Guest Post by Aishwarya Menon
However much I like to call myself a foodie, the idea of trying new things is always exciting but also a little daunting. The opportunity to try authentic Japanese food a few months ago made by Chef Ashish Singh and his team at Pan Asian, triggered my curiosity but also made me a little sceptical because of the pre conceived notions I had about Japanese food and the nature of the flavours used in its cooking. It turned out that the scepticism was completely unnecessary. The food he made us took us by storm and exceed our expectations. Recently, we had the pleasure of being blown away by his food once again with the “Obento” another ingenious idea of his to take the concept of a Bento box and convert it into a fine dining masterpiece.

To start with, a Bento box is essentially a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. Chef Ashish has taken this concept and created a Bento box which come with 6 broad components for both Vegetarians and Non- vegetarians alike. We both had the non veg obento but one was a little different from the other, because of our differing tastes. What impressed me the most was the flexibility of the menu. Chef Ashish explained to us about how he did not want to limit the variety but rather, eliminate the rigidity of a traditional menu and accommodate different tastes.

The Bentos served at the Pan Asian Consist of six elements

ZENSAI : Assorted Appetizers

SASHIMI : Palette of Premium and Select seafood with fresh Wasabi
SUSHI (for vegetarians) : Imari Sushi and California Aramaki with fresh Wasabi

YAKIMONO
Grilled Fish and meat for the Non Vegetarians
Grilled Mushroom and Asparagus for the Vegetarians

GYOZA
Pan fried Chicken Dumplings 
Pan Fried Soybean and Quinoa Dumplings (for the vegetarians)

TEMPURA
Deep fried Seafood and Vegetables
Deep fried Vegetables

CHIRASHI
Sushi Rice Topped with Seafood accompanied by Endamame Truffle soup

YASAI YAKI MESH 
Fried rice with vegetables served with Endamame truffle soup (for the vegetarians)

OR

YAKI UDON
Stir fry Udon noodles with either Chicken or Greens

DESSERT
Matcha Raisin Ice cream with Valhrona Chocolate

The Verdict

The food in itself was (needless to say) spectacular. What adds to this, other than the chef’s skills is the sourcing of the ingredients and how much care is taken in terms of making sure that the ingredients are of best quality. Right from the Wasabi to the pork (which was incidentally sourced from Holland) to the Chilean Sea Bass, Chef Ashish makes sure that he uses the best and most fresh ingredients possible.

This particular “Obento” will be served till the end of this week ONLY (though it may come on to the regular menu in some form ).

Although a lot of people hesitate when it comes to Japanese food or authentic Asian food in general, this Obento is a good start to the Japanese food journey.
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The Vegetarian Bento is priced at 2650 + taxes
The Non Vegetarian Bento is priced at 3000 + taxes

I had heard about Chef Mujeeb-ur-Rehman a lot and had missed a couple of food festivals curated by him earlier in Chennai. Chef Mujeeb is a descendant of Khansamas of the Wajid Ali Shah’s era  and is apparently well versed with the nuances of awadhi and Lucknowi cooking styles having undergone four years of rigorous training under the guidance of the siblings of the Royal Khansamas of Nawabs. (He is incidentally the go to name for most of the top industrialists and films tars in India for catering to their private parties )

The Dining room, the all day diner at Park Hyatt Chennai is hosting a Lucknowi food festival for a week. I was fortunate enough to have a rare lighter day at my practice and zipped my way to Park Hyatt to sample very few dishes which will be part of the festival and have a chat with Chef Mujeeb.

I have documented the dishes with a brief description below.

STARTERS

VERDICT

Another festival which was definitely worth the wait. The flavours were definitely very authentic. Having had a long chat with the chef I did understand a lot of the intricacies and nuances that went into the cuisine. The Potato in the 'Chowk ki Tikki' was hand grated by his team for instance. The spices were obviously carried by him and freshly ground and mixed. It becomes fairly obvious why Chef Mujeeb and his team are sought after all over the country for his particular speciality. 

If you are looking to savour some authentic Lucknowi/Awadhi flavours, Park Hyatt has the festival on toll the 23rd of October.

Time: 12:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Venue: The Dining Room, Park Hyatt Chennai
Price: INR 1250 plus taxes for lunch and INR 1450 plus taxes for dinner  
Style: Buffet
They do have a special Al a carte menu for guests who would not want to opt for the buffet.