Kaméi Is All About Modern Asian & Unhurried Sips; A Sophisticated Space In Delhi

We have taken our sweet time to introduce you to a restaurant that's been on our mind since we dined here —  Kaméi in Malviya Nagar's Eldeco Centre. Initially, we judged it to be yet another swanky new restaurant serving Asian food to Delhiites (a cuisine much loved and appreciated in the capital), but once the real praises and recommendations started bombarding our IG's explore page, we had an inkling that this place ought to be doing something different. So, it was obvious we had to experience it first-hand ourselves, and here's how it went:

First things first, the interiors and ambience of the space do not come to play. The earthy red-terracotta hued background is brought to life by rattan furniture and brass touches lit by dim lighting which gives the place a sophisticated yet moody feel to it. A few tables around the periphery even have draping hanging between that gives the diners a feeling of privacy. However, the highlight remains the subtly lit origami centrepiece dropping from the roof above every table. 

The food is inspired from the founders' travels across East Asia and offers you a dive into the culinary nuances of the different places through the use of fresh and bold ingredients that are easily available in the Asian market. The menu is supremely impressive with the perfect balance between authentic Asian delicacies and experimental dishes only taking it higher in terms of how finessed the cuisine can get. Additionally, the staff is extremely thorough with the menu and make spot-on recommendations to ensure your meal here is a memorable one.

We started with the Coconut Sea Bass Ceviche served with prawn crackers. The cured fish is paired with a solid punch of citrus and herbiness from the coriander makes your tongue dance with joy. Flavourful yet simple, it sets the tone well for your meal. Next up, we had the Goma Spinach Salad which was a banger with shreds of baby spinach, light goma dressing, and the crunch brought by the pine nuts. The Tuna Nori Tacos are tiny but mighty with the break of crispness from the baby taco shells and bang of flavour from the hokkaido salsa. From the dim sums selection, we tried the Wild Mushroom Siu Mai which were an explosion of umami and delicious savouriness. The piping hot Shanghai Chicken Xia Long Bao were equally appetising and comforting to hog on, on a chilled winter night. The Tofu Sesame Nest had an interesting texture with the pillowy soft tofu wrapped in the flaky nest. The grilled Oyster Mushroom had a great smokiness to it but Roast Pork Belly with the perfect amount of sweet, spicy and tangy notes from the Tahi coriander relish and garlicy poky choy took the cake for us, something we urge you to not miss ordering.

The small plates did much of the heavy lifting for our meal and we were glad about it because the Adobo Chicken Curry we had was nice but we had our heart set on the dishes it was preceded by. More so, the Mushroom Truffle Rice was great too, the perfect bed for your salty curries from the mains.

At last, we ended our meal with 'Chocolate' which was a Japanese namelaka cremeux on a pedestal of almond crumble with hints of burnt orange and pine nuts topped for texture. And, 'Matcha' which was a milk soaked cake with matcha cream iced alongside fresh strawberries. Both of these were the perfect sweet (but not overpoweringly sweet) end to our meal.

You absolutely must not miss out on the cocktails at Kaméi because they are well thought out, unique and utterly sophisticated. Each cocktail we tried was different from the other and made for a nice accompaniment with the food. Our favourites include The Geisha with Tanqueray and litchi with schezwan and palo santo in the mix that gave it its nuanced herby kick. The Palo-Mei No. 30 is a spicy yet fruity concoction made using 1800 Silver tequila which is supposed to be a baby of a paloma and a picante. Lastly, the Savour Island is a comforting rum-based cocktail with sweet notes of toasted sesame and coconut that warms up your insides with its beautiful smoothness.

Kaméi is worth the buck for special occasions or, your not so casual outings with the gang when well-prepared modern Asian food and unhurried sips are the memo. It's luxurious, sophisticated and has that air of exclusivity that feels unique: everything a person in Delhi desires in their fine dining experience. The food and cocktails are very different so don't undersell it to yourself as another new Asian restaurant because this one deserves all the glances, visits and praises it has been getting. 

Timings: 12:30 PM –4 PM, 7 PM–12 AM

Price For Two: INR 4,500 (approx)

Social Media: @kamei.asian

Google Rating: 4.4/5

All tables were occupied when we visited the place on a Wednesday night which only tells how in-demand the restaurant is so do make a reservation before heading here.