Koox brings Japanese izakaya experience to Chennai

Inspired by izakaya, Koox at Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road has brought the same experience to Chennai through a food festival. Curated by Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Executive Sous Chef and team, the festival showcases an exciting selection of authentic cocktails and an exclusive variety of small plates. The chef tells us that the team took almost two months to put together the festival menu.

We begin the meal with a variety of skewers including chicken yakitori with yakitori sauce, broccoli and water chestnut skewers alongside shichimi sauce, mushroom skewers with spicy chilly bean sauce and beef skewers - all cooked to perfection. The chef tells us that the most ordered among the skewers are the glazed pork loin, chicken yakitori and broccoli and water chestnut skewers. “Izakaya dining experience is unique to Japan and we wanted to bring the same to Chennai. We have kept the menu simple and authentic. Diners can find a good selection of skewers, sushi platters and cocktails from our izakaya menu,” says chef Suraj.

From the sushi platter, we tried the veg California platter that had pickled radish, asparagus, sweet shiitake, cucumber and roasted quinoa. Like most Japanese food, the platter was simple and well prepared. They have set up a grill counter at Koox rooftop to prepare teriyaki and barbecue dishes, especially for vegetarians. Specially curated izakaya cocktails are another highlight of the festival menu that ends on November 10. “We have introduced Japanese highballs like yuzu highball, shochu highball, Roku and Toki highball. The Japanese highball is a cocktail that’s made by mixing alcohol with a non-alcoholic mixer.” One of the must-have cocktails is the yuzu highball, which is vodka shaken with yuzu concentrate (yuzu is a citrus fruit with fragrant, acidic juice), salted wasabi, simple syrup and ginger ale. This cocktail goes well with any skewers on the menu.

The best part of the ongoing food festival is their drunken menu! We ask the chef to explain the concept and he shares, “The idea of the drunken menu was not there when we curated the rest of the menu. After many discussions and trials, we added four dishes to the drunken menu - mencha broth (lamb chunks-light soy), vegetable broth (greens-light soy), Japanese curry (green veggies) and Japanese Katsu curry with crispy chicken. The reason for adding a drunken menu is that these broths help diners to get over their hangover after having cocktails,” says chef Suraj.