Talent Spotlight: Shubham Thakur and the best meal I will eat in India this year
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Hirame -fresh Japanese halibut with Yuzu Soy , momji oroshi and crispy leeks |
Shubham Thakur is a bit of a favourite child in the food community. I have known him for close to a decade now, having met him when he was a fresh faced young kitchen executive at Megu and came away impressed with his passion and desire to learn. I saw him rise through the ranks to head the kitchen at Megu, which for me is by far India’s best Japanese fine dining restaurant, miles ahead of Wasabi or Edo.
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| Tai- Tobiko (flying fish roe), Miso dressing and smoked avocado |
When Shubham did a popup for Megu in Bangalore last year I was excited to go and see how he had grown. I ended up disappointed because while it was a very good meal, I saw no evidence of growth, personality and creativity. It was Megu food as I remembered it. Excellent but unimaginative.
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My problem with Japanese fine dining in India is that it is stuck in the past. When the likes of Morimoto and Nobu opened their eponymous restaurants, it was modern because they brought a global (largely American) sensibility to Japanese food. Influenced by California cuisine and often by Atlantic produce, they helped Japanese food break free from the rigidity and conformity of Kaiseke cuisine to create something that was cooler and sexier. In the process they created a widely imitated style that swept the world. Whether you eat at Zuma in London or Dubai or Wasabi in Delhi and Mumbai or Nobu in Budapest or New York you will always find the black cod miso and the kakuni pork and the tuna carpaccio and the usual standards.
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Scallop - Orange Ponzu and chilled Somen noodles |
This is the kind of food that Shubham served in his Bangalore popup and he did an excellent job.
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Tuna Tataki - Wasabi Cucumber |
But my problem is that what was modern twenty years ago isn’t modern today. These restaurants and this style doesn’t represent modern Japanese food. It is food for Arab Sheikhs, Russian Oligarchs and nouveau riche Indians .. food that has no connection to the food you would eat in a great restaurant in Japan today.
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Toro Ham - Ginger soy and soy tobiko |
When talking about modern Japanese food, one has to leave aside Den, because it defies categorisation, Sui generis and inimitable.
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Eel and Tamago Croissant- Sweet Soy |
But if you look at all the great Japanese restaurants of the last decade after the Nikkei/Peruvian wave, (Florilege, La Effervescence, Quintessence) the real movement has been to use French techniques in cooking Japanese food, creating dishes that are new, focused on technique and ingredients, undeniably Japanese but inspired by classic French cuisine. If anything, this movement has already moved on to the next stage with Thomas Frebel’s much missed Inua, where the influence was Nordic rather than French.
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Crab and Corn Chawanmushi |
So to see a chef of Shubham’s talent cook the same archaic Japanese food was disappointing for me. I knew he had the imagination, intelligence and skill to do more and to really express his ability while cooking Japanese food, but that’s not what he did in my popup meal.
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Buri Kama Kushikatsu, spring onion sauce and cherry tomato salsa |
So I decided to challenge him. I messaged him a few months ago saying I would plan a trip to Delhi specifically to eat with him. But I wanted to eat food that was an expression of his ability as a chef, in terms of imagination, talent and skill. I didn’t want to eat a single dish that I would find in any Japanese restaurant in India, and I wanted him to create dishes and prepare an omakase meal for me that showed me the outermost reaches of his ability.
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Lamb Yakiniku -Mushroom and Kagero sauce |
To say that he passed the test is an understatement. This was by far the single best Japanese meal I’ve ever had in my life, miles better than any meal in Nobu or Zuma, shockingly close in conception and execution to the level of the French inspired Japanese restaurants I spoke of earlier. Just as one example, to have seared eel in a freshly baked buttery, flaky croissant, marrying Japanese umami with a French Boulangerie classic.. that’s a dish that no restaurant in India has ever served before.
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Shrimp and Onsen Tamago Donburi |
It amazes me that this isn’t the food that Megu puts on its menu on a regular basis because this would be one of the top 2-3 restaurants in the country. There is nothing like it and it is impossible to eat it and not be astounded.
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Matcha Nama Chocolate and Yuzu Mille feuille |
I know it’s just March but I don’t think I will eat a better meal all year despite that fact that international travel is now open so I know I will do a few meals in restaurants that are on the World’s 100 Best List.
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We ate:
Hirame -fresh Japanese halibut with Yuzu Soy , momji oroshi (spicy daikon, grated to a soft texture) and crispy leeks
Tai- Tobiko (flying fish roe), Miso dressing and smoked avocado
Yellowtail Sashimi- crusted with Sichimi (a Japanese aromatic mix of pepper , nori and sesame)
Scallop - Orange Ponzu and chilled Somen noodles
Tuna Tataki - Wasabi Cucumber (tataki is basically seared protein where the inside remains raw)
Toro Ham - Ginger soy and soy tobiko
Eel and Tamago Croissant- Sweet Soy
Buri Kama Kushikatsu (deep fried breaded Hamachi Collar bone skewers) spring onion sauce and cherry tomato salsa
Crab and Corn Chawanmushi
Lamb Yakiniku -Mushroom and Kagero sauce
Shrimp and Onsen Tamago (Japanese folded omlette) Donburi (Onsen Tamago hot spring eggs , slow cooked at low temperature)
Matcha Nama Chocolate and Yuzu Mille feuille
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