Yummy all right

Thai green curry

This writer, a Mumbaikar, fell in love with Delhi during her short span of stay there before moving back to the Bay before the lockdown. The which-city-does-it-better debate was a frequent topic at community meal tables. So when YouMee, one of Delhi's popular pan-Asian restaurants themed around Manga, announced it was offering a delivery format in Mumbai, it was easy to rest our case. Delhi scores high in nuances, authentic menus and un-Indianised Asian fare. The restaurant also has a presence in Bengaluru.

The delivery kitchen, which operates from High Street Phoenix Mills in Lower Parel, delivers within a 15-km radius but also delivers meal kits across the city. The food was delivered by restaurant staff armed with masks and gloves who arrived in a sanitised vehicle. The bags were sealed with tapes that read: Quality checked. It also mentioned the body temperature of the chef, food packer and delivery person.

Stir-fried mushroom

The food arrived in sturdy boxes that held the prettiest dim sums and sushi on bamboo leaves, standing in attention as if they were just plated in the kitchen and brought to the restaurant table. The dim sum New York cheese and chilli oil (Rs 450, four pieces) were pregnant money parcels with Philadelphia cheese, water chestnut and a few drops of chilli oil to cut the cheesy texture, while the California roll (Rs 450, four pieces) sushi had a fresh mouth-feel of crunchy asparagus, spicy mayo and avocado.

Our favourite was the prawn and hot yellow curry (Rs 395, four pieces) packed with a spicy coriander and herb marinade. The curry was nutty and the coconut milk added a comforting sweetness. Reminiscent of that favourite pair of jeans, the crunchy vegetable maki (Rs 450, four pieces) came wrapped in a futomaki roll that held cucumber, carrot, and pickled mushroom for an umami finish.

Philadelphia cheese and chilli oil dim sum

The top pick was the vegan coconut curry ramen that we ate for lunch the next day. The curry was silky; the veggies were al dente and in generous quantity. The chicken ramen (Rs 600) was served with perfectly grilled chicken, greens and bamboo shoot in a spicy broth. While on a 12-hour flight years ago we had watched the film Ramen Heads, starring Osamu Tomita, touted as Japan's reigning king, where patrons would line up as early as 6 am to bag their morning bowl. Thank god we don't have to line up.

With so many Asian food options, what stood out were condiments like the chilli oil and soy. For mushroom fans, the stir-fried mushrooms (Rs 550) was a union of shimeji, button, shiitake, and seasonal mushrooms. This was packed with garlic, Schezwan chilli flakes and had the tart finish
of cooking wine.

Chicken dim sum

The Thai green curry (Rs 550) was fragrant with lemongrass; kaffir lime and basil made it a live opera of flavours. Extra brownie points were thrown in for the uniformly crunchy and fresh veggies in all dishes. The green curry was laden with baby corn, mushroom, pea eggplant and carrots. We paired this with juicy sticky fried rice (Rs 350).

Despite being no fans of tofu, the quality of silken tofu in the robust company of bamboo shoots and lotus stems with nutty Penang curry (R550) impressed us. We longed for an Asian dessert, but the cocoa royale pudding (R265) did the deed. A layer of airy Belgian chocolate mousse, and a thick and creamy layer of salted dulce de leche on a graham cracker crust ensured we signed things off on a high.

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