This tapas menu in Mumbai grounds innovation in texture, memory, and place

At Ekaa, located in Mumbai’s historic Fort precinct, Chef Niyati Rao introduces a new tapas that transforms the restaurant’s tasting experience into a more intimate and tactile space. This evolution reflects her ongoing exploration of regional ingredients and careful technique, now presented through smaller, shareable plates and a renewed focus on storytelling through food. Paired with the restaurant’s evolving Dwadash cocktail programme, the new format invites diners to slow down, engage, and rediscover familiar elements through a new lens.

A glimpse at Ekaa Mumbai's tapas menu

My evening begins at the bar, where the cocktail experience is a quiet, interactive experience. The Dwadash menu is introduced by sensation, through scent, texture, and touch. I was handed dried herbs, roasted fruit, and grains to feel between my fingers before the drink even arrived. It shifts the energy of the space. I chose the Bael cocktail: balanced, gently woody, and built around an Indian fruit that often slips under the radar.

The meal opened with Sassoon, a crisp barramundi fritter topped with shrimp crumble and flying fish roe tartare. A refined take on coastal fried fish, it was crunchy, briny, and bright — familiar but dialled in with restraint and texture. Each component pulled its weight. The fritter was light, the tartare added depth, and the roe brought bursts of salinity that kept it lively.

Embers arrived next, a brined chicken thigh, smoked and spiced with precision, served alongside fermented green beans and a spoonful of Ekaa’s house-made lao gan ma. The heat was slow and warm, the smoke layered rather than overpowering. It was quietly assertive, full of flavour, and grounded by the depth of fermentation.

Then came Mac and Cheese. Here, the name was a point of departure rather than a promise. Instead of pasta, airy potato dumplings sat in a silken white wine and butter sauce, finished with chives and just enough cheese to tie it together. It was soft, savoury, and deeply comforting; indulgent without being heavy.

A few of Ekaa’s signature tapas also made it to the table. The Sourdough, a standout, paired cauliflower, new almond, and Tomme de Bombai to a rich, nutty effect. The Mochi, made with miso thecha, potato, and cabbage, offered soft textures and savoury depth.

To close, Pudding: a warm bowl of corn milk, caramel, and buttered corn dust. It recalled the soft sweetness of caramel custard, but offered more refinement. The corn brought a mellow sweetness, the caramel added warmth, and the buttered dust grounded it all. Sweet, but never overdone, the kind of quiet dish that lingers.

This new menu avoids theatricality in favour of quiet precision. The focus is on clarity: of flavour, of pacing, of thought. That restraint extends to the table itself. Dishes arrive in glass and hand-built ceramic bowls that feel cool to the touch and slightly imperfect in shape. Water is served in ceramic glasses, some of which have been visibly mended using Kintsugi. The cracks are not hidden; they are part of the experience, an acknowledgement of age, breakage, and the beauty of things being put back together.

At Ekaa, there is a tactile logic to everything. The weight of the serveware, the texture of the glaze, and the way each element invites you to slow down and pay attention. Plating is unhurried and almost spare, allowing the food to speak in its own language — one of memory, technique, and care.

Open Tuesday-Sunday (shut on Monday)

Lunch: 12:30–3:30 pm

Dinner: 7 pm–1:30 am

(Story by Esha Aphale)

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