With its new Hawkers Hall menu currently on offer, Mamagoto is ready to make your summer above average, says A Narang
If you divide the word into three parts to try and derive its meaning in English, Mamagoto would be “Mama go to” or in other words “go to your mother.” Based on this, we had assumed the restaurant’s motto to mean serving food that is similar to your mother’s hand-made food at home. Quite the contrary. As manager Anshul Narang tells us, Mamagoto means “to play with food” in Japanese. located on the second floor next to TGI Fridays in Vasant Kunj’s chic DlF Promenade mall, Mamagoto has got something for everyone. By everyone, I mean everyone. Since the time we walk in to the restaurant, we cannot categorise the kind of customers that it attracted.
Just like its other outlets across town, this one’s also stridently loyal to the whole pan-Asian vibe. Although limited, the space has been utilised wisely so that it can accommodate families, groups of friends, couples and those wishing to fill their plates with something other than the traditionally spicy Indian food in this hot weather. You’ll notice the cosy atmosphere as soon as you enter; chairs have been placed at the sides of tables to create a home-like ambience and accommodate as many people as possible. It’s a hit with the customers, as the manager tells us. “We open at 12 noon and around 1 pm we’re full. Over the weekend, we get packed even sooner, by around 12.30 pm.” Sitting exclusively towards the back of the restaurant on a sofa stuffed with pillows, we cannot help but crane our necks left, right and upwards to view the designs on the walls. The lamps held by ropes give the place an exotic feeling.
Before even thinking about food, we order something to drink. Kiwi & Mint Collins and Cranberry & Kaffir lime Punch are the chosen ones. Apart from their refreshing taste, they are visually appealing too. The Kiwi & Mint Collins is a playful green while the lime punch is a brightly beautiful red on account of the cranberry. Just as the sun’s rays peep in through the faded brown curtains, likewise the small chunks of kiwi gently peep at me amidst the dense layer of mint leaves that swirl in my glass. The kiwi mint partnership does its job well; it’s tangy, enlivening and the perfect choice for restoring your calorie levels. The lime punch is, in a pleasant way, overwhelmingly sweet. The cranberry has undoubtedly surpassed the lime flavor and this drink immediately reminds us of skittles. You cannot disagree with us. The Cranberry & Kaffir lime Punch tastes exactly like strawberry-flavoured skittles and takes us back to our childhood days when we would be rewarded with a packet of the American sweets by our parents for doing something good. We feel rewarded and rejuvenated at the same pace.
Mamagoto has just introduced its new Hawkers Hall Summer Menu that promises to offer Asian food for travellers and adventure mongers. So we begin with the Surfer’s lunch and rice pancakes. The former consists of shrimps seasoned with coconut cream, peanuts, chilli and tamarind. It is served warm and what bagffles us is that the peanuts are soft just like the shrimp. Foreigners would find this to be spicy. However, the taste of coconut unnecessarily dominats every dish. This holds true for the rice pancakes as well. Trouble with keeping the spotlight on the coconut sauce is that after every bite, the only flavour we remember is that of the coconut. The rice pancakes offer some more variety of taste in the form of tofu, peanuts and finely chopped mixed vegetables that are accompanied with an apple and mint sauce. An ingenious take on dosas, we would give this the thumbs-up. Chef Hunsaraj says, “Our rice pancake is one of the favourites with the customers. It’s made without egg but with soyabean.”
The aubergine and okra make their appearance next. The loud and crunchy aubergine contrasts the softness of the okra inside. There are onions and peppers dispersed on top, yet the coconut sauce is placed on a pedestal in terms of taste. Nevertheless, the display of the food and the health aspect is very impressive, with the aubergines carefully mounted on top of each other. For dessert, our eyes couldn’t move past the mention of Nutella and so we order the first thing on their menu: the Nutella cheesecake. We have to admit, the portion comes small. The presentation makes up for it though and if you eat it slow enough, it is filling in itself. We would not advise you to share this with a friend because that could put your friendship in danger. The three layers; dark chocolate followed by the cake and then crust at the bottom, are simply mouthwatering.
A customer walks in saying that he has come to Mamagoto for the first time. And he is looking for something plain, simple and light to eat. “I wanted to have some soup but I didn’t want something too spicy. Seeing that this is a pan-Asian outlet, I assumed that there would be more Thai options available. The soup is delicious. The portion is small for the price. I wanted nutrients and I needed proteins so this place seemed to fit the bill. I will be coming here again.”
The Hawkers Hall menu is available until July 31 this summer.