It is easy to presume that Japanese cuisine as being centered around sushi, sashimi and soba noodles. But the reality is far from it.
The cuisine from the land of the rising sun is known for being very light because of the use of fresh ingredients. It is gaining popularity globally and in India, as the country’s well-travelled audience can’t seem to get enough of miso soup and ramen. This has made it a hit with gourmands and those who are particular about their health, its slightly high cost notwithstanding.
When Prasuk Jain launched Pink Wasabi in Mumbai, he wanted to create an elegant-yet-classic restaurant that presented an amalgamation of pan-Asian delicacies, but focused on Japanese cuisine through a thoughtfully curated ambiance. Today, he has taken the brand to Chandigarh and hopes to expand to other parts of the country soon.
In the initial days, Jain and his team took some time to get customers unaware about the nuances of Japanese cuisine to try it at Pink Wasabi, given its mild umami flavour. This was also because many people associated sushi with raw fish, which they found unpalatable or inaccessible to many.
However, with the growing popularity of modern Japanese cuisine and the introduction of vegetarian sushi, people were more willing to try it. And once they did, they could not have enough of it.
“Japanese cuisine helps guests maintain a healthy lifestyle since it is very healthy. Hence, there is tremendous growth potential for Japanese cuisine in India now as compared to last year. This is because most hospitality establishments are doing their but to put the cuisine in their menu, be it sushi or ramen,” Jain noted.
He is also trying to change the perception that the cuisine is limited to sushi, sashimi, wasabi and soba noodles. Pink Wasabi’s menu has several authentic Japanese items including Robatayaki, tempura, teppanyaki, yaki mono, age mono and kimono, which acts as an eye-opener to people who have just had a taste of sushi.
Since most of the ingredients to prepare these dishes have to be imported, it results in increasing the cost of the final dish. In fact, New Delhi’s Tokyo, the first Japanese restaurant to open in the country in 1989, had to shut following complains of lack of fresh fish and authentic ingredients.
The import of fresh ingredients, oil, sauces and spices puts Japanese cuisine out of reach for many people who might be inclined to trying it. Today, there are many restaurants that offer this cuisine in the country, from Izumi, Seefah, Kofuku, Guppy, Tsubaki, Taki-Taki or Wakai in Mumbai to Harajuku Cafe and Mensho Tokyo in New Delhi to Makutsu, Izumi’s and Kofuku’s new outlet in Goa or Oyama in Chennai. But a look on the right side of the menu can often put most people off their appetite.
To address this issue, Pink Wasabi plans to offer options of Japanese food on the go, which will be more viable for people from all walks of life. This includes having compact bento boxes and sharing plates. The restaurant chain also wants to promote Japanese desserts, which is another unexplored category, be it the dorayaki pancakes or the shokupan.
