GPS: 2/A, Meherabad Building, near Tata Gardens, opp. Muchhad Paanwala, Warden Road, Mumbai – 4000356
Tring Tring: +91-22-66157285/86
In & Out: 11am – 8:45pm daily (last order)
Damages: Rs.1000/- for a meal for two
Must-Order: Shitake Mushroom Tartar Sushi
Umami Quotient: Salty
The surest indicator of the gastronomic evolution of any city is the easy availability of affordable quality sushi. In that respect Mumbai has been nearly prehistoric. For save Wasabi and San Qi which are über fine dining and the midlevel places like Joss (good), Asia 7 (terrible) and Japengo (RIP) there is absolutely no go-go sushi to be had at beck and call unlike, say the ubiquitous Chinese takeaway. However SAM takes baby steps towards remedying this terrible lacuna with their new takeaway service at Napean Sea Road.
Palate
The menu is simple, short and fuss-free so all the indecisive people and Japanese cuisine virgins should have a field day navigating this 23-item menu divided into neat categories that span basic Japanese cuisine viz. sushi, soups n’ salads, gyoza (Japanese dumplings), tempura, teriyaki skewers, curries and the bento boxes (meal-for-ones) with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. However SAM sticks to safe fishes like prawn, salmon and tuna, the ever-popular chicken and generous vegetarian options given their location in the Napean Sea Road/Warden Road which has a majority vegetarian population.
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The Shitake Mushroom Tartar Roll among the vegetarian sushis was a pleasant eye-opener given we’re hardcore pescetarians who don’t even consider veg sushi an option! The texture of the shitake blends well with the tartar sauce, it’s not too cloying or creamy and the rice and nori are surprisingly fresh. Furthermore the sushi comes in a neat box with garo (pickled ginger), a blob of wasabi, sachets of soya sauce and a pair of chopsticks.
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The salmon, cheese and scallion roll was delish as well with fresh fish, a hint of scallions and just the right dollop of cheese that prevents the sushi from getting gujju-fied! The chicken bento box is a bit humdrum though. There are 4 pieces of sushi with no discernible filling other than a large chunk of cucumber, some generic chicken stir fried in a soya/oyster sauce with bell peppers and some version of fried rice which wasn’t sticky enough to be quite Japanese or separated and fluffy enough to be Chinese. As Mariam concluded, it must’ve been local kollam rice at best.
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The Shitake Mushroom Tartar Roll among the vegetarian sushis was a pleasant eye-opener given we’re hardcore pescetarians who don’t even consider veg sushi an option! The texture of the shitake blends well with the tartar sauce, it’s not too cloying or creamy and the rice and nori are surprisingly fresh. Furthermore the sushi comes in a neat box with garo (pickled ginger), a blob of wasabi, sachets of soya sauce and a pair of chopsticks.
The salmon, cheese and scallion roll was delish as well with fresh fish, a hint of scallions and just the right dollop of cheese that prevents the sushi from getting gujju-fied! The chicken bento box is a bit humdrum though. There are 4 pieces of sushi with no discernible filling other than a large chunk of cucumber, some generic chicken stir fried in a soya/oyster sauce with bell peppers and some version of fried rice which wasn’t sticky enough to be quite Japanese or separated and fluffy enough to be Chinese. As Mariam concluded, it must’ve been local kollam rice at best.
Crowd V/s Company
The beauty of Bombay is that there is always an interesting conversation around the corner even if one is jostling cheek to jowl in a tiny takeaway hole in Napean Sea Road. In our case it was proprietor Harry Cheng (“Harry as in Harry Potter”) who shuttles between Tokyo, Singapore and Mumbai and has landed in the warmth and beat of Mumbai via jobs at Branson’s Virgin, weekly fish shopping in Tokyo’s legendary Tsukiji market with its 4000 stalls and daily USD 2 million turnover, and an undergrad course in Psychology from London School of Economics (“Me too” I pipe in and there is instant bonding since the Japanese origins of umami have already set the stage of comfortable bonhomie).
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Alongwith takeaway, SAM sells a respectable collection of Japanese culinary aids viz. shitake mushrooms, miso soup sachets, tatami table mats and the vintage Kikkoman soya sauce dispenser bottle that we’ve been seeing on tables at Chinese restaurants in Bombay ad nauseam. A cheery orange and white interior with an L-shaped counter, 3 barstools to wait out the preparation of your order and some Japan maps and guide books to browse through complete this efficient sushi outing.
Alongwith takeaway, SAM sells a respectable collection of Japanese culinary aids viz. shitake mushrooms, miso soup sachets, tatami table mats and the vintage Kikkoman soya sauce dispenser bottle that we’ve been seeing on tables at Chinese restaurants in Bombay ad nauseam. A cheery orange and white interior with an L-shaped counter, 3 barstools to wait out the preparation of your order and some Japan maps and guide books to browse through complete this efficient sushi outing.
Boo Hoo
We weren’t kidding about SAM’s baby steps in the food business. They took 4 years to launch this outlet and even now don’t offer delivery beyond the pin code aka Breach Candy, Altamount Road and Nepean Sea Road. We envision this being a hurdle in their growth and popularity especially they have launched in a season where people are hindered by rains and wont to sit at home rather than brave the weather for a takeaway when there are many other options that have no problem bringing it to their doorstep.
Comeback Quotient
It’s a great idea for game nights with friends over when people are fed up of the usual kebab/biryani/Chinese options, and some sushi and gyoza can really make a pleasantly big difference. However a chauffeured car is intrinsic to sustained loyalty!