To give you some background information on the restaurant, Mumbai Chopstix is owned and operated by One World Cuisine, which also runs some of the area's popular Indian spots such as Mantra, Diva Indian Bistro, and Diva Lounge. This restaurant is a little different from the typical Indian food as Mumbai Chopstix will have an Indian-Chinese menu. As we were told last night, this is not a fusion concept but an actual style of Indian cooking that was developed centuries ago when Chinese immigrants began moving into Calcutta. In fact, unknown to me, there are more then 20,000 Chinese people that live in Calcutta to these day. Interesting, right?
I was curious to figure out what Indian-Chinese cuisine looks like. Their menu focuses on using traditional Chinese ingredients and cooking techniques but also incorporating Indian seasonings. Last night, Chef Giridhar previewed some of his items, such as the steamed vegetable momos with tangra chili sauce and the tandoori chicken spring rolls. The consensus was that both these items were a bit spicier than typical Chinese cuisine. I tried the Meatball Manchurian, which is a meatball sauteed in a soy-cilantro Manchurian sauce. It was deeply flavorful and if this small bite is an indication of where this restaurant is going with their menu, I'm curious to give it a try.
Mumbai Chopstix houses two floors and a small outdoor patio which provides about sixty seats in total. The decor is fabulous and from what I understand, Mumbai Chopstix was designed by a feng shui master. Even more impressive, much of the painted artwork was done by Chef Giridhar, which is absolutely stunning.
Here are a few photos of the intimate downstairs dining area and bar. As a side note, Mumbai Chopstix only has a beer and wine license at this time but the plum wine cocktails got rave reviews. The downstairs is supposed to be more chic, contemporary and casual. I think this would be perfect for a date night:
This wall is absolutely gorgeous and this photo does not do it justice.
The upstairs is intended to be for more formal dining with a dining room in the front of the restaurant. But the real show-stopper is the twenty-person community table in the back. This long glass table showcases some gorgeous and vibrant Indian spices and was a real talking point throughout the evening. I learned that this back room will be open for community dining but can also be reserved for private dining.
Like the downstairs, the upstairs decor was also really eye-catching.
I'm really looking forward to checking out Mumbai Chopstix after it fully opens tomorrow. This restaurant has a strong and experienced operating group behind it so I hope their opening transition will be a smooth one. From last night's sneak peek, I think this will be a great place for a fun date night or a festive gathering of friends.
Mumbai Chopstix is located at 254 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.
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