Watch your food getting grilled at Indyaki, Radisson Blu Hotel, where the concept is borrowed from Japan but the soul remains completely Indian. By Hamari Jamatia
A Japanese friend once told me that the biggest difference between Indian and Japanese cuisine is that the latter hardly uses any chillies. “If it is hot, Japanese it’s not,” she used to say. Therefore, at a teppanyaki grill in Radisson Blu, Pashchim Vihar, when a jar of dried red chillies stares at you from the counter, you are left wondering. But that’s before chef Dheeraj explains that it is a new concept of Indyaki where Indian food is served on a teppanyaki grill, retaining local flavours of the different cuisines of the country. The difference is the style where all the food is cooked before the diners, the cooking style forming a significant part of the meal experience.
Using two flat spatulas, the chef deftly fries marinated pieces of paneer, soya, fish, prawn, chicken and mutton in olive oil over the flat grill that hisses with the steam that is added to keep food moist. Soon, the aromas of Indian masalas fill the air and more diners are drawn to the counter that sits 12 people at a time.
Our dinner starts with a palate cleanser which consists of sweet corn fried with salt, red chilli powder, onion and lime juice. It is done to understand the taste of individual diners who can suggest the chef whether to put more chilli/salt/spice to the courses that are to follow.
We start with a shorba, an Indian soup, that is the only item that is cooked inside kitchen. It is slightly bland but goes well with Delhi’s cold evenings. Once the soup bowls are cleared away, it is the chicken sprout salad that starts the show. Frying it with a dash of mustard, it is flambéed with brandy that catches fire and lights up the counter, just inches away from us.
Next on the list is the Jodhpuri gosht, that has been marinated in hung curd and other Indian spices. The chef first fries the pieces in oil, then adds dark red gravy, plates them and hands them to us at the counter. You don’t fail to notice that the chefs have received specialised training in order to grab the attention of diners to the way they seem to unleash magic on the hot grill with a sprinkle of coriander here and a dash of salt there, the hand movements quick enough to avoid burning the food. While the original teppanyaki style sees the chef performing tricks with food by juggling utensils, flipping a shrimp tail into his shirt pocket and catching an egg in his hat, at Indyaki, the taste takes prominence over the show.
The Jodhpuri gosht, from the first bite, brings the taste of Rajasthan as the heat from the chillies takes over. As if to counter it, the next item is murg ke pasande from lucknow with melt-in-the-mouth chicken that is slightly on the bland side. For people who love spice, it will be better to order the Indyaki boti that is served on Malabar parantha with a coconut milk marinade to give a taste of the Indian coasts.
The main course for non-vegetarians consists of four varieties of meat — murg ki raan, Indyaki murg ke seene ki salan, keema Hyderabadi and prawn peri peri. If you love sea food, prawn peri peri is a must for you. The sheer succulence of the prawns dipped in Indian sauce is heaven for the taste-buds.
Make sure that you have smaller portions because you don’t want to miss out on the dessert that is as “fusion” as it can get. It means you get lauki halwa strudel with shahi rabri and mini gulab jamun cheese cake. Both desserts are a perfect end to a heavy dinner because they keep a good reign over the sweet content. The sweetness is so balanced that you can indulge in it without guilt creeping in and that’s the kind of desserts that are difficult to find.