Food: Navi Mumbai eatery whips up authentic Asian flavours

Smoked Duck Dim Sum

Located on a quiet road in Sanpada, Mibonasa is the suburb's newest Asian food destination. When we entered the building, we were greeted by a cutesy teashop on the ground floor, home to a variety of exotic and blooming teas, including flavours like lavender rose and coffee-infused tea.

Smoked Duck Dim Sum. Pics/Swarali Purohit

As we walked up a flight of stairs leading to the first floor, we noticed a wall covered with Chinese newspapers. The canvas used thick brush strokes to bring alive a scene from rural China. The coloured glass lamps with tungsten filaments created the right ambiance, which was neither too bright nor too dim. The candles placed on every table, along with small white cups for Chinese tea, added to the Asian vibe.

The spacious 80-seater restaurant was a trip across Asia's popular cuisines, spanning vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. This included dim sums, sushi, cabbage-wrapped rolls, soups, salads and mains. The menu also features a section dedicated to quick pot meals that one can sample between work hours. These include the Singaporean Laksa, Nasi Goreng, Mee Goreng or even the Panthe Khao Seuy.

Vegetable in Nam Nam Sauce

The restaurant does not serve alcohol. So we started off with a Mango Colada (R220). The mango and coconut milk combination with a hint of fresh mint leaves turned out to be refreshing. We found the appetiser section the most interesting and full of variety. We chose two dim sums and started with the Smoked Duck Dim Sum ('350) This pot-roasted duck was smoked in tea leaves and enhanced with hoisin sauce to create a culinary masterpiece.

Highly recommended, considering we came pretty close to ordering a second round. The Curried Basa Fish (R360) was next on our table. Despite the high standards set by the smoked duck, the basa, marinated with Asian herbs and finished with a Burmese curry, passed with flying colours. Considering we are not great fans of the basa, the prep of the dim sum gets all the credit. The three sauces served with the dim sums were also worth a mention.

A hand painted mural depicting the streets of Asia

After we cleared our palate with small cups of Jasmine tea, we ordered the Vegetable in Nam Nam Sauce (R300) and the Double Cooked Roast Lamb (R490) from the veg and non-veg mains with aromatic Jasmine Sticky Rice (R320) to go with it. The subtle flavours of lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves in the curry, along with mushroom, broccoli, bell peppers and other veggies, were delish and went well with the rice.

The thinly sliced roast lamb in a brown sauce was tasty but not unlike the usual fare available in most Chinese restaurants. The orange Darsan (R240), was a twist to the crispy flat noodles with roasted sesame served with vanilla ice cream. The orange-honey topping gave it a distinct, not-too sweet flavour. The exhaustive menu has a long list that will certainly make us back.

Eating out
Mibonasa
Food: Tasty
Service: slow
Ambiance: warm
Time 7 pm to 12 midnight
At: Plot Number 3, Kshitij, Sector 19, Palm Beach Service Road, Sanpada.
Call: 27816573

Mibonasa didn't know we were there. the guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals