The Winter Menu Review @ Megu, The Leela Palace, New Delhi

January 25, 2017
547 Comments
Japanese food can be a delight to
the eye, the palate and the stomach. If you head to Megu @ The Leela Palace New
Delhi, you can enjoy their latest winter menu. The rich flavor and aroma tend
to take you on an exciting odyssey that is both pleasurable and memorable.

I have always loved the Leela
Palace New Delhi. Each visit to this exquisite property gives me beautiful memories that
linger on forever. The entrance always delights me with its mesmerizing landscaping
which includes full bloom flowers. The warm and cheerful staff with folded hands
make you feel more comfortable and homely. Eagerly, I walked towards Megu to
experience the winter menu.

Tucked at the back of the ground
floor lies this excellent and unpretentious little paradise. Megu is vocal with
traditional elements of Japan including chopsticks and tableware.
The large windows welcome the sunshine
inside while the comfortable chairs ooze comfort and luxury. At midday, the
restaurant becomes a quiet oasis for relaxing lunches; and when the day gets
dark, it transforms again into a comfortable dinner spot where you can settle
in for the evening.
The winter menu @ Megu was vocal
with freshly picked dishes.  Everything
in the winter menu looked colorful, appetizing, and invariably accompanied by
rice, miso soup and pickles.
Assorted platter
 
I began with Tokyo Iri Hijiki -vegetables
with white sesame sauce. The Simmered seaweed and assorted vegetables with roasted
white sesame sauce is delectable and should not be missed. I loved the flavor
and presentation.
The Hokkaidoking crab with ikura
was a surprise element to me since I never tasted crab in my life. The dish comprises
of  king crab which is de shelled,
blanched in salt water and is served with soya salmon roe.
The steamed king
crab is paired with soya salmon roe that looked beautiful and sinful to devour.
They are respectable, with thin skins and nicely browned exteriors.
Nanohana, a Japanese rapeseed
plant cooked in vegetable stock was the third dish that I admired. The
vegetable has marked its presence since the Edo period; the baby plant is
simmered in dashi, soy and wasabi and is served over soft bonito flakes. This
dish won my heart.
Sashimi and Sushi 
I love sushis and I think the
Leela Palace New Delhi has the finest sushi I have ever tasted. It comprised of
the  Sea bream, a Japanese farmed sea
bream which is known for its buttery texture. This fish is the prefecture of
Yamaguchi.
The Peony shrimp are Alaskan spot
sweet shrimps that have natural sweet taste and well known for the tender meat.
Scallop Tataki, lightly seared Hokkaido scallop are lightly seared over hot
grill and are served with a slice of yuzu lemon.
Blue fin tuna with sevruga caviar
is a Japanese Blue fin Tuna paired with Sevruga caviar. The Tuna is lightly
blanched which gives it a bright red color and is served with Caviar.
If
I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life…this dish would be it! Loaded
with the most delicious, basic ingredients, it comes out bursting with flavor.
The Namerou miso chicken roll is Miso
flavored chicken rolled in nori sheet with vinegered sticky rice. The unusual
take on dressing accentuated the chicken roll even further leaving my taste
buds rejoiced!
The farm chicken is steamed with
sake and salt, is then marinated with their in-house miso sauce. This dish is the
chef’s fine conjugation between the traditional Japanese style dish and
Westernized Japanese food. The Tiger prawn sugata Sushi is Pacific Tiger Shrimp
served over bed of rice that is served with fresh avocado soy sauce and fresh
wasabi.


Soup
 
Zoni Soup is a light bodied dashi
broth flavored with yuzu, rice cakes and braised duck. The soup is made of
dashi, soy, aromatic vegetables. It is further flavored with French duck ,
Japanese mochi rice cake and organic spinach.
Mains
 
Arimayaki glazed Chilean Sea bass
is a Chilean Sea Bass cooked with homemade sweet soy sauce and fresh sansho
pepper. The Fish is garnished with homemade daikon pickle and ginger root. Whether
or not you like your fish, you will find yourself a fan of this dish.
The Chilean
Sea bass is grilled over Binjotan with homemade sansho flavored sweet soy sauce
making it tender and juicy. The sweet soya sauce is the best pairing I have
ever tasted.
Cod fish with lotus root, tofu
and wakame dashi sauce is a Japanese Cod fish which is steamed with lotus root and
cooked with wakame flavored dashi broth. The fish is juicy and flavorful
without being greasy.
We sealed the meal with sweet
nothings. The chef most lovingly served us a smashing amalgamation of chocolate,
caramel and cheese cake – sinful to the core. I loved my experience @ Megu, The
Leela Palace New Delhi and would suggest my readers to try the delectable
flavors of the winter menu.
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