This may sound like a contradiction, but my husband, Mr Stonethrower and I are so obsessed with good food that we rarely ever go to new restaurants.
We are the last people to try new, trendy restaurants. We almost never order in. And we take-away food maybe once a quarter. Hearing this, you would really not think of us as “foodies”. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. we like good food so much that we can’t be bothered to waste a precious evening eating indifferent food.
In Mumbai, there are a handful of restaurants we frequent, safe in the knowledge that the meal will always be exceptional and will also be something we cannot cook at home. These restaurants include Lings Pavillion at Colaba, Peshawari at The ITC Grand Maratha, Gaylords at Churchgate, Jafferbhai’s Delhi Darbar, Saayba at Bandra, The Clearing House, Bombay Canteen, Apoorva the Mangalorean Fish restaurant at Fort, China House at The Grand Hyatt, Royal China and The Table. Not a very long list but enough to keep us happy, thank you. Of course, we do occasionally go to other restaurants, but these are the restaurants we return to time and again for the last many many years.
All other meals we are more than happy to cook at home. And I will truly get annoyed at the next person who asks “Do you cook every day?” The answer is “yes, of course, I cook every day. I eat every day don’t I?”
So last week when Financial Whiz Cousin was staying with us and insisted, we go to a restaurant neither of us had been to, we were at a loss. Suggestions were thrown up and promptly discarded. Stay in Bandra? Go to Town? Lower Parel? Andheri and Beyond? Many options were discussed, debated and discarded. Till finally, we agreed on Kofuku in Bandra. Walking distance from home. Financial Whiz Cousin loves sushi over all other food. And although I have been to Kofuku once before, neither of the other two have been there, so that was the criteria (almost) met.
On the top floor of the Shopper’s Stop building in Bandra, Kofuku and its Korean sister Heng Bok are mid-sized cosy restaurants that do a lot of things right.
In Japan, Kofuku would be an Izakaya. What exactly is an Izakaya you may well ask? The standard definition of an Izakaya is a type of Japanese bar in which a variety of small, typically inexpensive, dishes and snacks are served to accompany alcoholic drinks. But this doesn’t do justice to an authentic Izakaya experience. Izakaya are different from bars in that diners are always seated and there is little opportunity for interaction with other customers. While drinking is a big part of it, there’s also a constant stream of food, mostly shared around the table. It’s hard to classify the food other than “generally goes well with alcohol”. In most Izakaya in Japan, the menu can be so diverse that it can be a chance to try some dishes you haven’t tried before. Typical Izakaya dishes include Chicken Kara-age (Japanese-style fried chicken), Yakitori, Edamame, grilled/steamed fish, Tonkotsu, Sashimi, Sushi, Ebi-Mayo (fried shrimp with mayo), Nabe (Japanese hotpot) and salads. Classic Izakaya in Japan are typically frequented by large groups of friends or colleagues and are rarely a dating spot.
Kofuku lives up to all of this. It truly is a classic Izakaya. A bustling friendly restaurant. The option for Japanese style seating in partitioned bamboo cubicles. An extensive menu. A well-stocked bar alongside a sushi counter. And a pleasant Konnichiwa (Hello) shouted out as we enter.
The menu is seriously extensive. It covers the whole gamut of Japanese food from soups to Sushi and Tempura to Teppanyaki. And from Donburi to Nabe Mono (hotpot) and Yakitori and Ramen. And everything in between. There is something for everybody. And looking around, all we see are happy diners.
The stage is set. We are soon seated and contemplating the menu. But first, drinks. A Watermelon Martini for Financial Whiz Cousin along with a 750 ml bottle of chilled Hakushika Kaon Sake for the three of us to share.
A plate of Edamame is ordered and we continue to look at the menu as we sip our excellent Sake and chew at the soya beans. Our server is a bubbly young man named Roger and he is an absolute star. Knowledgeable, persuasive, funny, mischievous and super-efficient. If I was rating this restaurant, Roger from Manipur would earn the place an extra star.
Mr Stonethrower doesn’t care for Sushi or Sashimi and decides he will order his own food while Cousin and I decide to share our dishes.
As we demolish the Sake, we also proceed to demolish an excellent Wafu Steak Carpaccio along with a Kofuku Special Sushi and Sashimi Boat.
The Carpaccio is cut super thin which requires a fair degree of skill and the Soy, Mirin, Sesame Oil dressing is perfectly balanced. (8/10)
The Sushi and Sashimi platter is 25 pieces of the chef’s best. Tuna, salmon, yellowtail… the works. Very well presented. Good rice to filling ratio. Served at the right temperature. Absolutely no complaints. 7/10
Mr Stonethrower gets his favourite Tori No Kara-age (Chicken pakodas to you and me). Each serving is a generous 6 large pieces. Perfectly good but lack the crisp light batter that makes a superb Kara-age. 5/10
And then comes what Mr Stonethrower declares the winner of the evening, the Tonkotsu Ramen. Now, this is a huge compliment to Kofuku because Mr Stonethrower knows and loves his Tonkotsu Ramen. It’s among the first things we have for lunch in London and we have eaten several outstanding ramen in Tokyo. Tonkotsu Ramen is a difficult dish to get right because the flavour of the broth comes by boiling pork bones in water for a significant amount of time, up to eight hours to get a rich, deep flavour. The broth was cloudy (as it should be), rich and intensely flavoured. Hat tip to Kofuku for getting a bowl of soup to taste this good. The only let down were the noodles which were overcooked and very soft. (8.5/10)
The bill is extremely reasonable and the Sushi and Sashimi platter which is normally prohibitively priced in other restaurants is a modest Rs 2700 for 25 pieces a Kofuku. This, without any noticeable compromise or drop in quality of produce.
The one jarring note of the evening was the take-away counter was at the bar. So right through the evening, there were swiggy and other delivery boys with their large haversacks hovering around the area, which was close to where we were seated. Surely it could be moved to a more discreet location.
All in all, a fabulous evening with great company, a buzzing atmosphere and good food.
Do go there. And do ask for Roger as your server.
