Review | Kimikai Umami House Gurugram, a silk route-inspired Asian restaurant with bold umami flavours

Beyond the conspicuous sleek, glass-and-steel corridors of One Horizon Center in Gurugram, the brass-accented doors of Kimikai – Umami House open to a backstory that reads like a period drama. Its co-owner Chef Ruhani Singh describes Kimikai as a savvy spice trader traversing the Silk Route, secretly moonlighting as an opium trader with a penchant for high stakes secrets and even higher quality of umami. Along with entrepreneurs Rakshay Dhaliwal, Samarthya Bhargava and Akshay Khurana, Ruhani has created this narrative through food and drinks, and every nook and corner of the 100-seater restaurant spread across 2,200 square feet on the ground floor.

At the large, spacious dining room, beyond Kimikai’s patio, a striking figure of Kimikai (characterised as a fox) sits in the centre of the community table. An Opium Bar takes centre stage and right behind it, lies an eight-seater private dining room and a sushi bar, where cold dishes are served and guests are encouraged to take a closer look at how they are plated.

Small details, such as Kimikai’s robe hanging in the washroom, poppy sketches on the walls and on the placemats — a nod to her profession as an opium trader — and cartographs of countries she has visited, offer intrigue without overt theatrics.

Built around the philosophy of umami, here the produce is treated with restraint. Expect fermentation, smoke, broths and layered seasoning forming the foundation of the culinary experience. The menu is the result of three different culinary journeys coming together. At the centre is consultant chef Pawel Kazanowski,who brings a certain global discipline to the Japanese fine-dining experience. He’s joined by another consultant chef Mario Fico, who moved from the high-pressure kitchens of Zuma Dubai to blend Asian and European sensibilities here, and Ruhani — a Le Cordon Bleu alum whose focus is on keeping modern Asian flavours feeling fresh and accessible, and she delves into it from the get go.

The tomato carpaccio is light on the palate but makes an impact with its addictive ginger dressing and crunchy bubu arare (seasoned rice pearls from Japan). Itoffers some respite on a hot day and even though spinach salad lacks visual appeal, its silky texture with the savoury, umami pull of gomae (sesame seeds salad dressing) is a masterclass in how a few high-quality ingredients can create a dish that is both comforting and technically precise.

The salmon aburi and spicy tuna roll lets the clean flavours of the fish lead the way. The chicken nan ban, a Japanese-style burger served with a hot skillet of cheddar togarashi cheese sauce, is for the cheese lovers. Some of the other dishes that make us keep reaching out for more include the nasu, caramelised eggplant with a sticky sweet-and-savoury miso sauce, charred lamb chops with a tender, buttery centre, and baked potato with chilli basil butter — spicy, buttery and addictive!

The bar program draws from the layered trade routes of Asia, where spice, botanicals and shadow economies once intersected, explains beverage manager Prateek Gusain. The Bae of Bengal is a clever take on the Picante, trading intensity for elegance with the combination of shochu, muskmelon, and a house-made spice cordial. The vodka-based Plum Poison is more nuanced with condensed milk, sourdough bread, plum jam and peanut butter. You could also go for Silk Loot, a three-course cocktail menu that takes inspiration from appetiser, main course and dessert, with the gin-based Crush, vodka-based Roll and the dessert style Smoke with Maya Pistola Anejo, which is easily the pick of the lot with its sweet, smoky and floral notes.

You could almost skip the dessert, but if you want to indulge in a guilty pleasure, try the miso honey toast which could be a tad sweet. At Kimikai, the drama is not just in the storytelling, but in a menu where the depth of umami consistently lives up to the high stakes of its narrative.

Kimikai – Umami House, is located on the first floor of One Horizon Center, Gurugram, and is open from noon to midnight; a table for two costs nearly ₹2,500. For reservations, call 8076205663