Out of every 10 places I eat in, on an average I come across only two which touch my soul and leave an everlasting impression. I strongly believe that if the flavours are good they remain with you and help you to revisit the place.
One such restaurant which opened hardly a month back is Irezumi, which has the essence of that everlasting impression in its name itself.
Irezumi is a pan Asian Tapas Club located opposite Le Meridien hotel on Janpath road. In Japanese it means to leave a permanent impression under the skin or, in simple words, it’s the traditional Japanese method of tattooing. Feel of the place is refreshing with a nice terrace overlooking Lutyens’ Delhi. Even though it’s a club it’s not dingy and has a nice soothing display of lights. Pushpit Gupta, director said, “We want our place to be loved by foodies as well and not just party animals. We have worked really hard on the food under the guidance of Manu Mohindra and have tried to offer delicacies from all the Asian countries under one roof.”
Manu joined me at the table and took me through the gastronomic world full of Asian flavours. Vietnamese shaking chicken was a perfect dish to start with and I loved its flavours. From the Teppan section lamb bulgogi with spring onion was too good and I loved the sprinkle of chilly sesame oil used which elevated the taste of the lamb.
When it comes to Japanese section nothing could beat the sushis and the yakitoris which have made the Japanese cuisine popular across the world. I was impressed by the way yakitori had been done, egg yolk sauce complemented the grilled prawns really well and even the chicken variant was juicy and tender to its core. Sushis have so much variety to offer that it needs couple of visits to explore all the variants.
The only disappointment for me was the laksa soup which had spices overpowering the Malay flavours which is the soul of a classic laksa. Even the black cod went really flat and needed a punch of miso.
Two dishes apt for the people loving comfort club food were the pizzas with Asian toppings and the sandwiches specially the banh mi sandwich.
When it comes to desserts most of the oriental restaurants are on the back foot but Irezumi is different and has some really good ones on the menu. I loved the chocolate salami and the homemade ice creams.
Meal for two: Rs 2500 plus taxes
