.png)
Reimagine Japanese Minimalism with Inventive Flair at This Contemporary Asian Restaurant in Mumbai
- Style Essentials Edit Team
- Dec 7, 2025
- 3 min read
Akina’s arrival in Worli feels less like the opening of a new restaurant and more like the unfolding of a story that has travelled far before finding its home in Mumbai. Designed by Istaka and shaped under the creative direction of Architect Mehak Kapoor, the restaurant brings a quiet, refined interpretation of modern Asian dining — one that holds the familiarity of Japanese minimalism while carrying the wanderlust of global influences collected over time.
From the moment you enter, it becomes clear that Akina is not built around spectacle; it is built around intention. Every texture, every fragment of material, every shift in light carries a memory. The restaurant, inaugurated by Aksha Kamboj, Executive Chairperson of Aspect Hospitality Group, leans into the idea of experience as narrative — a dining room that evolves slowly as one moves through it, anchored by cuisine yet enriched by design.
Worli’s new address for modern Asian cuisine accommodates a 100-cover layout crafted for a sit-down, food-focused experience. Here, the menu borrows from Akina’s global explorations while looking at flavours through a distinctly Indian lens. It mirrors Mumbai itself — a city where borders blur, where ingredients travel, where culinary memory is constantly expanding. The dishes interpret Asian classics with a bold yet thoughtful reimagining, making the food a quiet companion to the restaurant’s layered interiors.
The design language draws from Japanese restraint but is kept open enough to welcome influences from the many regions Akina has wandered through. The palette is calm and intentionally understated: soft greys, sand-washed tones, ash woods. Just as journeys are punctuated by sudden discoveries, the space holds small bursts of colour — a fabric, a cushion, a metal glint — each one revealing itself gently, never demanding attention.
Look upward and the ceiling becomes an artwork of its own. A patchwork of rattan fragments stretches above, a tactile interpretation of Akina’s travels. Mirrored inserts tucked between the rattan catch the shifting light and create a sense of movement — almost like tracing coastlines on a map. Underfoot, the flooring moves in sweeping curves. These organic lines echo rivers, roads, and routes travelled, turning circulation paths into a quiet choreography.
At the centre stands a mother-of-pearl bar that glows with the softness of seas connecting Japan to the world, a luminous counterpoint to the muted palette around it. Above it, a bespoke chandelier floats like a constellation, binding the ceiling’s story to the heart of the room and creating a moment where design, craft, and light meet effortlessly.
Zoning plays a gentle but intelligent role. Fixed seating hugs the periphery, forming semi-private pockets meant for unhurried dinners and long conversations. Loose tables flow through the centre, allowing the room to open up during busy hours without losing intimacy. Lighting remains low and layered, shaping an atmosphere that lingers long after the meal has ended.
The result is a restaurant that carries the calm of the East and the pulse of the West, woven together in a way that feels neither borrowed nor forced. Akina is a study in balance — of flavour, form, and memory — offering Mumbai a dining space that feels grounded, global, and quietly expressive.
Fact File
Name of the Project: Akina
Location: Mumbai
Typology: Hospitality Interior Design
Design Firm: Istaka
Lead Designer: Mehak Kapoor
May You Also Like
Comments