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ShareIn the 1980s it was said by an eminent food critic that you can tell a city has become truly international when it has a Japanese restaurant.In Mumbai the first one is the highly successful Wasabi at the Taj. This was followed by the Tetsuma in Colaba and now we have San Qui at the Four Seasons in Worli.
San Qui had received mixed reviews when it opened last year. I had been to a Sunday brunch which I must confess was enjoyable. The nature of the restaurant enabled one to enjoy a sense of privacy, added to the pleasure. The sushi and sashimi were delicate and the ingredients first rate, the main course and deserts were as authentic as you can get. Although, the sushi did have the distinctly inauthentic but yet yummy California roll.The Japanese dismiss these combinations of cream cheese, smoked salmon as "American rolls".
Of course, with Japanese cuisinecomes an elaborate protocol and etiquette. When you dip the wasabi into the soy, it should be done so that it doesn't resemble some repulsive sludge. It is permissible to dip the fish into the soy to enhance the flavour, but never the rice.You can use your fingers to eat sushi, but not sashimi.And you never pour your own sake Koji into your cup -- that is the prerogative of your companion or host.
The real test of the restaurant was a proper plated meal. Apart from the last dish, the cherry blossom rice, each dish was a revelation and paired with a sake Koji so different that it transported me in a magical realm.
The pairing of each dish with sake Koji was the high point of the meal.Sake Koji is one of the most misunderstood beverages.The best description is that it is made like beer and served like wine, the four main ingredients being rice, water, yeast and 'Koji' (mouldy rice) that helps convert the starch in the rice into fermentable sugar. The complexity of the drink is greatly underestimated, it is said that sake Koji has 400 flavour components compared to around 200 for wine.
First, was the 'amuse bouche', dark slices from the Chuturo tuna, exquisitely marinated. The second course was Franco-Japanese fusion, but one which was wholly successful, foie gras chawanmushi, bekkar ann and wasabi.The combination of the foie gras and real wasabi was a revelation.It must be emphasised that what San Qui served us real wasabi and not commercial wasabi (a mixture of horseradish power, mustard powder, mushroom extract, citric acid and yellow dye). Real wasabi is from is Japan, a cousin of the horseradish and a member of the plebian cabbage family.Genuine wasabi costs as much as truffles.
We then proceeded to the sashimi, the literal translation of which is raw fish. The presentation was extraordinary, served on a tray with sculptured, carved flowers, the boldness of the design mimicking the great Sogatsu school of Ikebana in its stark minimalism.The sashimi included the belly of tuna (taro), salmon, sea bass (suzuki).It was one of the most exquisite sashimi platters I have eaten.
We then proceeded to the miso cod. The only difference was that this was proper cod, not the sable or black cod so beloved of Nobu.The main course I ordered was the veal shank, one of the most extraordinary piece of meat I have encountered in Mumbai.The meal ended with soba noodles and a rather uninspiring cherry blossom rice.The service was first class and the setting truly inspired.
