New Japanese place in the city! Akira Back ( which is also the Chef’s name and the name of the restaurant – he’s originally Korean and is well-known worldwide for his Japanese food, with restaurants in Las Vegas, etc. ) The menu is a mix of Japanese and Korean delicacies.
The Sake wall as seen from the ground level above and as seen from the lower floor below. The space below is also called The Nest. Amazing selection of wines.
The lower level had more interesting space than the upper level except the kitchen – that you can see live – is on the upper level and there’s definitely more energy and sound above.
Above, you’re looking at the cleverly hidden door of the private dining are on the lower level of the restaurant.
And we step into the private dining area with it’s fantastic samurai painting on wood. And the glass installation that hangs right above the dining table.
Above is a stitched panorama view of the painting and the glass installation.
And this above is what the room looks like if you’re standing at the door and entering.
We of course got ourselves comfortable seats on the upper level and started off with the Tuna Pizza that I had heard SO MUCH about. I’m not much of a fan of the fish but was assured, repeatedly, that I HAD to try this. And I do not regret it one bit. It was the best fish-thing I’ve ever had. The flavors were mind-blowing – I won’t divulge the details. If you go to the Akira Back restaurant at JW Marriot, AeroCity, you HAVE to try this. ( Currently the restaurant is only open for dinner but they plan to launch a lunch menu soon. )
Our Sake cocktails. Lemongrass and cranberry flavors.
Above left Yellowtail Jalapeno Carpaccio in a very lovely and light yuja soy with cilantro, touched up with jalapeno – absolutely delicious. On the right Rock Shrimp ( yuzu, kochujang aioli, chives ) – very filling.
Above, more Tuna! And very crispy and tasty. The dish is called Crispy Rice Tuna, with Nori paste and spicy ponzu aioli. I’m not a fan of spicy food and luckily the sauce wasn’t as spicy as I’d expected and the Tuna melted in my mouth.
Above left: another fantastic appetizer : Hot Oil Seared Salmon. Oh My God. It was SO good. With yuzu soy, chives and garlic, it literally melted in my mouth. And then we were sent this on the right : Kobe kogi taco with roasted tomato salsa and serrano ring. Who knew beef could be so tender and delicious! It was a little on the sweeter side compared to the other food – I’m guessing because of the salsa – but it was gone before I could think about that part.
We were talking about how this Japanese food experience of ours was so not about sushi / sashimi but about a whole load of other things and that we were NOT complaining. Above : Octopus. Never eaten such delicate octopus. The green sauce on the side was avoidable though – it was on the sweeter side – I don’t prefer sweet in my salty food.
Of course then there was Tempura – we did have a plate of California rolls before this – ate it before I could take a photo. Can’t really go wrong with sushi / sashimi. It’s either ok or not ok – no middles and this was ok. The wasabi, as expected, lacked the Japanese punch. It’s usually tame because of the Indian palette expectations. Maybe I should carry my own wasabi whenever I’m planning to get Japanese cuisine. Besides, everything else was so good that for the first time in my life, I couldn’t be arsed about sushi! Who knew!
This drink on the left above? It’s called “Juvenile” but there’s nothing juvenile about it – in a good way – fresh and green – loved it. Gin, Cucumber, Basil, Cherry. I’d loved to have had the Japanese Beer on the menu but it was Corona to the rescue!
Above right is the only thing from the main course that we could manage – we really were full. This is the Sake Steamed Flounder with black bean yuzu soy and wok friend bok choi.
Above : dessert. Akira’s Choclate Bar. The sorbet was coconut – and it tasted of fresh coconuts and there’s nothing quite like that in the whole world. I love coconut ice cream. The macaroon was fleshy, unlike the dry-papery stuff you’d find in a desserts store at a mall etc. And the peanut + chocolate bit under the macaroon was a good balance to the light and airy coconut sorbet. Beyond stuffed by now!
Above, with Chef Jason on the left and Restaurant Manager Rajat Kalia on the right.
Thank you for the great Japanese food experience you guys! Thank you to Tarun, Sujata and Sumit for taking care of us!
I will definitely be going back for the Tuna Pizza and hopefully some Japanese beer.
For the food above, our bill would’ve been about Rs. 13,000 without the alcohol and before VAT & taxes. But this was a LOT of food. between two people. Mostly appetizers yes but still way too much.
FIND THEM ONLINE
Chef Akira Back on Twitter @AkiraBack & the @AkiraBackIndia Twitter account. And Akira Back restaurant on Facebook.
JW Marriott AeroCity, New Delhi on Facebook and Twitter.
Updates from Naina.co on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Buy a Print from the Naina.co Store
