The Tokyo twist: This Bandra restaurant serves a fresh take on Japanese flavours

Mandarin. Pics/Atul Kamble

A chance meeting, a shared dream, and a casual collaboration, jamming around food ideas, brought together Bandra boys - chef Anand Morwani (The Big Zest, Rocketman Pizza, ex-Brewbot); Rohan Mangalorkar (The Big Zest, Rocketman Pizza, Pack-a-Pav) and Karan Gaba (Bokka Coffee, Farmers Cafe, Bombay Salad Co, and Tamari) - to create Gaijin on Linking Road.

Gaijin, meaning outsider in Japanese, brings a fresh take to the table. "Hailing from a QSR background, launching a full-scale restaurant was a leap, but it felt like a risk worth taking," says Mangalorkar. During a space scouting mission, he and Morwani bumped into Gaba at his restaurant. "We'd known each other, but that day, something clicked. We were all eyeing the same spot," recalls Morwani. Gaba adds, "We wanted something different - fresh, grounded, and full of soul. The space chose us, not the other way around." The concept took shape after Morwani's month-long visit to Japan. He returned with a vision: Japanese flavours through French and Italian techniques. There are no rules, just rhythm.

Tenderloin katsu vs yaki

We began with mule-tea (Rs 475), a botanical concoction of liquorice, hibiscus, and earthy warmth. The space balances brutalist edges with playful sophistication. Downstairs, it's lively, featuring a seven-tonne Suiseki stone waterfall, a bar, an omakase counter, and a vinyl-driven music vibe. The upper level is intimate - 18 seats, dimly-lit and private. Out in the back is where a Tokyo alley collides with Mumbai's mischief - neon buzz, graffiti shutters, and eclectic signboards.

Crab udon noodles

The beverage menu is playful, from a gaijin's perspective, brought to life with cocktail-inspired textured illustrations. For Mangalorkar, Morwani, and beverage manager Nischal Suman, a three-day trip to Bangkok involved sipping 180 cocktails and endless exchanges with bartenders, pushing the boundaries of ideas, techniques, and flavours along with beverage consultant Varun Sudhakar. We liked Mt Fuji (Rs 1,250) - crisp, floral, and clear, revealed dramatically in ice with two pours per cocktail. Midsummer ritual (Rs 1,050) blends guava pisco, green grape, melon liqueur, clarified milk, matcha, and sancha tea into a fruity, earthy, velvety sip.

Banoffee

We started with tuna akami vs. chutoro temaki (Rs 990) - a nori taco with avocado, tuna akami, and chutoro topped with wasabi foam. But our standout was the not buff carpaccio (Rs 690), a playful take on the classic combining buff carpaccio, tartar, roasted bone marrow, pickled celery, ginger-scallion slaw, and crunchy togarashi spring roll shells, finished with a parmesan-shiso balsamic glaze. The chicken gyoza (Rs 510) takes cues from Osaka's Dotonbori street food, reimagined with edamame-jalapeño purée, soy milk beurre blanc with dashi, and a hint of rayu (Japanese chilli oil). It is topped with crispy chicken skin, more edamame, and umami-rich beurre blanc - familiar yet new. The morel mushroom (Rs 850) pairs Himalayan morels with smoked miso-enoki, duck tartare, and a white miso-takuan glaze, and is finished with fresh truffle or house-aged sushi soy for added umami.

Midsummer ritual

The salmon aburi with bone marrow glaze (Rs 690) features belly-cut salmon smoked tableside and glazed with slow-cooked bone marrow, offering rich layers of flavour. The tenderloin katsu vs yaki (Rs 690) recalls Dotonbori street food: tenderloin kushiyaki paired with a smoked oxtail croquette, topped with foie gras glaze and a sharp gastrique, over sweet corn purée - a nostalgic plate from Morwani. The lamb ribs (Rs 1,190) were another favourite - glazed in toban yaki and finished with crispy ginger, spicy goma, sesame seeds, and scallion curls - rich and bold, perfect for sharing. Served tableside, the crab udon noodles (Rs 1,450) had our heart. It uses every part of the crab for a bisque-style sauce. Noodles are cooked in crab stock, absorbing briny sweetness, finished with saikyo miso, fermented usu posho butter, crab foam, and chilli oil.

It's rare to see chefs give desserts the attention they deserve - many are outsourced and simply plated. But here, chef Morwani takes a hands-on approach, beginning with the brie cheesecake (Rs 790), a playful twist on a cheese board with wasabi crackers, meant to be broken, smeared, and drizzled with pink peppercorn honey. A stroll through a Kyoto garden inspires the mandarin (R740). This dessert, shaped like a fallen mandarin, features a white chocolate and cream cheese mousse laced with Cointreau, resting on a chocolate-pistachio streusel. Edible gel dewdrops, mimicking morning moisture, complete the experience. The banoffee (Rs 690) is a layered masterpiece: lime panna cotta, chocolate brownie, and roasted brûlé-ed banana topped with pecan praline and chocolate-orange ice cream. It is finished with a miso-infused coffee namesake and a shard of caramelised miso white chocolate for an unexpected umami crunch.

Gaijin
At Lotia Palace, Linking Road, opposite Citi Bank, Khar West.
Time 12 noon to 3 pm (lunch); 7 pm to 1.30 am (dinner); Mondays closed
Call 8591615552