Taking a trip around Asia

Miami is a melting pot of cultures, Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine have become popular in the city

BY MARCELA RONDON, STAFF WRITER

Miami has been a stronghold for Latin cuisine for years, reflecting the city’s largely Hispanic population. However, as Miami’s food scene begins to diversify, Asian food has been on the rise. Ingredients such as matcha are increasing in popularity in foodie culture, with its many health-benefits and natural taste. Other restaurants that have contributed to this surge in recognition aim to deliver delicious and traditional home-like dishes with an artisanal spin.

Restaurants such as Yoko Matcha, Miami’s first specialty matcha shop, Atchana’s Homegrown Thai, a welcoming bistro, and Bombay Darbar, a bursting Indian restaurant all offer Miami citizens a delicious meal they do not have to travel far for.

Yoko Matcha

Courtesy of Yoko Matcha

Originally a Chinese tea, matcha was introduced to Japan in 1911. High in antioxidants, the drink helps promote health in the liver and heart and assists in weight loss.

Open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Yoko Matcha, a small but bursting cafe in Wynwood at 2211 NW 2nd Ave., has perfected the art of matcha as Miami’s first specialty matcha shop.

Yoko Matcha owner Chie Dambara grew up splitting time between Japan and Madrid, exposing herself to both very different cultures. Dambara first learned about the health benefits of matcha during her battle with breast cancer; matcha helped improve her immune health and fight away the cancer. This blend of cultures inspired the creation of Yoko Matcha, with which she hopes to educate Miami food patrons of the many health benefits of matcha. Another cause for the creation of Yoko Matcha was Dambara’s grandmother.

“My grandmother Yoko [was my inspiration]! She was a tea ceremony teacher in Japan,” said Dambara.

Yoko Matcha was a pop-up cafe around Wynwood before finding a more established location at Dasher & Crank ice cream shop, Upon walking in, customers are immediately drawn to the whimsical rose wall with the words “Loca for matcha.” The cafe bar, Yoko Matcha’s focus center in the store, is decorated with a beautiful blush pink tile and cake stands containing Yoko Matcha’s dessert items.

With a unique menu ranging from matcha specialty drinks to matcha infused desserts, Yoko Matcha caters to everyone’s tastes. Dambara makes sure to use authentic matcha, imported from Shizuoka, Japan, to guarantee her customers are receiving the best quality of matcha money could buy.

Specialty drinks such as the Matcha Rosa, a traditional matcha tea sweetened with rose syrup and garnished with dried rose petals are available for $6.00. Their menu also has a coffee section with standard, non-matcha infused items, such as their latte and cold brew, both $4.00.

Yoko Matcha also features a matcha infused dessert menu combining Japanese and Spanish cuisine, such as a matcha brigadeiro, a Brazilian chocolate truffle cooked with matcha, sold for $2.00. Another popular dessert is the matcha vegan cookie, sold for $4.00 and baked with matcha powder.

“My personal favorite item on the menus is definitely the classic matcha con leche with oat milk and the matcha pastelito,” Dambara said.

With matcha being an unfamiliar ingredient for many Miami natives, Yoko Matcha has a distinctive menu for all to enjoy.

Atchana’s Homegrown Thai

Courtesy of Atchana's Homegrown Thai

Atchana’s Homegrown Thai, located at 3194 Commodore Plaza, brings Thailand’s diverse flavor palate to Miami.

Atchana’s is owned by Atchana Capellini, whose family owned many successful Thai restaurants in Miami shortly after their arrival in 1978. Capellini grew up immersed in the service business as she balanced school and work at her parents’ restaurant, Thai Silk. She took over her uncle’s restaurant, the Siam Lotus Room, located in South Miami and later went on a new venture and opened Atchana’s East West Kitchen at the Mutiny Hotel in Coconut Grove. With determination to carry on her family’s legacy, Capellini opened Atchana’s Homegrown, a more permanent namesake for her family’s legacy.

Dishes such as ginger chicken — a $15 chicken dish covered in tangy ginger sauce — and Gang Pak — a $14 tofu and vegetable dish covered in red curry — are found in the Rice Plates section. The noodle bowls section features a total of seven different dishes to choose from, such as Thai beef noodle soup, composed of Thai meatballs and beef in a rich broth and Pad Woon Sen for $14.

What makes Atchana’s menu stand out is their “Random Goodness” section, featuring Thai dishes unique to Atchana’s, such as their Jumping Shrimp Salad, a $17 salad bowl containing shrimp, onions, chili and lime on a bed of fresh greens. Also included in this section is their Thai Trio, a customizable dish where customers can choose their choice of soup, veggie egg roll or summer roll and Atchana’s signature salad for $12.

“One super unique item is Khao Soi Gai. This noodle based dish comes from the Chiang Mai region in northern Thailand and many Thai restaurants in America do not carry it. It features a rich curry-based broth, chicken, red onion and cilantro. It is avaliable for $16,” Capellin said.

Atchana’s strives to maintain authenticity while still making sure to make Thai cuisine approachable to the majority Hispanic and American population in Miami. Atchana’s also makes sure to use locally sourced ingredients in their dishes, maintaining authenticity and freshness.

“Incorporating locally sourced ingredients is important to us because we are close personal family friends with the people who own the farm in Homestead that grows much of the produce for the Thai community in South Florida,” Capellini said.

Atchana’s unassuming exterior makes for a pleasant surprise as customers enjoy flavor packed dishes in a setting that feels like a home away from home.

Bombay Darbar

Courtesy of Bombay Darbar

Walking into the beautifully-decorated Bombay Darbar, a one-of-a-kind dining experience eagerly awaits customers. Inside the brightly colored restaurant, large flat screen TVs playing Bollywood music videos help set the scene and ornate details decorate the ceilings, making customers feel as if they are dining in a palace. Located at 2901 Florida Ave., Bombay Darbar is an authentic Indian eating experience in Miami, with a vast menu filled with traditional dishes.

Upon opening its doors in 2010, Bombay Darbar has established itself as a hallmark for Indian cuisine on the Miami dining scene. Its flagship location in Coconut Grove has a solid clientele and serves an estimated 5,000 dishes weekly. Due to its popularity, Bombay Darbar expanded, opening a new location in Fort Lauderdale in March of last year. Having been open for a little over a decade, Bombay Darbar has made a name for itself with its extensive menu filled with mouth watering dishes.

“Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines and it took me a while to find a good Indian place in Miami, but after I ate at Bombay Darbar, I knew I had found it,” customer Dalia Calero.

Although the variety may seem daunting to those inexperienced with Indian cuisine, Bombay Darbar makes this new cuisine feel familiar. With lively music blaring in the background, customers get an immersive and welcoming experience while dining.

Bombay Darbar has a meticulously organized menu with brief descriptions of the dishes in that section. The chicken entrees section features dishes such as chicken tikka masala — a $17.95 chicken dish cooked and served in a rich tomato sauce and mango chicken curry — a chicken dish cooked in cashew sauce, mango puree and spices, sold for $17.95.

“Their tandoori is delicious and their menu is reasonably priced for the quality of food you’re getting,” Calero said.

The menu also has a vegetable entrees section, including vegetarian options such as “Saag Paneer,” spinach cooked with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic with homemade cheese, valued at $17.95 and dal tadka, yellow lentils cooked with garlic, curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin.

For those that prefer smoky dishes, Bombay Darbar features a tandoori menu with menu items such as smoky tandoori shrimp, shrimp marinated in yogurt with spices and cooked in a tandoori oven, priced at $22.95.

Bombay Darbar’s lavish decoration is quite fitting for their extravagantly delicious meals and generous servings.