This is a story of two states. One where it all began and the other, where it aims to burgeons. From Chennai to Gurugram, interestingly the story of a third-place is being told – Asia – and its sweep of flavours.
Called Soy Soi, it’s a new restaurant at a new mall by seasoned restauranteurs, Nikesh Lamba and Japtej Ahluwalia.
Along with Chef Peter Tseng, who was formerly with Lotus (The Park hotel), Mango Tree (Dubai) and others, the trio had readied a hearty spread of South-East Asian gastronomy.
To Lamba, it feels like giving an examination to prove his prowess all over again. Soy Soi’s impeccable reputation in Chennai and Kochi haven’t travelled with him on his sojourn in North India. It’s a good thing he says.
He got a fresh slate to work with. It’s an opportunity to amend all the mistakes made down south and add new features.
“I can re-write the rules. I can see what works specifically for the customers here, then custom offer it to the diners. We are ready to prove ourselves again,” says an optimistic Lamba, who set up the foundation of the brand by taking a three-week hands-on experiential and experimental journey to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
They documented everything they could bring back to India as potential offerings, keeping the country’s flavour profile in mind.
“Staying true to the original recipe is important. Tampering with flavours can only lead to confusion because you cannot achieve something greater than what was established centuries ago. Also, consumers cannot be deceived. They’re well-travelled and expect honesty, while placing their faith in a restaurant,” says Lamba.
After our little banter, it was time to test the waters. We were off to a rocky start with the Edamame Truffle Dumplings.
It’s grassy, gamy flavour missed the mark and we found it too strong on the olfactors.
The sizeable serving of Tom Tum Soup Dumpling next gave our palate something to appreciate.
The chicken mixture gave off the presence of lemongrass and kaffir lime in it, but the ‘soup bit’ was a tad confusing.
The stewart kept advising us to have the ‘soup’ first and then the dumpling, but none was to be found on the ladle it was served on. The dumpling minus the invisible soup was stellar.
Next, we tried the Vegetarian Paradise Maki served with Takuan (a radish preparation), Shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, asparagus, spring onion, and togarashi. The character of the vinegared rice was unerring.
It was slightly soggy, maybe because it had been lying untouched on the table for too long.
The Korean Fried Chicken Bao was on point.
It was layered with panko crumbs and then glazed with gochujang sauce, that are typically made of fermented chilli, glutinous rice, meju powder, salt among other things.
The bao dish came set in a casing of the softest steamed baos.
Talking of yummy things, the Satay Gai, a Thai chicken satay gets full points for succulency, especially for the lemongrass and coconut milk marination it was set in.
The addition of turmeric gave it its beautiful slight golden surface.
Amidst this, we had several glasses of Citrus Cucumber Cooler with an infusion of ginger flower, lemongrass, cucumber, of course, kaffir, lots of mint, basil seeds, citrus ginger, some syrup, topped with ginger ale.
We ended the meal with a cliche. The Thai staple of Mango and Sticky Rice called Khao Niew Wahn on the menu. The Soy Soi version had the rice flavoured with blue pea flower, pandan leaves and coconut cream, toasted sesame seeds and tender coconut ice cream.
Sweet endings for happy beginnings. Try it.