Savour Michelin-starred French-Japanese finesse in Delhi

Delhi diners get a rare taste of Michelin-level cooking this week as OKO, the Pan-Asian restaurant at The LaLiT New Delhi, hosted Chef Daisuke Mori for two exclusive evenings in October.

Mori’s cooking blends Japanese seasonality and discipline with the depth and technique of classical French cuisine. His résumé spans some of the world’s most celebrated kitchens: the three-Michelin-starred Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, the two-starred Taillevent in Paris and the one-starred Restaurant Signature at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.

The six-course menu rests on premium ingredients and precise execution. The non-vegetarian line-up opens with giant mud crab, dressed in a tangy rémoulade and topped with Kristal caviar.

It is sweet, creamy and briny, and light enough to wake the palate without filling it. Girolles, lobster barley risotto and local white fish tempura follow, a study in contrast: peppery mushrooms, rich lobster against a risotto that keeps its bite, and fish in a thin, crisp batter that stays delicate within.

The centrepiece is Challans duck, cooked until tender and glazed with caramelised spice honey. Black fig adds jammy sweetness that balances the meat’s richness. Matcha panna cotta closes the evening, its gentle bitterness keeping the sweetness in check.

Vegetarians get a menu of equal ambition. It opens with spinach, Japanese sesame and silken tofu, then moves through girolles, green asparagus, Japanese vegetable tempura and roasted root vegetables. The result is freshness, crunch and caramelised depth, held together by earthy mushrooms. A matcha Basque cheesecake with Chantilly cream and a hint of brandy ends the meal, deeply browned on top and creamy at the centre, with matcha’s grassy edge providing balance.

“At The LaLiT New Delhi, we love creating exclusive experiences that offer our patrons something beyond the ordinary,” said Vishal Sharma, General Manager. He described the evenings as an intimate Chef’s Table that brings together Japanese precision and European artistry.

Mori said his cooking has always been about finding harmony between Japanese ingredients and French technique. “Delhi offers an exciting new culinary landscape for me,” he said, adding that the menu lets each ingredient keep its own character while offering seasonality, precision and a sense of discovery.