Replacing Royal China on Turner Road, Akina is Bandra's latest entrant. Although, it's evident from the design and food that Akina isn't gunning for the same audience that its predecessor served. Perhaps inspired by the several jewellery stores that dote the street, Akina's simple exteriors reveal an inside that's as glamorous as the diamonds you'll get next door.
Plush, velvet chairs and sofas fill up the space with tiny tables on which electric lamps sit, offering enough light to look at what you're eating but not enough to get a great photo for the 'gram. The walls are mostly covered in glass with either gold accents or are cut and paneled. Tiny gold, white, and red hexagons and triangles hang from the ceiling, and there's even a disco ball, a feature we haven't seen in a space for a long, long time. The bar is elegant, as is the DJ booth. And, if you're a curious cat that loves to look at what's cooking, it's best to grab a seat on the mezzanine floor where the live grills dish out smokey plates.
Simply put, red, black, gold, and glass dominate the decor which is quite lounge-like (and also a little intimidating) making you wonder if you're adequately dressed. We recommend wearing a trendy outfit with heels (hey, you're in Bandra after all!), or a crisp shirt and dress shoes, but that's also because Akina's dress code is semi-elegant, as they're calling themselves a fine-dine restaurant.
You'll notice a lot of play on classic cocktails and abundant Japanese flavours on their bar menu, in line with the cuisine that's served. A Japanese twist to a classic highball, the Double Diamond Fuji is made with Toki (Japanese whiskey) and is crisp and fresh thanks to the gari brine, seltzer, and citrus that's in it. There's also Fizzcolada, which is a take on Piña Colada and has the staples of the cocktail but also pandan leaf for an added twist.
The chefs at Akina are bringing forth a new form of Japanese. Everything is contemporary! And, there are several Latin American influences, which give the food an interesting mix of presentation and flavours. A unique offering is the Nori Taquitos, which takes the concept of taquitos (fried tacos) from Latin American food but is made with Japanese ingredients. The Chilli Garlic Chicken Taquito is a tempura-batter-fried seaweed wrapper (nori) shaped like a taco, and packs in what would normally make a sushi roll. Sushi rice, subtly spiced chilli garlic chicken, Japanese mayo, topped with pineapple salsa, and garnished with spring onions, which makes an excellent bar bite.
For a fun experience order the Guacamole, that's made at your table-side in a mortar and pestle. Fried sweet corn from Japanese cooking meets classic guacamole ingredients here, and the guacamole is served with plantain chips and tempura batter-fried nori chips. It's an elevated mouthful, worth indulging in. But we urge you to order the Tofu, Mushroom & Kimchi Dumplings with Fried Garlic, one of the better dumplings we've had in the city. The shape is reminiscent of tortellini, and the stuffing is subtly flavoured but mostly spiced with kimchi and served with a warm mildly spicy broth that adds a delicious kick to the plate.
The main feature of Akina is their warayaki and robatayaki, both ancient grilling techniques from Japan where straw (wara) and charcoal (robata) are used (yaki means grill). If you love a delicate pork belly, order sweet-salty flavoured Glazed Chashu Pork Belly that's smokey from the robata, served with a fresh mint cucumber salsa and a rice crisp. You can also try their sushi, which they do well. The Deviled Tuna Sushi packs a spicy bite with tuna belly, spicy mayo, fermented chilli, and togarashi.
Our belly was too full (especially since we ate the bellies of tuna and pork!) to make room for dessert. But, if you've got a sweet tooth, Akina serves a Miso Cappuccino, and Coconut Chawanmunshi (a Japanese custard), among other interesting items.
A meal for two at Akina with alcohol will cost you approximately INR 7,000. And, it's a great space to go to if you're celebrating something. Mostly because the prices are steep, making it an ideal spot only for those with fat wallets.