Mumbai Food: This Japanese one-portion meal is quick and yummy

Aerated chocolate, Ramen soup

The advent of bento boxes, a compact meal popular in Japan, was spurred by the limitations of eating at work, much like our homegrown dabba system. Of course, it then evolved to find its way into lacquered, and later, mass-produced disposable boxes. But at the crux of it lies a simple logic - hassle-free meals at work.

Make lunch great again

So, on a bustling day in the newsroom, we call for a non-veg bento box (R750) from an Asian eatery in BKC, which launched them last week. Our meal arrives in a closely packed brown-and-black container and comprises an assortment of treats. We dig into the prawn tempura roll, a refreshing serving of sushi made with deep-fried prawn, avocado, crisps, and a sauce. And follow it up with a classic California roll prepared with crabmeat, avocado and cucumber and dotted with caviar. We relish our helping of sushis, but love the pan-seared John Dory that is served as a part of the mains. We are content with the delicate flavours of the fennel beurre blanc (or white butter) and the perfectly cooked fish. For dessert, we delve into the chocolate ganache cake, a decadent and gooey treat that leaves us wishing all work meals were like this one.

AT: The Good Wife, The Capital, Block G, Bandra Kurla Complex.
TIME: 12 pm to 4 pm
CALL: 40039433

Quality: Freshness of sushi and the accompanying veggies are top-class. Vibrancy of flavours intact even after an hour.
Packaging: Compact box packaging.
Cost: Reasonable for the fare it serves
Verdict/

The bento box

Almost fabulous

Two paper bags packed with food are waiting at our desk when we step out of a meeting. We are confused if all this food is from one place. At this Asian restaurant-chain, the non-veg bento box (R699) is served with ramen soup, som tam salad and a dessert. We appreciate the magnanimity, but will remember to ask a colleague to join next time, for this bento box could comfortably serve two. We begin with the clear ramen soup that leave no impression on us, but are immediately taken by the piquant flavours of the som tam salad. The California maki rolls are indulgent and we gobble them up with pleasure, though we find the chicken gyoza a tad too briny (read: too much soy sauce). The beer battered avocado tacos, which come with a corn and scalion kimchi, are nice, but have unfortunately lost the crispness. We don't hold it against the restaurant though, because it cannot be helped. For mains, we have the wok-fried Sichuan chicken with sundried chillies and bamboo shoot and a corn and spinach fried rice. The food is tasty, but as our colleague points out, not quite Japanese, which is an overall issue with this meal - it's good but not quite there.

AT: Pa Pa Ya (all outlets).
TIME: 12 pm to 10 pm
CALL: 61736015

Quality: Good-quality dishes, particularly the salad; unsure about the mish-mash combination of cuisines.
Packaging: Reusable, eco-friendly, and appetising.
Cost: Reasonable
verdict/

Pics/Rane Ashish

Bluff in the box

While scouring for bento boxes, we chance upon a newly opened delivery kitchen in Khar called Healthy Living that offers nutritious meals, snacks and breakfast options. We call for a bento lunch box (R271) from the Power Puffed Meal section on their menu, and truth be told, have some compunctions as soon as we punch in the CVV. The food arrives in a rudimentary black plastic box, losing a few brownie points immediately, and not only for not being eco-friendly, but because, in effect, it's not a bento box. The meal consists of brown rice, quinoa and sprouts, stir-fried veggies, like carrots, broccoli and yellow pepper, a tasteless sweet potato mash, and grilled "tofu", which in reality, was paneer.
Overall, the taste isn't bad, though the place seems to be misleading, and it's just another one of those dissatisfying meals that we call to work, only because of the
deep discounts.

AT: Healthy Living, 21st Road, Khar West.
TIME: 8 am to 10 pm
CALL: 9619443420

Quality: Food lacks freshness and though it tasted alright, we cannot write off the farce.
Packaging: Compact, but not an authentic bento box. Also, not eco-friendly.
Cost: Over-priced
verdict/

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