Dining gets an exotic taste of the jungle at Mumbai's Amazonia

When was the last time you had a meal in a rainforest surrounded by lush green tropical trees around, and monkeys and ostriches for company? Sounds adventurous enough, right? That’s what you get when you dine at Amazonia in Mumbai’s BKC. 

Set amid the corporate zone’s grey-and-glass-façade buildings, this new restaurant promises a fun escape inspired by the South American forest. With floor-to-ceiling plants, fringed lamps, tropical trees, a huge giraffe and other animals and birds, it’s your trip into the wild without really taking a flight. 

YS Life got an escape into the jungle oasis and tucked into the fare. Here’s why it may become your new haunt.

Of palm trees and pina coladas

The 120-seater restaurant brings the hugely popular trend of the 90s back (remember the Rainforest Café chain that first opened in Minnesota, waiters called safari guides, misty waterfalls, gargantuan animals, and jungle-themed fare?). Since then, the phenomenon has spawned across the world, becoming a hit in urban jungle cities.

You step in, savour the sights and sounds of the real jungle, and lose yourself and your stress if any, in the lush environs. Last year, film director SS Rajamouli also reportedly opened his forest-themed restaurant in Hyderabad and diners loved it.

Cut to the present, being the concrete maze that Mumbai is, and creating a feel of the wilderness has hit home a winner for Prasuk Jain, owner of Amazonia. The place was packed on a weekday at noon and I learned it’s booked much ahead for weekends, too.     

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Prasuk shares how the theme came about after his own trip to the world’s largest rainforest. “I found it to be breath-taking; a land teeming with lush vegetation, sparkling water bodies, and vibrant, exotic species. And I just had to recreate the experience back home,” he says.  

Exciting it definitely is. Whip out the phone to shoot pictures before you reach for the menu, for the décor is as Instagrammable as it gets! Exotic flora with vines and trees swathing the interiors is a nod to the ‘shrubbery chic’ trend that’s becoming so popular across the world. 

The facing wall is a striking fuchsia-pink, dotted with crawling ants that are native to the Brazilian rainforest. A larger-than-life giraffe makes for a stunning centrepiece, while cheetahs, ostriches, and monkeys look on from other corners of the large dining area, with fringed lights and vines hanging down from the ceiling, taking that jungle love ahead. The sections are also colour-coded with lamps and furniture to match the scheme in that area.

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Since it opened doors last month, Amazonia has become a place for corporates from nearby to sink their stress into. “People come in and like to have drinks like the Brazilian Samba and Amazonia Siesta, and just chill,” informs marketing manager Suneri Shah. For teetotallers, the Norisan with orange, pineapple, and passion fruit puree as well as the Namakemono, a whip up of raspberry, cucumber, and apple juice, make for a great start.

Eclectic

The appeal spills over into the menu that is divided into Thai, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Italian as Jain wanted it to be eclectic to include everything from salads to grills, sushi, fish, and meat. I start with the Thai must-have entrée–Yum Mamuang or green mango salad and it turns out to be a palate refresher with the piquancy of bird’s eye chilli hitting you with undertones of toasted coconut, and peanut. 

Go with the Jamaican Jerk Chicken that’s well spiced or even the fritter-style Okonomiyaki, the Japanese pancake. There are so many variations with the recipe, and here, it is made with cabbage and asparagus, topped with mayonnaise, a sweet-spicy glaze, and seaweed. It’s flavoursome and filling and best shared around your table just like their Korean Kimbap.

The restaurant shines the spotlight on interactive experiences where you get to try your hand at making something. For instance, the guacamole that’s made tableside and fresh. Executive chef Rakesh Tandale brings in a traditional molcajete lava-stone bowl to be used for grinding and mixing the guac along with avocados, tomato, basil, oregano, red onion and a serving of tortilla chips. Up ahead, another table has their barbecue dish prepared sizzling on a grill right by their table as the diners watch. Engaging and fun! 

Pan-Asian influences

Watch out, the servings at Amazonia are ample so make sure you have space for the mains. You may wonder what the dishes' names denote on the menu so feel free to ask the friendly staff.

Thai lovers will love how the Khao Soy imparts a perfect coconutty flavour to the traditional curry noodle dish. On a friend’s recommendation, I try the New York cheese dimsum where its smooth mouthfeel gets upstaged with a tangy spicy chilli-ginger dip.

If you’re in a group, do check out the offbeat take on pizzas with equally interesting names. Kung-Fu Hustle has an interesting schezwan sauce base and even the Gringo Chilli, that’s an amalgamation of all things Mexican.

It’s hardly justified to feature Jap fare without their donburi bowls and you get a variety of these here from the Oyako Don with chicken and rice to the Tekka donburi with tuna.

Another captivating section on the menu is the ramen bowl, and Amazonia does a whole list of this from yakisoba to curry udon, spicy miso ramen, and a soy-based shoyu one. The assembled bowl with different broths is a meal-in-one and we can totally see it being relished on a wet and dark monsoon day that Mumbai is so known for. It doesn’t take long for mine to arrive at the table and it’s an explosion of flavour with noodles in a rich miso dashi broth perked up with Thai ginger or galangal, herbs, garlic, stock and soy.

It may not be the rainy season yet, but it will sure chase away your Monday blues.

Pretty endings 

If you’ve taken a bunch of pictures already, the fun’s not over yet, for the desserts are Instagram-worthy, too. 

Try the Amazonia Matcha Crème Brulee, a smooth green tea dessert that holds off too much sweetness thanks to the antioxidant-packed matcha. To go light, also try two mousse-based desserts that taste as good as they look. Black Stone is like its name–a hazelnut mousse with an edible charcoal ‘stone’ cover served with rice crispies and the Raspberry Cheese Flower that is a delicious creation of cheese mousse and sticky tangy made tangy with raspberry coulis.

Amazonia has its advantages in the day and night--bathed in sunlight and greenery at lunch and looks just as alluring at night when the themed décor lends it a primal, mystical vibe. In a restaurant that’s high on visuals like this, it can be a tough task to ensure the menu outdoes the feel of the place, but Amazonia does that effortlessly. Suneri informs me that this is just the start. There are plans for a Sunday brunch, samba nights, and Afro music evenings, too.

For the moment, we suggest you swing by here and lose yourself in the cacophony of the rainforest. It’s a fun experience that will have you bringing your pals back here, too.