Restauranthesis: Shiro

Mumbai, India

Shiro requires no introduction in both Mumbai and Bengaluru, known for its high ceilings the place has a magical spa like calmness to it whilst it easily transforms in to a high energy place and I witnessed the transformation on a Wednesday night.  I was there to experience their new menu and my last few courses happened as people swayed to Salsa and Bachata tunes.

The Shiro menu looks like a repertoire of Asian cuisine with options from Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan.  I have always been a fan of their dimsums and this time too they have done their job well with the crunch of the water chestnuts, the umami from the mushrooms and the green of the Broccoli the ingredients combos work very well.  Following suit is a selection of Maki rolls which see fresh avocado, tofu, vegetable tempura and Shitake; they all come with a healthy sprinkling of nutty toasted sesame. Another quirky dish that goes in line with the mandolin sliced Zucchini trend was the Zucchini and Aubergine Sushi which saw the zucchini rolled up and held the other ingredients in place. It was fresh, it had a little smokiness too it and the miso gave it a very good finish. The mushrooms and potatoes on skewers with a teriyaki marinade were very average.

For mains the garlic sticky rice was a hit and it went very well with the assorted mushrooms in a fragrant sauce. The tofu hot-pot was hot and sweet and complemented the rice well.  The dampener of the mains of the udon noodles which saw copious use of teriyaki making it sweet and the vegetable Massaman curry. I haven’t tasted the authentic one so wouldn’t comment on the authenticity however this one tasted like a cross between Sambar and a Goan coconut based curry.

For dessert the Tiramisu ‘pastry’ with chocolate sponge tasted good with the Philly cream cheese sauce topping and the Chocolate bomb with a wine cooked cherry centre was an ethereal combination.  On last thoughts Shiro does some great food however most of the dishes have been tweaked to suit the Indian palate, I certainly don’t mind it however those looking at very authentic stuff could be in for a surprise!  P.S:   They need to have some clarity on the nomenclature and description of the dishes. For e.g. the Hanoi Chicken cooked with Thai spices etc. I hope you got the last line!!