Mr. Mamagoto and his pop up menu

Mama's cousin, Mr. Mamagoto, popped into town with a gift and an invitation to dinner. Now that's very gentlemanly of him and naturally, the invite had to be accepted graciously.

Mamagoto set up shop at Chennai more than two years ago and it's one of the more popular pan-Asian restaurants in the city. The Gurgaon-based brasserie has come up with a pop up extension of its brand for a limited time only, serving up a variety of grills, dim sums, baos and Japanese-inspired maki rolls.

Love the decor

It's been a while since I went to the restaurant at KNK Road and was surprised to find the teppan has been removed and in its place, there's more seating. Oh goody...hope those long queues are now a thing of the past! Manga graphics still cover the walls and ceiling, the shades of red add a bit of fun to the ambiance.

The mocktail corner

Spiced apple Collins - not one I'd order again

As its wont, there are small plates (appetisers) and large plates (main courses) which can be shared. The pop up menu is tuned toward a more adventurous, edgy palate, or as the brand says, "sophisticated goofiness".

Poached prawns with chilli lime jelly

Grilled chicken with chilli oil

The prawns in the appetiser were large but a a little chewy. The lime jelly was aromatic and had pops of heat. I flipped for the leche de tigre or tiger's milk. Zesty, invigorating and full of flavour, offset by the tart green apple slices. It was a take on ceviche but here, the prawns had been steamed.

Grilled chicken with chilli oil had boneless chicken finished on the robata grill and sliced for service. Succulent and flavourful, the beetroot dip was quite interesting and the sesame flavoured sticky rice was a lovely accompaniment along with the stir fried veggies. Typical Asian flavours that delivered.

Hoisin chicken bao

The cloud-like baos are super soft. Hoisin sauce... no, I couldn't taste any of it and though there was plenty of chicken, it was rather dry and could do with more of the sauce. The pickled cucumber was a delicious addition. 

Katsu chicken

Panko crusted and fried fillet of chicken was so so. The sauce too was gluggy but the soba noodles were a winner. Smooth and fragrant with the aroma of sesame oil, they were perfect in every way.

Rendang Kerala curry with paratha

Indonesian rendang with Kerala paratha - now that for sure is an irresistible combo. However, the rendang curry with cubes of tender mutton was way too sweet, the gravy had an overdose of coconut cream and the parathas were not the flaky kind. In spite of all of this, strangely, it was a combination that worked.

Mr. Mamagoto has no desserts to offer but you can order it from the Mamagoto menu. We shared a plate of vanilla cake with toffee sauce and ice cream. It's one of those desserts where each element enhances the flavour of the other. Lovely!

Kiwi mint Collins - fresh & zesty

Mr. Mamagoto and his pop up menu will be served at both the Chennai outlets.