Hello Guppy BKC Mumbai | Japanese All Day Cafe Menu, Koinonia Coffee, The Parfait Co Dessert | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Me, before going to Hello Guppy :

'I am a vegetarian, this is a Japanese place, I am gonna starve today'

Me, after going to Hello Guppy :

'Why did I not come here earlier? And when am I coming back again!'

Suffice to say, I did not starve at all and cannot wait to go back to this quirky Japanese food destination, Hello Guppy.

Walked into a bright and extremely colorful spacious eatery with loads of Japanese cultural motifs everywhere. It deserves an interior decor post of its own. Forget the beautiful food presentation, even their plates and glasses are instagrammable. Huge bar and menu with surprisingly fair amount of choices for vegetarians and vegans (as well as gluten free options). If you know some depressed soul, get them here. The ambiance will perk them up instantly. Staff is extremely polite and helpful, service is very fast. Prices on the higher side (in line with the location and quality of food).

We were here to review their newly launched all-day-cafe style menu alongside special coffees in collaboration with Koinonia Coffee Roasters and collaborative dessert bar by The Parfait Co. What won our hearts was that literally every dish here has very clean, distinct, fresh flavors, comforting to Indian palate but with a unique Japanese twist. 

I have never been to Japan, am not a gourmand and all I care for is delicious vegetarian food. So I cannot vouch for any cuisine's authenticity (except Indian :P) but what I can vouch for is that Hello Guppy served me and my sister some of the most unique flavor combinations and most delicious dishes. We can proudly say that food here is unlike anything else we have tried.

Imagine eating an apple, the crunchy exterior giving way to a juicy core that tastes like pear and in the end, the lasting flavor on the palate is that of pomegranate! Every dish we had here surprised like this, starting off with one flavor and then suddenly a burst of something else and then ending with a third flavor! LOVED the experience :)

BEVERAGES-

CRAZY CRACKLE POP - Indulge the 5 year old inner child in you with this. Creamy chocolate shake with Pop Rocks candy. What a combination, right? Unimaginable, also unforgettable :D MUST-HAVE.

CALL ME HONEY- Yogurt based fruit smoothie with Raspberry, Orange and Honey, appropriately tangy, no added sugar, delicious, thick enough to eat.

SWEET MINT- Sweet Lime, Apple, Mint, again no added sugar, simple and sort of palate cleanser. We had it at end of meal and it felt good.

MISO-CARAMEL CAPPUCCINO- Specialty coffee from Koinonia. I was apprehensive about whether Miso (fermented soyabean paste) would ruin the taste of cappuccino but surprisingly enough, all it did was cut the sweetness of caramel and give a very robust punch to cappuccino. Simple, good.

FOOD- (we had only half portions for tasting, yet we were full by the end!)

SOYBEAN HUMMUS WITH SESAME LAVASH- Hummus made with Black Soyabean, Tahini, Garlic, EVO, alongside Sesame Lavash cracker with Shichimi-Nori seaweed powder. EXCELLENT. Healthy, delicious. I love normal hummus too but my sister is not fond of those. She could not stop licking the plate clean here :D

PAN GRILLED BROCCOLI- Grilled Broccoli with sweet and spicy sesame sauce and shichimi chilli powder, this was the closest to Indo-Chinese kind of food we got here. Intense flavors, sweet, salty, spicy, all at once. And there was a smattering of pine nuts to give some crunch too. Liked it.

AVOCADO TOAST WITH CRISPY RICE BALL- Rice Ball with loads of soft Avocados on top, served alongside Shichimi Chilli, Nori Seaweed, Lime, Braised Onion and Sweet Potato Chips on the side. Looks deceptively simple. Try having all the layers together and then you will understand how different flavors work their magic together. Healthy, flavorful. MUST-HAVE.

JENGA CHEESE TOAST WITH JAPANESE KARE- Multigrain Toast slices with Cheddar and Mozzarella, served with mildly spicy hot Japanese kare (curry sauce) and creamy Garlic Aioli (Garlic-Olive Oil-Mayo dip). Comfort food at its best. Cheesy but not heavy. Dip the toast in Japanese Kare and see the flavors change instantly. MUST-HAVE.

MUSHROOM KATSU SANDWICH WITH FRIES- 5 types of mushrooms (Shiitake, Shimeji, Button, Milky, Enoki) make up the patty, alongside Lettuce, Tomato, Braised Onion, Cheese, Pickles and Sweet Potato Chips + Potato Fries. I think we had full portion for this because it was HUGE and delicious. Juicy patty, the bread was herbed and grilled perfectly, loads of accompaniments, just 1 of this is enough for a heavy hulk like me! Well, this and 1 dessert of course :P

DESSERT-

The collaborative dessert bar by The Parfait Co. is worth checking out. Remember that the parfaits all have eggs. The normal menu has egg-less dessert options.

PBJ SUNDAE- Peanut Butter Blondie with Raspberry Jam, Salted Caramel Parfait, Caramel Popcorn, Grape Jelly. My sister liked it, all the elements were delicious, HUGE portion, need 2-3 people to finish, had a faint egg-y smell.

MAKE YOUR OWN SUNDAE- My sister chose Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla with Sprinkles, Chocolate Soil, Chocolate Ganache, White Chocolate Chips..this is a WIN-WIN situation. You go upto the Parfait Bar cart and choose your own flavors plus your own toppings, how can it go wrong :D

CHOCOLATE & MISO CARAMEL TART- If you love egg-less desserts like I do, go for this. Need 3 CHOCOHOLICS to finish this! The tart itself is full of dense caramel that is pure heaven, on top there is sesame crunch for texture, alongside there is dark chocolate sorbet and couple of fruits for palate cleansing. Overall, about 10,000 calories but Who. Cares. When. It. Is. So. Much. Delicious. Chocolate. ♥♥♥

So there you go. Such a pleasant and memorable experience where I least expected it, Hello Guppy is full of surprises. Hearty recommendation for all foodies :)