Resto-bar offers authentic Japanese fare, way beyond sushi and ramen

Located in the heart of the city in Nungambakkam, the diner toes the line of Japanese traditions very closely — right from the use of minimal furniture to the bamboo blinds for privacy that surround each table. The tables, however, are regular and not meant for floor seating like in most restaurants in the island-nation. The cherry blossoms and bamboo lanterns hanging from the ceiling transport you to the magical springtime in Japan. Not to miss, there’s also a sumimasen (excuse me) bell on each table, a clever system of the Japanese that fetches your waiter with just the press of a button without having to yell ‘excuse me’ a dozen times. And while you wait for your food, you can access live Japanese TV or sing karaoke.

Despite taking its name from the classical Japanese dance-drama that involves highly stylised singing and dancing with elaborate makeup, Kabuki is fairly simple in its appearance, and the menu is where it speaks out loud. The hard-bound menu runs through nearly 15 pages, offering a plethora of choices from Japanese cuisine — there’s the classic natto (fermented soy beans) served with squid or fresh tuna, gyoza (potstickers) filled with pork or chicken, grilled meats served in soy, aburi sushi (flame seared sushi), Japanese meat croquettes, soba (buckwheat) and udon (thick wheat flour) noodles, curry bowls, stews and the communal hotpot shabu shabu, wherein a choice of meats or vegetables are allowed to simmer slowly on the table in a broth. The restaurant is keen to push the diners’ understanding of Japanese food beyond sushi and ramen, which also find a place in the menu, but only after a whole range of small eats. There are also a variety of alcohols served, from beer, cocktails and mocktails, but no sake though.

Set up by entrepreneurs Paul Raymond and Nikhil Nath, the restaurant has its menu created by chef Yasuyuki Tsuruyama, who hails from the mountainous region of Akita in the ‘land of rising sun’. “The focus of the restaurant is on traditional Japanese food. The chef doesn’t believe in the concept of modern Japanese cuisine,” Nikhil informs us, as a plate of pork shogayaki is served on the table. Shoga, which means ginger, and yaki, which is to grill or fry, is a simple, yet flavour-packed dish that uses thin strips of pork, caramelised onion, soy and ginger to start off your meal with a burst of umami. The restaurant takes the tempura choices up a notch with kakiage, which has julienned vegetables or seafood batter-fried. Our seafood kakiage was crisp, yet light, with chunky bits of shrimp and calamari hidden in well-coated tempura batter.

Dispelling the misconceptions about sushi, which is commonly misunderstood to be raw fish but instead just means anything with vinegared rice, the resto-bar offers even vegetarian and vegan versions. We try out the flame seared sushi, a dish that brings out theatre from the restaurant. A platter of different kinds of thinly sliced fish pressed onto rice is placed on the table and then blowtorched, gently cooking the fish. With a quick dip in soy, this delicate sushi cousin can please anyone sceptical of consuming raw fish. Walking into this Japanese resto-bar, little did we imagine that a pork stew would make it to our top favourite list. Nikujaga, a stew of well-cooked potatoes, mushrooms and pork, is warmth and comfort served in a soulful bowl, with hints of soy and ginger. The grand finale to our meal was with shabu shabu, the hotpot. Into a large pot of broth simmering on a portable stove, our waitress gently dropped some thinly sliced pork, beef, mushrooms and greens. With a quick stir, the meats were ready to be consumed and were tender as they took on the broth’s delicate flavours, which we quietly slurp down.

As we craved for a sweet ending to our meal, we notice there are no desserts in the menu. With its expansive offerings, this resto-bar is a great little nook for Japanese food, but be prepared for the slightly hefty price tag your food might come with, depending on what you order.