As I sit there soaking the ambience of this very ‘Pop’, very modern eatery, he recommends the Gari cocktail – Vodka and Gari ( Japanese pickled ginger ) shaken to perfection. Great for the sultry summer Delhi weather, but my senses were driven to the Sake’s. I recently saw the 1967, Japanese themed James Bond film “You Only Live Twice” and there actually a lot to learn from the Sake scene in the movie –
Tiger Tanaka : “Do you like Japanese Sake Mr. Bond, or would you prefer a Vodka Martini?”
James Bond : “ I like Sake, especially when it is served at the right temperature – 98.4 degrees farenheit.”
Tiger Tanaka : “ For a European, you are exceptionally cultivated”.
In this scene, Bond passes on his signature Martini for Sake. I too am quite exceptionally cultivated, I would like to think, so Sake it was, and Guppy has a pretty good Sake list, after 360 degrees at the Oberoi hotel. Rare.
I start with Yoshinagawa Gokunju. Bright and fresh with floral hints, herbs and spices like anise, cinnamon and pepper, made it a perfect pairing with the starters that Vaibhav made sure were low in calories yet bursting with flavors. We started with the rice paper rolls – shredded vegetables and lettuce wrapped in rice paper, served with Yuzu Kosho sesame sauce. The Futomaki Sushi roll – oversized sushi rolls with Salmon, Tuna, Tamago, Crab and Sakura Denbu all stuffed together in one giant roll. A single person cannot do justice to this awesome creation. Go with an empty belly.
I shifted from Yoshinogawa to Koshino Tousetsuka Jumani Ginjyo, for the third course, with an acidity of almost 15.5%, this Sake is initially light with a minerally dry and slightly heavy finish. Normally served cold, but a Koshino Tousetsuka could also be served warm. I chose warm, pouring daintily from the Tokkuri (sake pitcher) to my Sake cup. I sipped my Sake, while I looked in awe at the Cold Home Smoke Kampachi Sashimi – Amberjack fish cured and smoked in house with Sakura wood, served with Yuzu Khoso and Soy served over dry ice, making the experience magical.
The Sake continued as did the evening with Karaoke, the second favorite pass time of the Japanese, the first being Pachinko – a Japanese form of Pin ball. And the next course was the Pork Belly – slow glazed with soy honey, served with mustard miso. It was melt in the mouth and I could’ve kissed the chef, but I have a reputation to protect, unfortunately. Then came the star of the evening, the Tuna Tartare – marinated and diced sashimi tuna with avocado, served on paper thin cucumber slivers with Tobiko (Caviar) and Katsu mayo. The hint of spice in the katsu mayo was a perfect foil to the flavorful tuna, I was served this with Okinawa, a cocktail made with Sake, vodka and sparkling water, garnished with a Cherry Blossom flower.
Julia Child had said – “It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate – you know someone’s fingers have been all over it”. The desserts looked just that. The Green tea pudding and the Daifoku, which is a traditional Japanese rice dessert was washed down with a Japanese Sencha. The mains score over the sweets. And all I could say was “Gochiso sama deshita”, which literally means ” it was quite a feast”. The Japanese say this after eating a meal to express their gratitude.
***1/2 – FOOD
** – AMBIENCE
*1/2 – SERVICE
