Set 100 years in the future, Oct 8 2124 is what the date reads at the entrance of Bumipura, which has two pillars inspired by ancient Indian architecture, specifically the sixth-century Elephanta Caves near Mumbai. The date, the entrance and the vibe will have you intrigued, wanting to know more.
Founded by Ming Yang Chai, Bumipura is a new-age cocktail bar that blends Singaporean and Malaysian flavours. The word “Bumipura” itself is a combination of two words: Bumi, a Malay and Sanskrit word meaning land, and Pura which is inspired by the original name of Singapore called Singapura which means Lion City. “So it means The Land and City which I think is a very soothing name because I want to preserve the flavour of the land and the city of Singapore and Malaysia,” he explains.
A mixologist and photographer, Ming hails from Johor Bahru, a small city located on the Malaysian-Singapore border and you can see where his passion to meet both cultures stems from. He believes more than an ingredient, what matters and pushes a diner to try a cocktail can be the overall concept. “What motivates me to research and continue to produce new cocktails,” says Ming, “is the storytelling part. I need something to support the cocktail making. I need a story to support.”
But overlooking the cocktails, there is no doubt that Ming seems to have adapted to the Mumbai-lifestyle. “I like vada pav, especially when it’s super hot and spicy, with the green chilli,”he smiles. “I also like having corn grilled on charcoal at a beach when it is raining with their nimboo and masala on top,” he adds.
During his holiday to Mumbai in May last year, Ming fell in love with the energy and the potential of the cocktail market here. This made him come back and travel to Mumbai from Johor Bahru, a small city located on the Malaysian-Singapore border. A lot of market research made him realise “that while there are many great bars in India, the mixologists and bartenders are talented and passionate about what they do and even though the market is growing, it is still slightly behind Singapore, Tokyo, or Bangkok.” He saw an opportunity here and thus began the work for Bumipura.
When asked if there is a lack in the cocktail scene, he disagrees. “It is just different,” he states. “In Singapore and Tokyo, many small cocktail bars focus on cocktails that some don’t even have food, but all the bars I visited are usually a bigger restaurant with a small bar on the side.” Bumipura is his attempt to break this standard where the emphasis is not mainly just on the food but where cocktails are the showstopper.
With Bumipura, Ming has imagined a world, 100 years in the future, where India will be influential across all Southeast Asian countries and it will almost become like one whole country. But he considers himself to be part of a small group of people here in Mumbai, trying to preserve the flavours of the two countries, one cocktail at a time.
Ever heard of meat-based cocktails? At Bumipura there’s a small menu with eight cocktails inspired by popular meat dishes. Picture a chilli crab in a cocktail and a small plate. The Glove & Bibs (₹1580) cocktail includes Crab Distillate, sun-dried tomato-infused rum, shiraz cabernet, Korean fruit vinegar, spicy tincture, and lucky crab. The Fat in Between (₹1050) has a base of mutton fat-washed rum.
We started with Dear Seri (₹ 1350) which had a Nasi lemak foam, pandan-infused coconut oil, fat-washed gin+vodka+sake, cucumber chilli syrup, and nimboo. What we loved about this cocktail were the textures and the different temperatures that hit our palate with every sip. A slightly warm, frothy foam, followed by a subtle cold punch of the rest of the drink with savoury and slightly sweet pandan flavours and a bit of crushed peanuts on the side of the glass. Our second drink was Banana Dream (₹1250) which was banana-infused whisky, banana peel, cinnamon tea, and alcoholic banana ball. We love a good sustainable cocktail and this is what it was! While it wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, we had mixed thoughts but a bite of the banana ball and a sip of the cocktail was a good combination.
The Thunder! cocktail (₹1350) was a refreshing one with peanut and sesame-infused Maya Pistola Joven, matcha syrup, nimboo, fresh basil, and rice puff. This was a fun take that slightly resembled a chatpata pani puri paani! This drink is inspired by Thunder Tea Rice, one of Ming’s vegetarian favourite dishes. O is The New Black (₹1150) is inspired by Kapi O, a traditional black coffee called Nanyang that is a must for all coffee lovers. This coffee-infused butter fat-washed vodka, with white pepper-infused gin, Campari, and Rosso can be compared to a coffee negroni with the bittersweet coffee flavour. “I have made my coffee liqueur to mix with the coffee negroni,” he says. It delivered on the flavour but just like any negroni, this was a rather acquired taste kind of drink.
To experience the dishes and the drinks, the best suggested way is to pair them right. We paired the Thunder cocktail with Leichazuke (₹735) which was a combination of Hakka Leica, Japanese Ochazuke, mixed vegetables on top of Jasmine rice, and Basil Genmaicha Soup. If we were to describe it in one sentence, it would be a bowl of comfort soup. Simple, Indian flavours with veggies, a soup-like broth, and rice – you can’t go wrong with that. Besides being a personal favourite, Ming also adds that the Thunder Tea Rice – the inspiration for this dish – is something his grandma used to cook the best.
Ming shared that he doesn’t import all produce and tries to use local produce to make it more sustainable. “Since India is such a huge place, I can get almost every ingredient that I want to create the flavour of Singapore and Malaysia,” he says.
The Searoom Baos (₹525), a vegetarian version of the Chilli Crab Baos were filled with sweet and spicy juicy mushrooms and nori seaweed. A warm, comforting, not too sweet, not too spicy bao – no complaints! The peanut and pineapple sauce served with The Chaap Satay (₹650) stole the show for us. Sweet, peanut-y, slightly tart, and tangy were the perfect combination with the slightly chewy chaap.
However, our highlight has to be the Kaya Toast Supreme (₹350) which is suggested to be ordered with the O Is the New Black cocktail. The Kaya Toast with Kapi O is considered to be a standard breakfast option. Ming substitutes the eggs in the kaya jam with pumpkin and infuses the same coffee liqueur from the cocktail in the butter, making the texture fluffier and having a slight alcoholic kick to it.
While Bumpira is set 100 years in the future, the aim was to merge ancient and futuristic elements. The Elephanta cave-inspired pillars at the corner of the bar and the entrance are a testament to that. “When I visited Elephanta Caves,” says Ming, “I fell in love with the column design.” “And, most of the caves are dug out from basalt rock. It has a black texture and so I wanted to keep the place a bit darker with all textural elements,” he explains. The futuristic aspect of the design is inspired by Tesla’s Cybertruck and the DeLorean from Back to the Future. This can be seen with the 21-foot stainless steel bar. The place is also donned with knicks and knacks that give the essence of a culture that combines Singapore, Malaysia, futuristic dystopia, and ancient India.
As we left Bumipura, we realised how the space did transform into a world away from the hustle and bustle of Lower Parel. “I wanted to create a quieter space with no loud music where people can chill and the small tables make it easy to communicate. I just wanted to create a sanctuary,” he concludes.
The 21-feet-long sleek stainless bar counter! You can catch the bartenders in action while learning about the backstory of each drink from the mixologist’s mouth.