Very few people view Japanese food as comfort food. Many even have a perception that everything served in a Japanese restaurant is raw. But not to forget is the Japanese Teppanyaki cooking style where the food is cooked on a hot iron griddle. And it is one of the most exciting ways of cooking in any cuisine where the chef with all his jugglery skills displays a wonderful theatrical session with food.
A restaurant doing it with ease and finesse in Delhi is Shiro in Samrat Hotel, New Delhi. It is quite popular for its Teppanyaki cuisine and also as a party destination with good music and food to compliment. It is one of my favourite places to dine in as I just love its serene ambience. However, it was my first experience with the teppan chef there recently. It was a Monday and hardly any crowd was there. Out of the three Teppanyaki tables at Shiro, mine was the only one which was occupied. A USP of teppanyaki food is that it is cooked right in front of you and is served directly onto the plate.
I had a good time interacting with the chef whenever he added an ingredient to enhance the flavours of the dishes he was cooking for me. My meal started with a Miso soup which was smoked to perfection and was very flavourful. The chef started making Japanese fried rice with egg in it. Once cooked, he formed a heart out of the fried rice and cut it from the centre and served saying, “Sir, here is a piece of my broken heart.”
He then cooked chicken breast in hoisin sauce. At Shiro, you can choose from 13 sauces or different flavours to go with the choice of meat. Prawns in lemon, scallion and garlic butter sauce was tasty but had a very viscous texture. Scallions lost their flavour as garlic butter overpowered it a little too much. Basa in Thai fresh red chilli and prawns in spicy laksa were good, specially the fish. Though prawns seemed to be bland and lacked the typical aroma and flavour of laksa.
I finished my main course and the bowl of Japanese fried rice which I loved. But how can a dinner be considered complete if it’s not ended with a dessert? Being at Shiro simplifies the task for you can choose from its chocolate lava cake with eyes closed.
Meal for two: Rs.4000 plus taxes
