Tuck into Asian delights at Tum Tum
The vegetarian restaurant serves up cuisine from seven Asian countries, including Vietnamese Banh and Singaporean Laksa
If you’ve ever shared a table with a fussy vegetarian diner at a restaurant serving Pan-Asian food, chances are, ordering a meal is never a simple affair. The dance with the server usually goes something like this: “I am vegetarian. That means no chicken, no egg, what came in between and definitely nothing that swims.”
Err, I’m not sure if oysters actually swim. “Right. No oyster sauce, fish sauce, chilli-flavoured shrimp sauce, no prawn crackers…” And so it goes.
It was perhaps with this in mind that chef Akshay Nayyar — who was handpicked by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to run his kitchens — launched a restaurant to cater to this market niche.
Tum Tum Asia, a quirky new vegetarian restaurant in Oud Metha, Bur Dubai has packed in a street food from seven countries across Asia — think Vietnamese Banh, Thai curry and Singaporean Laksa under one roof. A handful of traditional Indian delicacies also find their way onto the menu, at the behest of the owners we hear. The restaurant creates a warm, colourful ambience, coupled with wall art of bustling street scenes that are a common sight in parts of Asia. Local artists were commissioned to design the murals, while the owners hand-picked a few of the artefacts you see on display.
As we were handed the menu, the server was quick to assure us that everything on the menu was in fact vegetarian.
We started with a round of the restaurant’s signature beverage — the Barrel Blast. The server described it as a palate cleanser, calling it a smoky passion fruit-chili cooler, flavoured with a dash of tamarind. The drink itself is served in a tabletop keg.
IN THE MOOD FOR TAPAS
Again, following the recommendation of our server, we decided to do away with our mains and opted for tapas style shared dishes. First up was the Momo chutney, a dish inspired from the streets of Dharamshala. Similar to steamed Chinese dumplings, and a perfect treat to be had after a 12-hour road trip through the pothole ridden highways of Ladakh, Tum Tum Asia serves these steamed crescents stuffed with paneer and sour cream.
Steamed to perfection, the Schezwan sauce was a personal favourite, while my partner chickened out and stuck to the green chutney that accompanied the dish. Next up was the Dynamite Sushi, a spiced-up roll with crispy asparagus tempura and spinach at its centre. The dish is served with a tiny paintbrush, which our server explained, can be used to paint our sushi rolls with the soy sauce and even a smidgen of wasabi if we dare.
Why not, we said, rolling with the punches as we splashed away at our sushi rolls with childlike abandon. The dish itself packs a spicy kick.
The Chow Chow Cigars were carried out next, served in a miniature cycle-rickshaw no less. Resembling skinny spring rolls, these cigars appeared to be stuffed with Indian Maggi noodles. Bliss.
ON TO THE MAINS
While the bite-sized appetisers were filling us up, we relented ordered the Chiang Mai Curry, along with the Bamboo Goreng rice. The curry was bursting with flavours of lemongrass, while the coconut-milk infused rice were a good side.
With the bell finally ringing for dessert, we opted for the Macha Mania — a green tea pastry, with a dash of cream and lemongrass milk mousse. The flavour of green tea is not overpowering, with the cranberry topping adding just the right hint of flavour to this sweet indulgence.
For the sake of transparency, following this review, I have returned to Tum Tum Asia to sample other dishes, including the Wasabi Paneer and the Laksa.
Yes, the authentic flavours have been altered to cater to the South Asian clientele that call the UAE their home, but what works for the restaurant is its ability to acknowledge the obvious and make these traditional fares their very own.