Food review: A slice of Japan

Meal for two: Rs 4,000 (Plus taxes)
Wasabi By Morimoto
Located in The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Colaba
Call: 022 66653366
Rating:****

We are big fans of Japanese food. And hence for my last review, I could not miss out on this Japanese restaurant that’s easily the best in Mumbai. Situated at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower overlooking the Gateway of India is Wasabi, which I feel is Mumbai’s only true-blue Japanese fine dining signpost.

After so many years with so many Japanese restaurants sprucing up in Mumbai,  Wasabi still stands tall, having silenced critics with its consistently high standards of ingredients, preparation and presentation, and the fact that reservations are norm even on week-nights.

The recently restored restaurant has an all new decor with a cheery and dramatic red lacquered staircase, a glazed glass and steel lift zooming you up from the Harbour Bar into this small ‘magic box’. The key feature of Wasabi by Morimoto is the bold, sculptural round table that dominates the room and is complemented by an over-scale custom hammered metal light fixture.

The overall look is crafty, traditional Japanese and the sushi counter and teppanyaki kitchen serve as focal points of activity, with the teppanyaki area defined by a large art piece.

The food fare here is authentic Japanese. Many of the ingredients are apparently flown in everyday from around the world and most from Japan too. We started by ordering a plate of spicy salmon sashimi roll and a spicy shitake roll (the veg version). The sashimi was just so fresh! The wasabi that came along with it seemed creamier and of a different texture. We were later told that a lot of restaurants usually make the Wasabi paste with some powder and they were one of the few places to use the actual root.

The chef then created a special squid salad, which was delicately done with pine nuts and walnuts. The flavour and the seasoning was done just perfectly without an overdose of any dressing. It was a light seasoned salad in which you could savour the taste of each ingredient.

Among their famed Sushi dishes are also the Spicy Tuna, Soft Shell Crab and the vegetable combo... sheer bliss, paired with a fine Barbaresco D’Alba Italian red wine or their legendary cold Sake. You also cannot miss out on their Black Cod Miso. It was simply out of this world. It was this big and beautiful and juicy piece of fish, marinated in Miso. It was soft and had the most succulent flavour ever!

There is an outstanding and dedicated veggie menu as well. Japanese Pizza (yes this exists), Veg Epice, Spinach Tempura, Veg Sushi (a No-Nori Veg Sushi is on the cards), Newspaper Vegetable Purse and Edamame too.

My verdict? Wasabi is at the pinnacle of freshness and everything is prepared to perfection. The best part is that the food does not weigh you down and the service is super-efficient and full of warmth. This is one place where I will keep coming back for sure!
 

Raveena Tandon is an actor and a foodie.