Japan, well seasoned

The much talked-about Japanese fine dining restaurant Wasabi in Mumbai and Chef Morimoto, the face behind it, had quite a reputation at stake when Wasabi opened in the capital recently. And they did not disappoint. At the Taj Mansingh hotel, the modestly sized Wasabi was cheerfully crowded at lunchtime and an ambience of pleasant contrasts greeted us, along with the staff members.

We were quickly led to the seating around the live kitchen counter, though this is a plus only if you don't mind the strong aromas of fish and meat cooking right next to you. It was interesting to watch the ways of teppanyaki cuisine, though, and the chef kept us engaged in casual banter, describing the contemporary style of Japanese cooking followed at the restaurant.

To suit the perplexed lay diner who is not well-versed with the intricacies of Japanese cooking, the restaurant has a staff that comes across as well-seasoned. The menu, thankfully, is simply designed, making it a refreshingly clean read to contrast with the unfamiliar names and ingredients of each dish. Our waiter recommended a delectable appetiser, a vegetable carpaccio, and followed it up with the main course, Ishi Yaki Vegetable Bop (a superbly flavoured rice dish), which he expertly tossed with a flourish right in front of us.

Though we leant towards the rice part of the menu on this particular day, our waiter insisted that we try out the noodles as well. Since he seemed to know what the Indian palate preferred, we decided to go with his recommendation. Without impugning the painstaking detailing of the food at Wasabi, what won hands down at our table was the simply prepared tepp fried rice, aromatic and beautifully flavoured.

What's most soothing about a place like Wasabi is that it doesn't try too hard to be all-Japanese "" it doesn't suffer from overdone Japanese interiors and cliched oriental tunes and is not overcrowded with Japanese staff feeding you an artificial Japanese experience. The food, quite simply, speaks for itself.

Just in case you're not happy with something on the menu and tell off the waiter about it, he's sure to be pleasantly armed with a personal story of his own to put things in perspective and enhance the flavours. It may not work, but it's well worth a meal.

Score: 8/10 for good food, great service and a pleasant ambience

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