In the past one and a half years since their launch in Kochi, Nasi and Mee has found resonance among the city’s connoisseurs. The authenticity maintained in serving Southeast Asian dishes like mee goreng and phad krapao has made the Singapore-based brand popular.
Now, we are back at their Kochi outlet—located right opposite Fashion Street near M G Road—to learn more about their latest temporary menu.
“This is the third edition of our Lucky 8te series and it’s mostly inspired by Singaporean cuisine. We’ve introduced eight new items including chilli prawn linguine and pandan-grilled mushrooms,” says the head chef Ananth Krishnan, who has 15 years of experience with stints in Vietnam and Thailand.
Street specials
The chef is keen on having us sample both their crab specials before anything else. Black pepper crab bao has soft charcoal buns with a slightly sticky outer texture.
“Charcoal has a detox effect on the body and we use only crab claw meat with black pepper sauce as a filling,” informs Ananth, as we try the dish which has the typical flavour and fragrance of seafood.
We recommend trying the Singaporean chilli crab served with steamed (or fried) mantou buns. The soupy dish, sprinkled with spring onion leaves, is mild and pleasant with sweet and tangy flavours.
If you’re a vegetarian and you decide to choose the grilled pandan mushroom, be prepared for a spicy rendezvous. The heat of red chillies and pandan-soaked veggies hit you immediately and they’re there to stay!
We suggest pairing it alongside a soothing coconut milk-based chendol drink (with mung bean jelly) before you try your luck.
Off the grid
Although most of the new platters are from Singapore, there is a Malaysian gem on the cards. The top note in the Peranakan asam fish curry is the sourness of kokum. The mahi-mahi fish is cooked with large chunks of ladies finger, tomato, and small cubes of eggplant and served with Jasmine rice.
There is no foregoing your dumplings on a Southeast Asian menu. Although we’re hesitant to tackle their Mala Szechuan chilli-topped wanton, the first bite reveals that it is rather mellow. “We use chicken and prawn in the half-steamed and half-boiled wanton. Szechuan pepper, soya and red chilli are mixed with sesame oil which in turn reduces the heat,” informs the chef.
Chongqing fried chicken is the last special to arrive on our table. Crispy balls of white meat tossed with coloured bell peppers, dried chilli and Szechuan seeds make the dish a great mix of flavours.
The Lucky 8te: Episode 3 menu will be available till September 30.