Supa San’s new Bandra outpost ticks a lot of the boxes for diners by looking beyond the familiar vocabulary of Japanese dining that the city of Mumbai has overwhelmingly become accustomed to.
It’s not newsflash that Mumbai has been overflowing with restaurants, and Asian ones in particular. So when you’re working your way through the city’s never-ending list of restaurants, it definitely helps to choose somewhere that gives you a solid enough reason to remember it, and for you to want to go back.
At Supa San, the food and cocktails are obviously part of the mix, but so is the music, collectibles, karaoke and the social rhythm of an izakaya. Located on the 14th floor of Mansionz One on Linking Road, the 110-seater is built around the idea of Japan as a living culture, something you can experience a glimpse of without feeling like you’re being drowned in a lot of visual references, gimmicks or overcompensating design.
Reflecting its “Masters of One” philosophy– where each restaurant takes one cultural code and explores it in depth instead of trying to stretch its hands out at everything and failing at it, the BKC outpost draws from manga and anime, while the latest Bandra one takes its cues from music. By bringing together the worlds of listening bars, neighbourhood eateries, record stores, Supa San in Bandra bets on just having a good time.
A chunk of the appeal unfolds in the way the room is designed as well by Patch Design Studio. The restaurant oscillates between a communal dining room, intimate seating areas and an open-to-sky alfresco section with a retractable roof. The bar overlooks the space, which makes it a pretty cool spot for relaxed lunches and playlists, but also for DJ sets and livelier weekends. Basically, you can pick and choose to be there for whatever your scene is.
As for the music- its Sound Archive, created with Roland, brings together synthesizers, drum machines, grooveboxes and guitar pedals spanning electronic, hip-hop, house, city pop, rock and contemporary production. The Culture Shelf has curated vinyl records, Japanese-inspired artefacts, artwork, memorabilia and collectibles. And who doesn’t love browsing? Speaking of- there’s merchandise too, ranging from T-shirts and caps to posters, bandanas, socks, stickers and even custom drumsticks and 3D-printed coasters, and we need more restaurants where we can walk around, browse and get a sense of the place for ourselves, taking in all the little details that have gone into it.
The menu’s spirit of discovery is on a similar wavelength, with more than 100 dishes divided across The Counter, The Grill and The Pot, giving you plenty to work through and perhaps a reason to make more than one visit to get a wider sense of what can become a staple here. And here’s the deal-sealer for a lot of vegetarians who hate going out with their meat-loving friends: almost half the menu is vegetarian.
The small plates begin with Renkon Chīzu Gyōza, delicate lotus root and cheese dumplings finished with chilli ponzu, Chawanmushi with chicken and mushroom, and Nasu Dengaku, aubergine glazed with miso. The cold section has a bunch of funky turns, including seared watermelon with jalapeño dressing and a combination of green apple and avocado. The tempura selection has around six varieties, from soft-shell crab and prawns to shiitake mushrooms and butternut squash.
Of course, there’s sushi, alongside hand rolls and more distinctive preparations, while the Robata section brings 16 varieties of seafood, meat and vegetables to the grill. For something more substantial, there’s ramen, Katsu Curry and larger plates such as Hamachi Tiradito with yuzu mustard, Otoro Tataki and Kinmedai with kelp butter. Some of the more interesting things to look for are preparations that remain relatively uncommon in Japanese restaurants in India. Kamameshi is a traditional Japanese rice preparation cooked to order in a sealed iron pot and opened tableside, while Mazeman takes ramen in a soupless direction, putting the focus on noodles, sauce and toppings. What really wins people over these days, with a surplus of restaurants serving fancy food and nothing else to offer, is attention to detail.
In the age of scannable menus, it feels good to have a proper experience with a well-designed cocktail menu that you can just read through, and Supa San’s is arranged like a record collection with five sections ranging from Low Volume and The Hits to Covers, Deep Cuts and Full Volume.
The drinks are inspired by Japanese music, artists and soundtracks, pairing Japanese ingredients and techniques with familiar cocktail formats. The drinks are inspired by Japanese music, artists and soundtracks, pairing Japanese ingredients and techniques with familiar cocktail formats. PONPONPON is a must order for its unusual combination of white miso, pineapple and toasted coconut, which gives the Jungle Bird a savoury edge, and TANK! takes a darker, route with Scotch, shiitake, soy and smoked tea. There’s also The B-Side, an off-menu cocktail you’ll have to ask for.
The restaurant borrows from the rituals of an izakaya too, with guests welcomed with an otōshi, tableside moments built into the meal and an Omikuji fortune arriving with the bill. It’s a small detail, but one that fits the restaurant’s larger interest in making discovery part of the evening.
Mumbai’s much loved activity has always been a good karaoke session. And great news for people who can barely sing to save their lives, have a new spot to unleash all that pent up bathroom singing every Wednesday, with Supa San’s private karaoke room. It can be booked for private celebrations and events as well, but the Wednesday sessions give the room a chance to become part of the larger experience. Supa San tries its hand at mending the gap caused by restaurants lacking character, and in the process, gives you a lot of fun things to look at, listen to and, of course, plenty to eat.
Supa San’s Bandra West outpost opens its doors on September 10 at the 14th floor of Mansionz One on Linking Road. Open through the week,, with reservations available at +91 9076057572.