Sushi & Teppanyaki Festival at Syn Asian Grill & Bar

Syn Asian Grill & Bar at Taj Deccan, Hyderabad is hosting an exclusive Sushi & Teppanyaki festival. Yours truly and Arundati got an opportunity to taste some of the items on this menu. Here is a detailed account of what I had, and how my taste buds reacted as I was eating each of those :-)

It’s a known fact that am a vegetarian, so Sushi for a vegetarian is something many people don’t understand, with all fair reason. Authentic Sushi is supposed to be sea-food , but I’ve discovered a couple of years ago that some innovative Chefs have vegetarianized this wonderful dish. We still get to eat the hand-made sushi-styled rice roll, with a different filling , wasabi and soya sauce. And with all the different varieties of Sushi I’ve had the opportunity to eat, I can safely say that there are quite a lot of varieties for us to sample, and treat our taste buds to. The sheer no. of different sushis possible even with veggies is mind-boggling, and is a good exercise for those of us , enthusiastic home-chefs to try at our homes too.

Executive Chef Sajesh Nair does not disappoint with his offering of Sushis at Syn Asian Grill & Bar. I’ve had the opportunity to eat Executive Chef Sajesh Nair’s fare before, and I knew I was in for a treat.

We started our meal with a serving of Asparagus Tempura Maki, a Sushi which has tempura-fried Asparagus rolled with Japanese rice, and topped with mayo. The Asparagus was fresh, and topped with Mayo , the entire dish tasted very fresh when I paired it with the fresh Wasabi paste and soya sauce. One thing that I loved about Syn is the fresh Wasabi paste they serve along with every Sushi dish, and the soya sauce didn’t have the chemical after-taste that is otherwise had with a store-bought soya sauce. So a big thumbs up for these condiments!

As the non-vegetarian Sushis were served for others on the table, I was treated to Yasai Hoso Maki, which was a host of fresh, steamed veggies rolled in rice. I could taste carrot, bell pepper and Spinach in the hand-rolled rice, and all of it played a medley of fresh taste on my tongue. This was one of the Sushis I totally enjoyed eating this time!

We were then served Oshizushi, a hand-moulded sushi. The vegetarian version of this sushi didn’t really speak to me, I felt it was a bit too bland.

 

Main course was Hibachi rice served with miso glazed tofu, sprinkled with sesame seeds and served on a bed of grilled aubergines. This was cooked in the Teppanyaki style, and the sight of it on the plate was enough to make my mouth water. The taste of this dish was on par with the appearance, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tofu with the rice. We were also served a trio of mushroom and snow peas, with the Kawa Yaki Sauce, served with soba noodles. This is also a good option for a vegetarian main course item in a cuisine full of sea-food. The soba noodles were cooked perfectly and didn’t have the bland taste that is otherwise common with these noodles, especially when cooked at home.

 

 

Dessert was Sushi again, much to our delight. Various fresh fruits like dragon fruit, papaya, Chickoo and Kiwi were served over hand-rolled rice, all of which tasted really yum, without the bland taste of rice one would expect with a dessert sushi. There was also a chocolate sushi, with mango chocolate served in cocoa-sponge rolls which was a delight to see. I wasn’t a fan of the cocoa-sponge, but it works well for those who love their chocolate.

 

We also had a very yummy looking and tasting tempura fried banana caramelized and cooked in Teppanyaki style, served with ice-cream.

There is a cold station which the chefs at Syn use to hand-roll the sushi fresh in front of the guests, and the Teppanyaki style cooking happens at the kitchen outdoors, both of which are a delight to watch for the curious lot among us. Literally everyone was squealing at the sight of the banana being cooked in Teppanyaki style.

This meal was complemented with a cocktail of tamarind juice and a Japanese ginger called Garie served with Vodka. The Asian theme for this cocktail worked well with the dishes served. I am told that this is not a regular cocktail at the bar menu, so if this appeals to your taste buds, please ask the bartender to make you some.

Here is some helpful information -

Syn Asian Grill & Bar, Taj Deccan, Hyderabad
Cusine: Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese – Asian
Location: Taj Deccan, Road 1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
Phone: 040 66663939 / 092 95 006969
Hours of Operation: Mon - Sun: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm - 1:00 am
Website: Syn Asian Grill & Bar, Taj Hotels
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Syn-asian-grill-bar/255414051314214?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/synicious
Approximate price for a vegetarian meal for two including desserts , excluding drinks would be Rs 2500/-, excluding taxes
Ambience : Excellent

The Sushi & Teppanyaki festival is on from 28th October to 9th November, which I strongly recommend you sample.

Note :

1. We were invited for a food tasting at this restaurant prior to the start of this festival and our meals were compensated for.
2. The price indicated above is based on my knowledge of the menu at Syn, and an approximation of how much it would cost if you were to sample the vegetarian dishes on the festival menu.
3. The views expressed in this post are strictly my own and the recommendations are completely my choice, and nothing here involved any monetary compensation.