Mumbai city has a bustling nightlife owing to the many restaurants, lounges, and eateries. One of them is Plum by Bent Chair. The first thing that intrigues you about Plum by Bent Chair is the name and its concept. Is it a furniture store serving food or the other way round? It is both but in my opinion, the food overpowers everything else including the decor which makes this place the most ‘Instagrammable’ eatery in Mumbai. The furniture is fancier than that cocktail in your hand and the garden is on the ceiling instead of your plate. In addition to the floral roof replete with flowers, ladybugs, and more you will be drawn to the hot pink walls, color-changing bar, and velveteen couches and is all very Alice in wonderland.
While the ambiance successfully makes the impact it was intended for it’s really the food that it all comes down to. The savory sojourn began with raw papaya salad consisting of Asian herbs, scallions, honey glazed carrots topped with a NOK chum dressing. As a self-confessed fan of the raw papaya salad and having eaten it at every available chance I found this serving extremely underwhelming. The presentation, quantity, and ingredients were good but lacked the punch they should pack together. This was the first dish and the last that garnered such a reaction; everything else that followed more than made up for the inadequacy of flavors.
Dumpling lovers have umpteen choices to pick from but I settled for the Pan Seared Chicken Gyoza and I’m glad I did! The magic of this classic Tokyo-style pan-seared creation came tearing through with a bag of flavors that open into your mouth leaving you wanting more. However, the delightful dumplings are a safe dish, with little room for error. The same cannot be said about the Spicy Barbeque Chicken Bao; what’s commendable is how the chefs managed to create an incredibly melt-in-the-mouth, softer-than-marshmallow bao that I indulged in next. It was the best dish without a doubt and even though bao’s aren’t a very niche choice anymore especially from a menu that’s replete with fancy options, I would recommend you don’t miss this beauty.
Now coming to the part that I highly recommend heading to Plum by Bent Chair for (it’s not the decor, although that’s a solid second reason); Tempura Asparagus Uramaki has changed my opinion on sushi and nigiri so much and sealed the deal on my next visit to Plum by Bent chair. The explosion of spicy plum mayonnaise combined with the goodness of avocados, crispy scallions, tempura crispy wrapped in Japanese batter-fried asparagus is something that will stay on your mind for days; A truly ‘plum-azing’ dish as the ‘plum people’ like to call it! With a little hankering for food left (the portions are incredibly filling) I ended my meal with a humble burnt garlic brown rice comprising of pan-fried brown rice tossed with garlic and scallions coupled with fermented garlic oil chicken. An oyster sauce base with tender chicken slices, scallions, and chili flakes makes for a perfect companion to a piping hot serving of rice. Some marriages truly are made in heaven and the main course was a reminder of that. With absolutely, no desire to change the taste I was relishing I skipped the desserts altogether. No regrets!
Where: Plum by Bent Chair Bandra, 3rd Floor, VN Sphere Mall, 199, Linking Rd, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
