Flower power

Chef Ting Yen’s intense gaze is an odd contrast to his jovial banter. We are seated at Yuuka, Palladium hotel’s newest offering—a soon-to-open modern Japanese restaurant. “I did not choose Mumbai, Mumbai chose me,” says Yen dramatically, as we look out over the city’s skyline from the 37th floor of the hotel.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Yen is a third-generation restaurateur. Raised in South Korea and Taiwan, he moved to the US at 20 and worked in restaurants across different cities, before opening Oishii Boston in 1998. The fine-dining establishment still ranks as one of the best Japanese restaurants in the city. After the more casual Oishii Sushi Bar, also in Boston, Yen now brings his expertise to India. “I use Japanese techniques and work with a variety of ingredients—Italian, French, Asian—and put them together in a contemporary manner,” he says.

Minimalistic in décor and dominated by black and brown, with some hints of bronze and gold, Yuuka (meaning “delicious flavour”) features an open sushi bar at one end. A week before its official launch, sushi chefs are busy putting the finishing touches to our Pineapple Carpaccio, a vibrant plate of thinly sliced pineapple, topped with lychee sorbet and Thai chilli.

It’s a refreshing start to a meal on a muggy Mumbai afternoon. Next up is some of the best sushi I have sampled in the city: a Crispy Mango Maki. The tuna and mango layers conceal a crisp tempura flake, which gives it a pleasant texture. The glaze is a clever mix of soy, honey, yuzu (Japanese lemon) and sudachi (a Japanese citrus fruit), which imparts a lovely tartness to the sushi.

“My ideas come from everywhere. The Icelandic volcano that erupted a few years ago led to a massive shortage of salmon, giving birth to the idea for Salmon on Fire,” says Yen. This signature dish is quite theatrical, with strips of salmon cooked at your table over an open “pit”. The Sakura Smoked Hamachi is another of Yen’s specials, sashimi in a ginger soy reduction, served in a smoky glass.

It wouldn’t be “nouvelle cuisine” without some edible flowers scattered around for garnish. Interestingly, Yen uses local flowers: think thin slivers of rose petals and marigold. “I like using local ingredients in my cooking, so most of the fish and vegetables are from Mumbai’s markets,” he says.

Another challenge was, of course, vegetarian dishes. “I have tried to modify my Boston dishes to match flavours that people like in India. I spent almost nine months studying and testing various spices,” he laughs. While about half of Yuuka’s menu borrows from Oishii Boston, several dishes are created especially for the Indian palate, including the Avocado Tartare, Yuuka Bejitarian and the Mumbai-inspired Naan Bread Taquitos. Expect to see a lot of zucchini, carrots, beet and cauliflower, not to mention some paneer (cottage cheese).

I accompany Yen into the kitchen, where his team is prepping the mise en place for two mains. As he instructs the chefs on the duck, he himself wields the knives on the zucchini. I spy a box of MDH Deggi Mirch masala on the counter and I am quite intrigued to see how it will be put to use. The Zucchini Stir Fry solves the mystery: Dumplings of fresh cottage cheese spiced with chilli powder and cumin sit atop the crisp zucchini halves. I liked the crunchiness of the zucchini against the soft paneer, but there’s nothing Japanese about it.

However, Yen’s Moulard Duck Breast is a revelation. A hollowed out Japanese Fuji apple is stuffed with a sweet and salty mixture of pearl onions and apples sautéed in sake and rhododendron honey and topped with generous slices of perfectly grilled duck breast. If you fancy a tipple, there’s an extensive sake menu, as well as several signature cocktails on offer.

What next after the two Boston establishments and Yuuka? Yen is already brimming with ideas. “I want to open an Asian/Japanese tapas bar, something no one has really attempted so far,” he says. We would certainly raise our sake glasses to that.

Yuuka opened this week at the Palladium hotel, Mumbai. A meal for two costs ₹ 9,000-11,000, including drinks and taxes.