Sushi brunch with Amitabh at Ai, MGF Metropolitan Mall

A wonderful afternoon spent with Amitabh at Ai, MGF Metropolitan Mall, Saket, Delhi. Have been there by night, by day, it's a different world. They have beautiful terrace and dine in restaurant. We sat outside to enjoy the Sunday afternoon sun.

This was one brunch which had me smitten n shy both to bring out my camera...... The prawns just did it and tipped the scales over... I whipped out my camera and wouldn't let Amitabh touch it till I was done with the pictures... :)

Since this was a Sunday, we took up the brunch offer of about Rs2300+taxes.... The host discussed with is what we were looking for and what each of us prefers.... Poor guy had 2 different preferences to remember on the table. This seemed somewhat similar to the Omakase way of serving. The expression is used at sushi restaurants to leave the selection to the chef. It differs from ordering à la carte. The chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes. The phrase is not exclusive to service of raw fish with rice, and can incorporate grilling and simmering as well. Customers ordering omakase style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in the selection of dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance by the chef. Ordering omakase can be a gamble; however, the customer typically receives the highest quality fish the restaurant currently has in stock at a price cheaper than if it was ordered à la carte. From the restaurant's perspective, a large number of customers ordering omakase can help in planning for food costs.

Quickly we had hot sake on the table..... The brunch started with a platter of soups..... I liked Amitabh's idea of mixing Sake into the soup ;)

Next we got some starters on the table with chicken n mushrooms... at this point I looked up and said 'I-came-for-Sushi, I-want-Sushi'.... n there we have it, a gentleman sets up a table stand next to out table and folds up sushi of our choice in the form of Sushi Hand Rolls (Temaki-zushi) are paper thin sheets of nori (a special type of seaweed) wrapped in a cone shape around sticky vinegared rice and various seafood and vegetable fillings.The nori wasn't at it's thinnest which resulted the roll in being a bit chewey. Then we were plied with loads of sushi rolls.....
The pork belly terriyaki and gyoza was very nice. I stirred totally clear of all tempura...
Since I'm writing this a bit late... am not able to recollect the other starters. We could ask for extra portions of any dish we liked and would want more of.... :)

Then came the main course, we choose prawns in a butter sauce with Soba noodles...... The prawns we done very well, the sauce was a flavourful, buttery bubbly self....


After stuffing myself on all that yummy food, I was wondering where I'd put the dessert......
A new compartment opened up when I saw the gentleman bring out a stand full of fresh fruits, sugar and the blow torch to caramelize them on a skewer, at our table with drizzled chocolate sauce. The dessert had me from the very start. However the plated dessert was a bit of the disappointment in the form of an-attempted-chocolava-cake, icecream and dry-chocolate-cake. The fruits made up for the plated dessert. They were finger licking good.... :)
Thank you for the lovely lunch and fabulous company Amitabh.....
Cheers to many more Sushi meals :)

Sushi Dinner at Sakura, Hotel Metropolitan, CP

A friend and I went to Sakura at The Metropolitan, Hotel Nikko for a Sushi dinner.....

The restaurant is named after the Japanese Cherry Blossom, a beautiful, white and pink flower. The sakura's lifespan is three weeks. It blossoms between March and April. Japan declares a special national holiday, "Hanname", just so that people might see the sakura blossoming!
Its contemporary Japanese decor created a tranquil ambiance. Plain wooden chairs and a table. A half-curtain hung over the entrance, like a swing-door in the side room of an Irani restaurant, offering modest privacy.

We started with a round of drinks and after that we had Miso soup with Shitake Mushrooms and Pork was very nice..... chill in the Delhi air.... the soup was really needed....

We ordered Prawn Rolls with Flying Fish Roe. Tobiko (とびこ, in Japanese) is the Japanese word for the Flying Fish Roe used to create certain types of sushi.
The Flying Fish Roe does a “pop” in the mouth when they are chewed, and many people enjoy the texture of it. It doesn’t have a strong aroma, but has a slight dry aftertaste. For its rather clear taste, I loved the way it was popping in my mouth... :-)

The Sushi Ginger is something I would give a pass to every time I ate sushi... but this time I ate it.... was quite nice...In japanese it's called Gari (ガリ) a type of tsukemono (pickled vegetables). It is sweet, thinly sliced young ginger that has been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar. Gari is often served and eaten after sushi, and is commonly called 'Sushi Ginger'. Gari is usually eaten between dishes of sushi, as it is said to help cleanse the palate. Gari is not meant to be eaten or consumed in any type of sushi or hand roll.

California rolls were nice too... Ate it with Ponzu sauce. Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is very tart in flavor, with a thin, watery consistency and a light yellow color. Ponzu shōyu or ponzu jōyu (ポン酢醤油) is ponzu sauce with soy sauce (shōyu) added, and the mixed product is widely referred to as simply ponzu.

Go chi so sma deshita! means- Thanks to the chef for a wonderful meal!

How can any meal be complete without dessert...... We had coffee and a Banana Chocolate Pie at the coffee shop.

Must say I had a good time, yes the food was good but the company even better....