House of Akina - Contemporary Asian Meets Magic

Mumbai’s ever-evolving culinary theatre welcomes a masterful new production with the debut of House of Akina in Bandra, a concept meticulously engineered under the vision of Hitesh Keswani, Managing Director and CEO of Aspect Hospitality India. Guided by Keswani's astute eye for market positioning and scalable premium growth, the venue beautifully transcends conventional luxury dining by mimicking the warmth, layered details, and lived-in romance of a global voyager's personal sanctuary.  

Chef Ashwin: The Magic Behind Your Plate

Chef Ashwin Singh

At the epicentre of this gastronomic narrative is Chef Ashwin Singh, the Creative Culinary Head whose approach transforms food into a canvas for visceral storytelling. Melding technical rigor garnered from industry giants like Taj and Marriott with avant-garde philosophies honed at experimental culinary temples like Gaggan and Masque, Chef Ashwin effortlessly synthesizes regional Indian inflections with precise contemporary execution. His culinary style is deeply sentimental, constantly drawing upon childhood memories, pickling, and fermentation to manifest dishes that simultaneously comfort and provoke the modern palate.  

A Masterclass in Sensory Dining

To dine here is to partake in a finely choreographed journey through texture, flavour and memory. Our meal commenced with a brilliant play of freshness: a crisp Watermelon & Cucumber Salad grounded by a smoky, deep Burnt Chili & Palm Sugar Dressing , followed swiftly by the Pineapple & Litchi Carpaccio, where the complex notes of wood-smoked fruit were beautifully offset by a sharp Asian dressing and an ethereal litchi sorbet. The sushi selection highlighted a spectacular duality of textures—first, the ingenious White Tiger Potato Maki, layering smooth avocado, crunch-laden tanuki, and cucumber under an addictive, crisp potato crown drizzled with signature White Tiger sauce ; second, the vibrant Spicy Salmon Aburi Maki, where the buttery salmon is electrified by a fiercely brilliant Bhut Jolokia aioli and fresh jalapeño. The dim sum courses yielded a perfectly executed Spicy Crab dumpling, packed with succulent crab meat and aggressively perfumed with fresh coriander, sharp chilies, and cracked pepper. From the more substantial offerings, the Mongolian Pepper Lamb flatbread arrived on a beautifully tang-forward fermented dough, layered with rich cream cheese, peppery arugula, pickled shallots, and tender shredded lamb , followed by the spectacular King Prawns with Black Pepper Garlic Butter—a perfect robata grill alongside sweet butter-poached squash and aromatic flash-fried curry leaves. For the finale, the desserts proved equally cinematic: the Vietnamese Coffee Noir married an intricate coffee bean pastry and velvety coffee ganache to a bitter chocolate crumble and vanilla ice cream , while the decadent Miso Honey Crunch Cake was moist almond sponge drizzled in citrus syrup, enveloped by a savory-sweet honey-miso buttercream.  

Liquid Chronology

The libations at House of Akina are equally narrative-driven, operating as liquid maps of travel and character, a philosophy that translates seamlessly into their sophisticated zero-proof creations. The non-alcoholic expression of the Nights in May effortlessly transports the imbiber to an early Japanese summer, utilizing a pristine, botanical zero-proof spirit base shaken with a subtle chili tincture and an effervescent, sweet-tart umeshu mango seltzer that feels beautifully tropical yet distinctly sharp. Conversely, the zero-proof variant of The House Highball functions as a direct extension of the host's philosophy; clear, lifted, and herbal, it balances a crisp, juniper-forward non-alcoholic distillate with a deeply sophisticated hojicha herbal tea cordial, a touch of saline, and seltzer—leaving a bright initial impression underpinned by an elegant, savory warmth.

Critic’s Review

Among the many Asian Houses in Bandra itself, House of Akina is rare —a venue that understands that true opulence is found in emotional resonance rather than mere performance. Chef Ashwin Singh's menu behaves less like a standard roster of dishes and more like an anthology of shared secrets, where regional nuances and complex culinary techniques intersect with startling clarity. His meticulously balanced savory-sweet harmonies on the plate—reveals itself as a slow and deliberate intent to perfection. The place is an essential, evocative addition to the city’s culinary upper echelon, demanding not just a visit, but a dedicated return.