Mumbai – In Mandarin, ‘JIA’ means ‘family.’ And rightly so, JIA, the quaint and aesthetically pleasing independent restaurant, determined to take you and your loved ones on an exquisite journey filled with flavoursome dishes and celebrating its customer’s meaningful milestones, is all set to open its doors to all the foodies out there. With its sophisticated and quaint setting, the elegant, 7-days-a-week establishment is gearing up to alter the dynamics of the way locals and visitors across the globe spend their outings in a well-versed, fun-filled and scrumptious manner.
From the kitchen comes a memorable feast of spectacular cuisines, all created with passion, refinement, and precision. At the helm of all these culinary affairs are Asian affiocanados Neville and Michelle Vazifdar, founders of Royal China and Kuai kitchen, who launched JIA with a vision of entering the pan-asian dining segment and merging Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines.
“When we started Royal China, we wanted to bring the Chinese fine dining concept to Mumbai, which worked well. A few years ago, we decided that we wanted to do something a little untraditional that we could not do in Royal China, which is why we started JIA. We experimented with different Asian cuisines, such as Japanese and Thai. We enjoyed this process as we were able to incorporate different items on the menu,” said owner Michelle, who earlier resided in London and moved to Mumbai after her marriage 12 years ago, bringing with her a fresh perspective on Asian cuisine.
Located in Colaba, the refreshing vibe of Jia – The Oriental Kitchen stands in gleaming yet alleviating contrast to the yin-yang-like architecture. From the tantalizing Special Sushi Roll, Mala Chicken, Crispy Duck Salad, Five Treasure Mushroom Rice with Truffle, Soft shell crab with chilli and shallot spiced butter, and JIA Thai curry to mouth-watering Dim Sums such as Spicy Har Gow with Truffle & Caviar, Spicy Crystal Dumplings, and Corn, Asparagus & Water Chestnut Dumplings, and mains such as Lobster with noodles, in a choice of appetizing sauces like Ginger & Spring Onion, Stir Fried Chilli & Black Bean or Stir Fried XO sauce; Chicken in Chilli Oil & Spring Onion, Tenderloin in Chilli & Black Bean Sauce, Slow Braised Pork Belly in Clay Pot and Asparagus, and Minced Garlic & Bird’s Eye Chilli, amongst others. Each meal is lovingly curated with refreshing ingredients that recurrently fascinate and appeal to Asian food lovers.
Complementing the ultra-modern and elaborate food menu, the beverage program for Jia is a modern reincarnation of exquisitely crafted cocktails, inspired to help drinkers discover multi-dimensional cocktails from the bold down to the subtle. The brand-new bar menu includes a great and varied selection of Wines, Champagnes, Spirits, Cocktails & Mocktails. Additionally, some of the JIA favourites include drinks with palpable flavours such as Whiskey Sour, which is generously concocted with Whiskey, lemon, sugar syrup, egg white, and bitters served on the rocks, JIA Pink Smoky Splash, infused with Vodka, Campari & sugar syrup, and Fizz Float, a Gin based cocktail with a perfect blend of elderflower & pineapple juice topped with red wine, amongst other delicious drinks.
As they say, ‘There are two things that make a room timeless, a sense of history and a glimpse of the future.’ With that said, JIA has a classy and avant-garde touch to its interior. The pleasant space of the restaurant, with its contemporary and modern interiors, aesthetic artefacts, and curios shapes and shades, gives the property a royal look and feel for its customers. From refined shades of black to calming whites and the suspended chandeliers over the stat of the modern art bar, JIA has specially curated a menu adhering to its exemplary setting. Step into JIA and get transported to an Oriental paradise with impeccable food -the perfect setting to unwind after a long day’s work, get drinks with friends, or host gatherings.
“We have reopened and relaunched JIA with a fresh modern contemporary, classy vibe which compliments the new experimental Pan-Asian food at JIA in Colaba. We are excited for people who love Asian food to come in and stimulate their taste buds with a taste of the Orient,” commented Michelle.
So what are you waiting for? Get ready for some fantastic Asian food, a cheerful dining experience with no compromise on quality, and a refreshingly beautiful atmosphere at JIA- The Oriental Kitchen.
