All you vegetarians rejoice, Dubai has its first vegetarian Pan Asian restaurant. Celebrity chef Akshay Nayyar is the brainchild behind this new vegetarian Pan Asian concept Tum Tum Asia. I was invited to the dinner hosted by the chef in celebration of the launch of the restaurant, but unfortunately I couldn’t make it, as I was out of town. So I decided to visit Tum Tum Asia for lunch yesterday.
Located in the bustling foodie district of Oud Metha Road near Lamcy Plaza, Tum Tum Asia is a pure vegetarian restaurant that serves Pan Asian cuisine with its unique take on the thriving street food culture of some of the Asian countries.
Their menu features dishes from countries like China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar and India. Their vast and elaborate menu offers original dishes with a special Tum Tum Asia touch.
Chef Akshay Nayyar traveled across Asia tasting his way through all the seven countries to create an all-vegetarian-menu that tastes as close as possible to their meaty counterparts.
Tum Tum Asia has a vibrant and artsy interiors. We loved everything about its kitschy decor from the colorful furniture, eclectic crockery to graffiti work adorning the walls, picture frames depicting Asian countries and funky lighting.
When we were handed their giant menu, we didn’t know what to order as there were too many dishes. The restaurant supervisor came to our rescue and suggested the dishes to order.
While we were ordering our drinks, complimentary Dips were served. We ordered two of their cocktails Masaledar Mojito and Barrel Blast. Both the drinks were refreshing, but I liked their spicy Masaledar Mojito the best.
Appetizers
Thai Pani Poori Shots were an Indo-Thai medley of crisp Pooris with grilled cottage cheese, sprouts and minty lemongrass shooter. We felt like our tastebuds went on a delicious adventure. An absolute must-try at Tum Tum Asia.
Tandoori Sushi was their Indian inspired sushi that was lip smackingly delicious. Even my friend who doesn’t like sushi loved their Tandoori Sushi.
Their Momo Chutney brought me back the college memories of my Dharamshala trip. Their cottage cheese and sour cream Momos served with spicy green chutney was just like the ones I ate in Dharamshala.
Blushy Crystal is their veg dim sum and it tasted like basic veg dim sum that you’ll find in any other restaurant everywhere.
Wasabi Paneer Tikka was another winning appetizer. It had succulent Tandoori Paneer Tikka marinated with wasabi, lime and lemongrass.
Hot Pot
Singaporean Laksa is a popular street food in Singapore and Malaysia. It was a hearty soup with tropical creaminess of a curried coconut and it was a blend of sweet and spicy flavors. It was a wholesome dish and we relished the Laksa.
Mains
Chiang Mai Curry or the lemongrass and kafir lime leaves flavored yellow curry from Thai cuisine is one of my favorite curries. And at Tum Tum Asia, it was cooked to perfection and tasted oh-so-amazing.
Surprisingly Jasmine Rice didn’t look or taste like jasmine rice, it was more like basmati rice. The rice was under-cooked and it was difficult to chew.
Dessert
Chocolate Burger was a decadent dessert with layers of chocolate cookie bread, chocolate slice, brownie shavings, marshmallows and hot chocolate lava. It had too much chocolate, I would recommend this dessert only for those hardcore chocolate fans. I didn’t like it much, but my friend loved it.
Overall, we enjoyed our lunch. The presentation of both food and drinks was fantastic. If you love Pan Asian food, then definitely Tum Tum Asia is the destination for you.
Not only vegetarians, even non vegetarians will love the amazing food at Tum Tum Asia. The pricing is reasonable and the portion size is small. Do you think I’ll visit Tum Tum Asia again? Absolutely!
Phone: 04 453 5496
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