As if the decadence of the nawabs of old wasn’t enough, the city of Hyderabad has a new outlet that just begs your indulgence and patronage. However, this stylishly-done Syn is all about the good things in life, Sachin Joshi tells Punam Mohandas.
When invited to dine at Syn, the newly opened restaurant at Taj Deccan, Hyderabad, I was more than a little intrigued; the hotel has traditionally enjoyed a reputation of being staid, even boring. And now to come up with an outlet where even the name was a misnomer for the image? This called for some investigation, and I sallied forth willingly to do the needful.
“Absolutely – we want to break the image that this is an old, fusty hotel,” asserts Sachin Joshi, executive chef of Taj Deccan. “Syn is all about indulgence, a little bit of syn in your life is good. We’re interpreting it differently, since sin is otherwise about greed and guilt; we’re showing there’s a good side to sin too.”
The outlet limits itself to the tried-and-tested Taj areas of expertise such as Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese. A team of four chefs were sent to the Taj speciality restaurants like Wasabi, Blue Ginger, and Thai Pavilion, for about four-five months, to gain expert inputs. “This restaurant took extensive planning. I myself went for training to Blue Ginger, which is about Vietnamese cuisine,”says Joshi.
Having lived in Hyderabad myself for many years, I wouldn’t have quite thought the city is ready for the likes of sushi and sashimi. “Actually, to be honest, in the beginning I thought that sushi wouldn’t move, I was quite sceptical,” confesses Joshi candidly.
“But here, half the people already know about sushi, and the other half want to learn about it, and so 70% of the orders are for sushi and teppenyaki. The sashamis are doing as well as the sushis.”
Teppenyaki yet – and surprisingly, the concept is doing well, with the city quite receptive towards it. So would he say that Hyderabad is adventurous in its food habits? Joshi clarifies that it isn’t so much the local Telugu clientele yet, but certainly the hybrid population of the city, that goes in for these esoteric tastes.
“A lot of Hyderabadis have travelled abroad and are familiar with these dishes, they are used to such tastes. I think Hyderabad is pretty adventurous now when it comes to food…artichokes, palm hearts, all go down very well.”
Joshi comes across as that rarity – a chef without an ego. To ensure consistent food quality and taste, he says he has entire recipes, along with ingredient measurements, written and pasted above his table, to which he refers ever so often.
“I am very, very careful to maintain quality when it comes to taste – every ingredient is weighed and measured each time we prepare any sauce,” says Joshi emphatically.
The palm hearts stir fried with cashews and a dash of oyster sauce are a perfect accompaniment to the sea bass made with lemon-garlic sauce and just a dash of soya, which absolutely melts in the mouth.
How does Joshi ensure freshness when it comes to ingredients – especially the sushi fish? “We have suppliers who deliver fish every alternate day. The fish for sushi is kept in a display cabinet – guests can see for themselves and be reassured as regards the quality. Some of the fish varieties we stock are pink and smoked salmon, tuna, octopus, sea bass, and eel.
I am also coming up with a chef’s garden for this restaurant, where I will grow galangal, Thai basil, lemon grass, and so on,” he says.
Hyderabad will soon see a lot of international names such as the Westin and the Fairmont coming up in the city, and just these two hotels have strong culinary brands behind them. How does he plan to cope with such aggressive competition?
“Well, I think the success of any restaurant depends on two factors – food and price. Our rates are very, very competitive. In terms of food quality, we will be consistent – I am confident of my guests coming back to me,” says Joshi.
“We have an excellent supply chain, I just have to ask, and the item is here the next day. And of course, we have a full-scale strategy in place,” (winks).
