CLASSIC REINVENTED
Megu’s fresh new menu
When it comes to Japanese food there is always a zen-like contemplation of where the best meals exist. Megu at The Leela Palace, Delhi, has always been regarded as the finest in the list given its consistently good food, clean plating, shining flavours and love for new ingredients. Now, for the first time in five years, the restaurant has changed 70 per cent of its menu (some of the classics remain unchanged).
Some of the new ingredients include fresh sea urchins, edible flowers, sansho, kinome leaves, wasabi barley miso and more flown in from the premium markets of Japan. Dishes like the creamy wasabi tofu combine visual cues with a range of textures and the result is buttery nutiness with a hint of sharp wasabi in your mouth, the juice of the plump heirloom tomatoes giving the dish sweetness and acidity. The dobinmushi brings to mind the Chinese steamboat soup which is served in an earthen kettle-like pot with a lid and you can pour out the rich broth in small, sake-size cups and sip on it. If fish is your choice of protein, the crunchy tello tail tartare with spicy yuzu and crispy shiso leaf adds crunch and citrus to an otherwise simple dish. Most of the dishes in the new menu border on austere in terms of ensuring that no excess, unwanted ingredients make their way to the plate and the beauty of Megu lies in precisely that. There is a balance of flavours, detailed thought gone into accompaniments, and the result is food that makes the ingredients the hero. Round off your meal with a yuzu sorbet and baked cheesecake or go down the dark chocolate caramel and salt path.
With service that’s always been top notch and a menu that gives equal weight to both vegetarian and non vegetarian options, Megu has ensured it remains at the top of the Japanese pile. Meal for two `6000 plus taxes; Reservations 011 39331234; theleela.com