Green revolution: This Goregaon restaurant offers vegetarian and vegan pan-Asian dishes

Prawn satay with coconut basil

The last time we savoured vegan fare, a former journalist friend felt that a vegan's perspective was amiss in the review. Point taken. So, on our recent trip to Goma, the new pan-Asian restaurant in Goregaon that offers vegetarian, vegan and Jain pan-Asian dishes, we invited him to accompany us.

The modern chic decor with red ceilings, blue sofas and a kaleidoscopic light installation make us draw a comparison to designer Lee Broom's installation in a London showroom. Goma means sesame in Japanese, and is spot-on since the superfood is a common ingredient in pan-Asian fare. Our friend, a practising vegan for four years, assumed the meal would compromise on taste.

Minimalist chic decor sets the tone at the restaurant

The first dish - pretty-looking crystal dumplings - (Rs 395) drew our attention immediately. Potato tapioca starch wrappers, filled with veggies, carried a slight crunch. As did the rock corn tempura (Rs 425) tossed with tobanjan mayo, for its freshness and unmistakable crunch. But we were extremely partial to cheung fun (Rs 550), a fried dough crispy roll that disappeared in minutes. The other small plates we tried were grilled avocado in teriyaki sauce (Rs 295), tofu carpaccio (Rs 480), edamame truffle dim sum (Rs 595), and steam fried turnip cake fragrant chilli (Rs 495) - all of which were a bagful of flavour.

The famed aona goma (Rs 450) with steamed baby spinach, dressed in sesame sauce, didn't live up to our expectations due to its saltiness. The mushroom bao was a creation - the cacao dust on the buns and the plate created an imagery as if the mushrooms had sprung from the soil.

Cheung fun Asparagus

Overall, the starters fared better than the mains. We tried the japchae noodles (Rs 595), blue pea flower burnt garlic rice (Rs 595) and stir-fried forbidden black rice with edamame (Rs 595). "While the blue one looked inviting, strangely, I found the black rice, sourced from Manipur, more tantalising. Even though it was served with a vegetable chilli mustard gravy, I enjoyed the black rice independently for its chewy texture," our vegan reviewer explained. Helmed by consultant chef Sadik Khan, who headed the opening team at Wasabi by Morimoto at the Taj, the finesse and research from his multiple trips to Japan resonate across the menu.

Avocado mash and Truffle oil Sushi

In the sushi section, we liked the asparagus tempura maki (Rs 695) as well as the prawn tempura, and avocado mash (Rs 895). Interestingly, this meat-lover enjoyed the vegetarian fare more. For instance, the grilled prawns with coconut basil (Rs 595) seemed rather chewy in texture, possibly due to the size. Also, the Canton fish (Rs 1,600) that included a whole rawas, steamed with ginger scallions and cilantro didn't quite get our vote either.

Aona Goma

For desserts, we had a trio of baked cheesecake, raspberry joconde, and chocolate almond pave (Rs 625), whereas our friend had nuts and granola fresh fruits (Rs 625) and enjoyed it. He would have preferred a vegan chocolate indulgence though. As we exchanged notes, he asked, "Did you notice that everything was served with white sesame? The black variant didn't make an entry at all. Wonder why?" We'll find out when we return for some more cheung fun.

Time: 11 am to 3.30 pm; 7 pm to 12 pm
At: Veer Savarkar Flyover, SV Road, Goregaon West
Call: 9594971613