Koko’s new signature set lunch menu is at once casual and indulgent

Nestled in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills, Koko is a favourite with the city’s folks for serving up inventive pan-Asian fare. With Malaysian chef Eric Sifu heading the kitchen, one can expect dishes that marry Japanese and Cantonese cuisine—think dim sums, sushi, hamachi, and more. 

Now, the restaurant has rolled out a new signature set lunch menu that is perfect for a fun meal with your family, a quick catch-up with friends, or in Bazaar India’s case, a team lunch. It features two categories that you can pick from.

The five-course Classic menu gives you a peak into their signature dishes

If you want to try a little bit of everything, then the Classic menu will fit the bill. You get to sample five courses that span soups and salads, sushi, dim sum, mains, and dessert. It ends with a palate-cleansing serving of sencha tea—a type of Japanese green tea. 

The seven-course Imperial menu is an extravagant affair

 

For something more elaborate, seek out the Imperial menu, which the team got a taste of. It’s divided into two, with a cold Japanese course featuring dishes like salads, sushi, carpaccio, and nigiri, and a Cantonese course where you get dim sum, mains, choice of rice and noodles, and dessert. 

The Japanese course features dishes traditionally served cold

The Koko-san salad in the first course, featuring a slew of veggies like romanesco broccoli, purple cauliflower, baby avocado, and tofu tossed in a sesame dressing, was a refreshing revelation. For the sushi, which the restaurant is particularly known for, we picked the Koko signature non-vegetarian roll. It comes with crunchy prawn tempura and avocado ensconced in rice and seaweed, and is topped with crisps and a special house-made Koko sauce. The vegetarian version—with asparagus tempura replacing the prawns—is just as delicious. The avocado nigiri that had slices avocado instead of the usual fish atop rice is wrapped in seaweed and had the same depth of flavour. You surely won’t miss the seafood. Rounding off the cold course, the Koko signature carpaccio with tender coconut was a favourite on the table. 

The Cantonese course is spicy and heartwarming 

For the hot course, we dug into a mix of dim sums like the wild morel and truffle dumplings, the crispy pan-fried chicken gyoza, and the scallop dumplings. For the big plates, the best-selling edamame black rice with burnt garlic is a must-have, which you can pair with your curry of choice—we went for the traditional sliced chicken in chilli oil. 

The desserts make for an indulgent treat

All these courses will surely leave you feeling full already, but leave room for the desserts. We ended our meal on a sweet note with the ‘Forbidden Fruit' that features the much-loved combo of chocolate and orange, homemade ice-cream that is elevated through additions like shortbread crumble, and the decadent salted caramel crème brulee. 

All images: Courtesy Koko