Megu and another genius meal by Shubham Thakur

Scallop Temari Sushi , bubbuarare crisps 

When I said on a food group that I believe that Shubham Thakur isn’t just the best Japanese chef in India but someone who could end up becoming one of the best Japanese chefs in the world, my friend and food guru Sid Mewara asked how old he was. When I said that Shubham was thirty, Sid was incredulous. He knows more than most about Japanese food and he pointed out that it takes ten years to really learn just the basics of Japanese food and decades more to master it. He wondered how a chef in Delhi who has never lived or worked in Japan could be as good as I was claiming. 

But sometimes there is no logic. 

I have probably eaten at more great restaurants in Japan than anyone else in India. I’ve eaten at classic places like Nihonryori Ruujin and French inspired masterpieces like L’Effervescence and Japanese inspired French food like Quintessence. I’ve eaten traditional Kaiseke at Kyoto’s oldest joints and seen the birth of Nordic Japanese food at Inua.

Kombu-Jime 

I know the cuisine well enough to proclaim in 2018 that Den was the single most revolutionary Japanese restaurant in decades and that it was the best restaurant in Asia… four years before the Asia’s 100 Best ended up awarding it the number one prize.

tuna , kakinotane cracker and tartar sauce

So when I say that Shubham Thakur is the future of Japanese food, this isn’t the opinion of someone whose understanding of Japanese food comes from Wasabi, Nobu and Kofuku. I don’t know how he has become so good so young. I don’t know how he has learnt what he has. But he is Sui generis, the first of his kind, a transcendent talent.

Hamachi Crudo , coffee ponzu 

I pushed him earlier this year to create an omakase meal that was completely the result of his own creativity and imagination, as far away from American style modern Japanese or from Nikkei cuisine as he can go. He delivered a meal of French technique inspired Japanese food that continues to be the best meal I’ve had this year despite eating at 3 of the world’s top 50 despite my reduced travel. 

Eel Kabayaki Choux

I was curious to see if it was a one-off meal, a fluke. So on my last trip I gave him the same brief with two additional wrinkles. First, it had to be completely different from my last meal. And second, I would be joined by my friend Mayur who is vegetarian (and I gave him less than twenty four hours to prepare this vegetarian omakase meal that would mirror mine).

Mushroom Chawanmushi , Sesame sauce 

To my absolute amazement, he did it again. He decided to create a Japanese meal that was classic in its essence but completely irreverent in terms of form. Playful, genre bending, rule breaking, fun.. it was a world away from the notion of Japanese food being formal and traditional. Sushi served in the from of a lollipop. Chawanmunshi served in cans of Goma. A “spaghetti” made out of thinly cut calamari. Everything was reimagined, younger, more casual, more sexy.

But the food itself was wonderfully, irrefutably Japanese. Layers and layers of umami and depth. Classic dishes like okonomiyaki and tobanyaki. Quintessentially Japanese ingredients like eel and hamachi. 

Seafood and Pork Okonomiyaki

I know that Shubham doesn’t have access to the quality of produce and ingredients that restaurants in Japan have. But if you look at pure creativity, imagination, brilliance as well as the technique to translate those ideas onto the plate faultlessly, he is second to none. I think going to eat his food is now something that is as special as eating with Manish Mehrotra and Prateek Sadhu. 

Chicken Gyoza , Tomato tamari 

And for gods sake, if you’re fortunate enough to eat Shubham’s food, ditch the menu. Let him cook omakase. Surrender to his vision. These meals are only available on request and if you order in advance. The price depends on what he ends up cooking. But whatever the price, it’s worth it. It’s a damn sight cheaper than a ticket to Tokyo, and you’ll find it hard to get too many better Japanese meals anywhere in the world. 

Duck Tobanyaki , Nori Crisps

Calamari Bolognaise 

We ate: 

Kombu-Jime 

Tuna kakinotane cracker and tartar sauce 

Hamachi Crudo , coffee ponzu 

Eel Kabayaki Choux

Mushroom Chawanmushi , Sesame sauce 

Chicken Gyoza , Tomato tamari 

Seafood and Pork Okonomiyaki

Scallop Temari Sushi , bubbuarare crisps 

Duck Tobanyaki , Nori Crisps

Calamari Bolognaise 

Koji Lamb, yuzu miso 

Yuzu cheesecake