All Yamauchi wanted was a comforting bowl of ramen.
But, 30 years ago, when the Japanese businessman landed in Chennai, finding familiar food was a challenge. Till he realised that he was in the seafood business after all: and sashimi with freshly caught fish became a simple, but delicious, dinner staple.
Today, N Yamauchi and his Indian business partner, Revathi Nagaswami, run Dahlia, the city’s oldest Japanese restaurant, catering to Chennai’s many Asian expatriates. More significant, however, is the large number of locals who eat at the cosy space, many of whom had their first taste of sushi here.
After 25 successful years, the restaurant shut down in September last year. Yamauchi, now a frail 83-year-old, was battling health problems, and in comparison to other sleek, contemporary Japanese restaurants opening in Chennai, Dahlia seemed dated.
Chennai, 22/07/2019: Revathi and her Japanese business partner who run Dahlia in Nungambakkam for many years. They closed last year because of his health, but have now reopened again. Photo : R. Ravindran/The Hindu
Set in shabby Kaveri Complex, where the corridors are dark with neglect, the restaurant was unapologetically ‘home-style’, promoting local cooks and local ingredients for a menu that was put together decades before natto, udon and bonito became part of Chennai’s culinary language.
Then, a few weeks ago, Dahlia unexpectedly opened again, without any fanfare. Much to Revathi and Yamauchi’s surprise, regulars poured in with enthusiasm right on opening day. The low-key partners had never realised how much of an impact their unpretentious little restaurant made on the city.
Back in business
After the chaos of opening day, Revathi takes a rare breather and sits down, just before lunch service begins. Dahlia is calm, and the all-woman team of servers are setting tables with quiet precision.
Yamauchi, a man of few words, sits at the cashier, thoughtfully surveying his restaurant. “We decided to close because of his health. He was bed ridden for almost four months,” says Revathi, nodding in his direction. “He was determined to come back, but the weakness was too much. He said, ‘Let me call it a day’.” She continues, “Anything that has a beginning will have to have an end. So we took a decision last September.”
They had a sale, where customers bought everything: pots and pans, salt shakers, soya dispensers, Japanese video cassettes, even the distinctive kimono that hung on the restaurant wall from the day it opened. “They wanted it for the memories,” smiles Revathi.
Three decades ago, when Yamauchi first moved to India with his wife, she was unable to handle the change, and returned to Japan. Today, he says he can’t think of ever leaving Chennai. “His daughter lives in Japan... We thought his son would take over the business, he is the one who developed our menu. But he was washed away in the 2004 tsunami here.” Revathi pauses, “I am single. My mother and sisters are my family.”
For both Yamauchi and Revathi, the restaurant is more than just a business: it is their world.
Chennai, 22/07/2019: Revathi and her Japanese business partner who run Dahlia in Nungambakkam for many years. They closed last year because of his health, but have now reopened again. Photo : R. Ravindran/The Hindu
Chennai, 22/07/2019: Revathi and her Japanese business partner who run Dahlia in Nungambakkam for many years. They closed last year because of his health, but have now reopened again. Photo : R. Ravindran/The Hindu
So, when he started feeling a little better, and regulars kept urging them to reconsider their decision, the pair wondered whether they could pull off a reopening. “We are very thankful to the children of the 90s, who developed a taste for our food. They brought their families and friends. We were so happy to watch them growing up, like they are our own children,” says Revathi. “When I sent a message out asking if anyone would like us to reopen, I got a flood of replies.” She quickly renewed the lease, called together the old staff and reconnected with suppliers. In a month, the partners opened Dahlia’s front door again.
A vegetarian, Revathi didn’t expect to find herself serving businessmen sashimi when she started out. “I did my Masters in Sociology at Madras University in 1983. Then, I wanted a part-time job as a tourist guide, so I started to learn Japanese.”
She quickly developed a fascination for Japan, which was cemented on her first trip there. “We still go at least once a year,” she says. “Kyoto is my favourite place, because it is so peaceful.”
Making a home in India
By 1993, Yamauchi was in Chennai, looking for a translator. “He was exporting seafood, and he did not speak any English,” she says, adding with a laugh, “He still speaks just a few words!”
Yamauchi suggested starting a restaurant. “We wanted a place that was tucked away, and looked different, so people wouldn’t mistake it for a Chinese restaurant. Dahlia was Chennai’s first Japanese restaurant, and it was an adventure. Both of us continued with our day jobs for five years, because we were not confident it would take off.”
They quickly found inventive way to overcome the challenges of running an authentic Japanese kitchen in a city where most of the ingredients they needed were unavailable. “We learnt how to make our own tofu and miso. We make our own teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. And we would carry wasabi, seaweed and sauces back from Japan every time we travel. ”
Chennai, 22/07/2019: Revathi and her Japanese business partner who run Dahlia in Nungambakkam for many years. They closed last year because of his health, but have now reopened again. Photo : R. Ravindran/The Hindu
They also began to grow their own rice in Kodaikanal. “Now in the University of Agriculture in Allahabad, there is a Japanese professor who is successfully growing a variety of Japanese rice, so we buy from there,” states Revathi. Sourcing fish was easy thanks to Yamauchi’s business.
Although the restaurant began with Japanese chefs, the local staff quickly learnt how to make udon, sushi and ramen, under the guidance of Yamauchi’s son. Slowly, the menu began to grow.
It takes three visits to coax Yamauchi to chat. On the third, as he settles down to appreciatively eat a bowl of ramen, he says, “Thirty years have just flown by.” As Revathi translates questions, he listens carefully, thinks for a minute and then answers succinctly. “When I came, I felt India had so much potential, now this is heaven for me.”
He chuckles at the suggestion of returning ‘home.’ “I will have no work in Japan if I go there!” Besides, he adds, it will mean giving up his favourite dish: parotta s and kurma . As he speaks in Japanese, Revathi listens intently, nodding occassionally. She then says, “He says he is so happy Indians like the taste of Dahlia. When he started, he wanted Indian customers. It took 25 years, but it is these customers that motivate him to come back and sit here everyday.”
Dahlia is at 37, Kaveri Complex, 96, Nungambakkam High Road. Call 9840059852.
