When you see a room full of expats and only a handful of Indians at a restaurant, two things usually stand out. The food is authentic and the place is still a quiet secret. Raifu fits that description well. It is a Japanese restaurant that is very reasonably priced and the food is mostly enjoyable.

This was my second visit to Raifu at Dia Park Premier Hotel. The first one was around seven or eight years ago when I went with my friend. The trouble with hidden gems is that they stay so quiet that you forget about them while louder restaurants dominate your feed. When my another friend asked me to take her out for a Japanese meal, this place came back to mind.

We settled at a tatami style table with space for the feet to drop below and started with a chilled beer. The place can be a bit noisy (so those who feel Indians make too much noise, should check this out) but the meal turned into quite a spread. There are many vegetarian options too and my wife had enough choices to keep her happy. I will start with the non vegetarian dishes. Their pork preparations are excellent and the quality of the meat stands out. We ordered Buta Yawarakani (Rs 680), which is grilled pork belly, a pork tofu hot pot (Rs 690), a curry soba ramen bowl (Rs 600), butabara rankon (Rs 280) and asparagus wrapped in bacon (Rs 300). I enjoyed all except the small hot pot which was far too mild for my liking.

For fish, we began with salmon ponzu (Rs 550) that came with cucumber and seaweed. It was a small serving and disappeared quickly. The salmon was lean with a firm bite. My favourite though was the hamachi sashimi (Rs 850). The cut was perfect and as fresh as you can expect in Gurgaon. The tuna donburri bowl (Rs 780) is a generous portion served with miso soup. It is good but when I compare it with similar bowls at popular Indian restaurants, I feel the cubed fish elsewhere is easier to eat than the sashimi style cut used at Raifu. The one letdown in the fish section was the grilled seabass. At (Rs 1600), it was the most expensive dish we ordered and the serving was very small. The skin was nicely crisp but the fish itself did not have the flakiness I was hoping for.

Raifu also serves poultry. We tried the chicken skin and chicken thigh skewers (Rs 200 each). There are only two skewers per order and at this price I was not expecting a large serving. I will still order the chicken skin again on my next visit.

On the vegetarian side, my wife enjoyed the veg tempura sushi rolls (8 pcs for Rs 480), the grilled eggplant skewer (Rs 100) and a spicy noodle dish made on request. Since the place mainly attracts expats, we were pleasantly surprised to see the chef handle the vegetarian dishes with the same attention.

Home made ice cream (Rs 280) tasted just like any regular brand available outside and can be skipped.

If you want a proper Japanese meal without denting your pocket, Raifu is worth a visit. With the Zomato discount, it becomes even better value and should cost around Rs2000 per head.

Address: Raifu,
Dia Park Premier Hotel 353-357 near Huda City Center, Sector 29, Gurugram | Phone: 0124-4566701

The post Raifu: Authentic Japanese restaurant at Gurgaon appeared first on Indian Food Freak.

I have always identified Japanese cuisine with elegance, refinement, freshest produce and a cuisine where every bite is like a dash through the rich cultural history. So when a bunch of us descended upon Takashi in sector 29, Gurgaon on a deliciously nippy December evening, the air was filled with excitement.

Three things make a meal outing worth remembering – ambience, company and food. As we stepped into this small, classy, opulent restaurant, I knew two out of the three requirements had been ticked off. All that was left was the food. And we had an insanely long menu to navigate through.

I have posted photographs to show you all that we ate. But I want to talk about a few of my favourite. The ones which were unputdownable. The ones which made me wish I could split the menu between two dinners.

We started with Gomae salad. If there is one dish that can make someone fall in love with spinach, this would be it.

This was followed by a light but delicious crab salad. We were in good hands.

The salads were followed by four kinds of sushi. The first on the table was tuna nigiri. Unsure if the sushi would taste fishy, I dunked it in soya sauce. My chopsticks hovered near my mouth and I paused for a noticeable second before taking a big mouthful. All I can say is that I was stumped. How could something so simple be so delicious?!

Another one that I loved was the gorgeously luscious rock shrimp tempura uramaki roll. Perfectly rolled with the crunch of shrimp tempura, which made most of us want seconds.

Out of the appetizers, rock shrimp tempura was the stuff of dreams. Light, fresh and crunchy. It would probably be one of the best appetizer to have with a pint of cold beer.

Buta no shogoyaki (pork) with white onion was another crowd pleaser.

At each step, through the menu, I thought we had reached the peak but the kitchen relentlessly kept sending out one good dish after the other.

From the main course, buta kakuni (Belgium pork belly) with that subtle broth was an instant hit.

I fell in love with the jumbo prawn katsu curry. The crunchy prawn in the yummy and rich sauce was perfect for a winter evening.

That gorgeous meal had to end on a high and there could be nothing better than mochi icecream! The chewy, mildly sweet outer layer encasing the cold creamy icecream made me wish for a separate dessert tummy. I gave macha pudding a miss because this Punjabi lady likes her desserts sweet!

When conversation is sparkling and laughter echoes off the walls, wine glasses are full, service is impeccable and food is fantastic, one wishes the evening to go on and on. If there was a way to define a perfect dinner, it would be our dinner at Takashi.

– Shailly Jindal

The post An Evening at Takashi, Sector 29, Gurgaon appeared first on Indian Food Freak.