Ambience: Ordering Japanese in India, sushi, tempura and ramen get the most attention. But, of course, there’s a world of styles, flavours and textures out there if we go beyond the neighborhood sushi train. With hopes of exploring the cuisine, we walked into the dimly-lit yet sprawling Japanese restaurant Yokoso in New Delhi’s Lodi Hotel on a weekday night to find ourselves in company of a few other diners who seemed to deligt in the minimalist yet food-focused service in the restaurant.
Food & Beverage: We started off our meal with Shira Ae or pressed tofu in sesame sauce, and were left amused at the burst of flavours. The Hamachi Usuzukiri was probably the freshest Hamachi fish we’d eaten in the city. The Crispy Tuna was crunchy and the texture reminded us of local Indian fritters. The Rock Shrimp Tempura, which came tossed in a variety of sauces, felt a toned-down version of the greasy goldren fried prawns that can be found at any local oriental restaurant.
The watery Tofu Miso Soup didn’t do much for us either. We’d advice a skip on the soup especially. We cleaned our palate with a sip of sake from the ochoko placed on our table. The Warm Eel Roll had us pleasantly surprised. The peices tightly held by sesame and sweet soy melted on our tongue. This was followed by Pork Kakuni, a slow braised pork belly. Both the Eel Roll and Pork Kakuni were the star dishes for the night. But no meal is complete with dessert and a special mention goes to the Black sesame icecream which was nutty, sharp and a rather unique flavour.
Service: From customised plating to explaining the ingredients, Chef Shubham Thakur deftly manages the guests. We would definitely return not just to satiate our Tokyo cravings but also for the luxury dining experience.
Meal for two: Rs 3,000+taxes (without alcohol)