembara, BKC’s Pan-Asian Culinary Spot has come up with a Summer Special Mango Menu

Located in the heart of BKC, is Kembara, Mumbai’s newest pan-Asian restaurant. Having heard about their summer special mango menu, we headed over to see for ourselves. The place is a-buzz, a mix of women out for brunch with the gang, working their way through the menu as well as plenty of BKC corporates relaxing mid and post-work.

With Kembara already serving patrons in Hyderabad, we were keen on tasting the menu co-created by Shilpa Datla with Chef Seefah. Here, they bring the pan-Asian cuisine to a new level with authethtic, comfort food you can bond over.

The interior is what caught our eyes first. There’s plenty of natural light and natural hues spell inviting interiors at Kembara. The earthy tones, nature and desert-inspired make for a classically minimalist aesthetic that’s welcoming as well as grounding. The colour palette is wood with natural elements like a splendid jute overhead hanging piece cutting through with texture.

We were greeted by Manasi who showed us the bar and then sat us down to take it all in. The summer special mango menu comprises four options that are more than enough to fill you up. We started with the Green Mango Coconut Salad with crunchy peanuts. It's tangy, it's tantalising and a great start to your meal. This was especially delightful having taken a hot cab ride at 1 PM!

Next was the main course. The Tempura Shrimp Sunset Roll is an indulgent item with the crispiness of tempura prawns complemented by the sweetness of mango and the freshness of microgreens. Prawns and mango might seem like an unusual combination but it somehow works really well. The sweetness of mango cuts through the umami of the prawns.

We also tried the Avocado Mango Delight Roll which looked similar to the Tempura Shrimp Sunset Roll but couldn’t have tasted more different. It was light, refreshing and simply made for the summer. The mango, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese along with the mango tartar came together to create a freshening effect.

Simon, the bartender, showed a few tricks with the cocktails. We tried The Manga, a name inspired by the comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. The ingenuity behind it is the historical Spice Route, the oldest known connection between China and India. And thus, it has a base of Captain Morgan dark rum with spiced tea syrup, orange, pineapple, and cardamom, dusted with cinnamon. It truly packs a punch and the spices add a nice desi twist. The Serenity Sip was next on the cocktail list and it had sweet caviar on the side to excite your taste buds. This gin-based cocktail was perfectly balanced with the gin cutting in smoothly, subtle, cooling and exactly what we needed on this sunny afternoon.

Mustafa, one of the wait staff, brought us the much-awaited dessert and we were delighted. The Mango Sticky Rice is a classic Thai dessert of sticky rice infused with mango and offers a perfect balance of textures and flavours. It’s sweet without being cloying. The mangoes used in every single dish are top quality, making the entire menu enjoyable and true to its name.