If you’re wondering what ‘Mamagoto’ is, the literal translation from Japanese stands for a meal event or a cooking act. In Japanese it comes from the children’s word manma/mama which means meal and goto/koto is an event or an act. To ‘play with food’ is their motto since 2010, wherein simple food is uplifted with burst of flavours in every dish the joint cooks. Owned by Anup Agarwal, Mamagoto in Pacific Mall, New Delhi is another successful franchised outlet of Azure Hospitality.
Mamagoto does not claim its food to be authentic, rather they find authentic too serious and very boring. So, they play around with the authenticity of food which is inspired by the secrets of Asian street hawkers, extensive travel tell-tales and endless experimentation in those secret kitchens. The food will never fail your taste buds, interesting part being how the chefs prep it up to tempt you with every bite. They keep popping up with quirky new dishes and beverages every now and then, which makes us madly addictive. All in all, Mamagoto is fresh, funky, interactive, colourful, and beaming with positive energy and excitement hits the ceiling when people say, “you are too noisy.”
The franchisee brings its wild manga design and high-energy relaxed interiors paired with the best street hawker-inspired Asian fare to the Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden. Flagship favourites like chain mai train station noodles, basil chicken cups, rick shrimp tempura are served along with a long list of dim-sums and sushi wonders and other wok-tossed goodness. The signature bowls like the spicy ramen are comfort for a Sunday brunch or a late night-out with friends. Mamagoto is a quirky pan Asian café which remains open all day long and it has shifted the paradigm on Asian cuisine in India since its blockbuster debut in Delhi’s Khan Market in January 2010.
We have tried the vegan dimsum platter (including crystal dim-sums, coriander and vegetable dim-sums, gyoza, chili-garlic with cheese, spicy street style dim-sum). The layer of thin sheet filled with savoury goodness was exceptional. The street style spicy dim-sums are heaven for spice lovers, they are too hot & spicy. No, it is not going to burn your mouth but will leave your tastebuds asking for more. Other starters worth ordering are Crispy Lotus Stem and California Rolls, which were happiness served and full of mouth-bursting flavours.
For non-vegans, I strongly recommend you try the Ebi Tempura Crispy Prawn Rolls and Mussorie Mall Road Chinese Rolls Chicken. Both the dishes are promising, and you’ll be transported to the hustling streets of vibrant Asia.
In main course we’ve had lavish array of amazing dishes including Vegetarian Kung Pao (assorted vegetables stir-fried in Kung Pao sauce with lantern chilies, and roasted peanuts), Three Pepper Bomb Tofu (wok tossed with green, white and Szechwan peppercorns, all mixed and finished with Chinese wine and some sesame oil), 1990’s Chili Chicken (wok-tossed chicken with garlic, chili, soy, and bell peppers) and Spicy Bangkok Bowl Veg. For a while the thin air transported us to the streets of Bangkok in fact! Yes, the food made it seem real. A special mention to the Thai Green Curry – Veg which was balanced just right. The subtle fragrance of lemongrass and freshly tossed green vegetable in delectable coconut milk gravy is sure to titillate your senses too.
Apart from the amazing food we’ve had, they’ve also offered a yummy range of non-alcoholic beverages made using fresh juices and ingredients at an incredible price range.
At the helm of their kitchen is Jaywanti Dugal, who has been traveling for decades in and around Asia and bringing back some hidden gems – recipes that we secretly store in vaults of north Korea!
And lately, even if you cannot visit Mamagoto, you can right away order your favourite food through Zomato or call them for more details.