Akina Contemporary Asian Experience in Hyderabad has an exciting Asian menu
Terraces are great places for get togethers. So when Akina Contemporary Asian Experience from Mumbai decided to launch in Hyderabad, the chosen location was the terrace of The Loft building near HITEC City. The spot seemed ideal to stay true to the party mood.
The play of light just as you enter Akina calls for some photographs. Natural light streams through the glass panelled roofs and complements the earthy elements of the decor. Cane chairs, wicker lamp shades, and ornamental grass bloom add charm. Akina is not all in tones of the earth; the green comes from healthy houseplants.
In Hyderabad, the vibe and the menu of Akina is designed to represent 'all'. The restaurant's philosophy is inclined towards offering an immersive experience, bringing together contemporary Asian cuisine and cinematic storytelling.
The digital menu lists everything neatly under sections. Akina does not serve favourites such as biryani, pulusu, 'manchurian' or makhani gravies with a modern take. Dimsums rule, so does nigiri, sushi and vibrant cold plates.
But first a picante. On a balmy afternoon, picante turned out to be a good choice. Then came the Amma's mango-avocado ceviche — avocado's creaminess meets sweet, tangy mango with a hot after taste. From texture to flavours, a well thought out idea.
Then came the cold soba noodle salad that changed my view of soba noodles. I always regarded soba noodles as tasteless and stiff. This salad is a mix of soba with kataiffi, cream cheese and finished with fried garlic chips. Every spoonful is a delight.
The menu includes striking robata grills. So while I waited for my Balinese chicken wings, chicken Tsukune Anticuchos and tiger prawns in chipotle butter, burnt lemon and micro coriander, I tasted the Akina Spicy Crispy Maki Roll, which comes with stuffed chilli, tempura flakes, citrus cream cheese, chipotle, cucumber, spicy chicken dimsum and chicken and prawn sui mai. Dimsums were bite-sized delights that left no room for complaint.
The local touch to the menu comes in the form of Kyoto karam podi, Vantimamidi beets, Mirpakaya tempura, Krishna river prawns and Chevella baby corn.
The eatery's Asian menu is pretty strong and since everything worked, the chef suggested I try one of his choices for the main course — Akina fried rice with chicken and prawns with Mongolian cumin and red chilli chicken. While the rice was good to go by itself, the Mongolian xumin and red chilli chicken did not meet the hype.
In the meantime, the selection from the robata grills arrived. It disappeared sooner than it arrived. The flavours were fresh and not limited to soya and garlic. It was hot and ended on a fine sweet note.
What will I repeat at Akina? Amma's mango-avocado ceviche, the soba noodle salad and the dimsums.
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