My last trip, five months ago to be precise, was to the culinary twin cities of Singapore and Malaysia. The agenda was simple - to eat my way through the labyrinthine hawker centres, with a long list of Michelin Bib recognised stalls and dishes handy. For an entire week my palate indulged in a relentless orgy of flavour, from the delightfully simple kaya toasts paired with kopi-O to the fiery chilli crabs, umami char kway teow to nasi lemak, the list is endless. Not to mention, the flavours lingered in my memory, teasing my senses long after I had left the hawker stalls behind. So visiting Bumipura, a place that brought those flavours back to my life in a way I hadn't imagined, felt like an answer to my long-standing craving.
As I stepped through the heavy doors, the world outside faded into obscurity. The interiors were a stark contrast to the lights of the city. The space is cloaked in an almost otherworldly darkness. I could barely make out the contours of the furniture. A soft glow emanates from the bar counter adding a cinematic hue on the space. There's something fascinating happening here - it's less about what's being cooked and more about what's being poured. I skimmed through the menu, the first page read, “Welcome to the year 2124, where India has ascended to superpower status, extending its influence over Singapore and Malaysia.” While it might be a bit of a stretch to say that it's taking us 100 years into the future, it's certainly a fun and innovative way to experience the flavours of Singapore and Malaysia in a glass.
The concept is simple enough though. Ming Yang Chai, mixologist and founder of Bumipura is here to preserve tradition not through the means of food, but through cocktails. His maiden trip to Mumbai was merely six months ago, and he returned not to cook, but to create something different altogether - a bar of his own. He recalls, “I fell in love with the energy of the city. Everything is super energetic. loud and I saw it when I went to restaurants and bars here. I felt the passion of the bartenders are strong and getting more curious about the cocktails. So, I feel it's a good opportunity for me to come inside this market in Mumbai.”
There's something particularly arresting about the way Chai transforms chilli crabs, nasi lemak, kaya toast and many other dishes into drinks that redefine what we think of as a cocktail.
No matter what time of the day I arrived, I kicked off with the classic breakfast pairing - Kaya Toast and Kopi-O cocktail. O is the new black, as it was called, is essentially a homemade coffee negroni and it set the perfect tone. The deep roasted flavours of the classic black coffee beloved in Singapore's hawker stalls are balanced beautifully with the cocktail's sharpness adding a silky richness that lingers long after the first sip. It tasted like something I have always wanted but never knew I needed.
Next up was Dear Seri, a nasi-lemak inspired cocktail, a daring one but in the best possible way. The pandan-infused coconut oil met its match in the fat-washed gin-vodka-sake, and gave the drink an unexpected depth. Chai adds, “The creaminess of the rice, the crunchiness of the peanut, the freshness of the cucumber, I made it into a cocktail form.” The cucumber-chilli syrup brought a subtle refreshing fiery punch. Paired with Nasi Balls - coconut pandan rice, crunchy peanuts, sambal paste, mushroom rendang and cucumber, all in all, it was cool, spicy and comforting all at once.
Chilli crabs have always been a messy affair - something you tackle with bibs and gloves, rather than a cocktail glass. Yet, their next creation Gloves & Bibs managed to make me rethink that entirely. The colour of the drink mirrored the rich, fiery hue of the chilli crab sauce served in its signature crab vessel. As Chai explained, “For the distilled crab, we'd put crab, vodka, and a touch of water into a distiller, creating the perfect clear crab-flavoured bomb. Then we added sun-dried tomato-infused rum, because the heart of chilli crab is all about the tomato sauce, chilli and of course the crab. A splash of wine, some Korean fruit vinegar, salt water, and a chilli tincture completed the mix.” Confession time: the Chilli Crab Baos filled with a tangy crab filling served alongside the cocktail barely registered in my mind. The drink had completely stolen the show.
Next came the CR Burger, a playful handheld twist on the Hainanese chicken rice reimagined as a rice burger. Paired with it was the Fat In-Between cocktail, a surprising marriage of mutton-washed spiced rum and a beer reduction syrup. It was, I admit, a clever and enjoyable pairing, but if I am being honest, it didn't quite hit the same high notes as the others. The Kopi-O coffee negroni, Dear Seri and Gloves & Bibs were truly star of the show.
A quick tip before you plan you visit: the bar food portions here aren't generous. You're clearly here for the cocktails. To avoid going home hungry, make sure you order a bowl of Thunder Rice or Le Cha as its traditionally known. It's a delightful fusion of Hakka Leica and Japanese Ochazuke, with mixed vegetables piled on top of fragrant jasmine rice and served alongside a soothing basil genmaicha broth. It's the perfect way to round off the evening, giving you that satisfying hearty finish to an otherwise cocktail-fuelled journey.
Where: Bumipura, Kamala Mills, Trade Tower, Unit No.1, B Wing, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai
Cost for two: INR 5,000