In the hunt for food like a savaged beast (as often,) one day, the path to the fiery destination was just off the road... waiting. The victim, I still do not know whether it was me or the wonderful fish rolled into a Sashimi. Yep, the Japanese Restaurant, hidden in the non-luxurious part of Nungambakkam, Chennai, is a must visit for Sushi, Sashimi and Sake tasters. Try it; its quite an experience. Besides the chops sticks that can make the eating experience interesting, the absolute inexperience and lack of knowledge of the ingredients presented right in front of you can be a revelation to the taste buds immediately and stays in the memory for later lighter moments. The Japanese Chef's balance of food is like the movement of the Geisha-intriguing and at the same time inspiring.
The first time I tried the Sashmi, as my friends and I were waiting for our order to be served, I watched a Man in a chair in the next table shoot backward from his chair (literally) like as if he just had a rocket in his mouth. His eyes started to tear and he scuffled for water, water and more water. I did not understand. "Why make a scene?!" I wondered. "Amateurs!" Duh. Moments soon, our plates or rather tiny bowls were in place and everything placed where it should be. And like a typical South Indian who has plenty of everything without knowing any and that too with the epitome of confidence, I too proceeded to layer my sushi with that little white piece which later I came to be introduced to as ginger and then plunged the sashimi, ginger into a bowl of black thingy which later was confirmed as soya and proceeded to plunge that sashimi, ginger, soya into a green thingy which by the by, I wished I had known before hand... liberally I dabbed my sashimi, ginger, soya and green-coloured thingy and stuffed this splendid bundle into my mouth and... VIOLA! my chair shot back and as I fumbled for my glass of water, the newbies around me gave me that 'look' (yeah right... the same "look" I had given the guy near my table just moments ago) and sniffled. The fiery streak of my nerves have never been exposed to something so freakishly devilish that this green-thingy which shot fire through my nostrils and blasted every opening in my body with every fluid that could possibly explode from them. Duh! that "WASABI" I wish I had known earlier.
Since then I take a lot of friends to introduce them to Japanese Cuisine and I never miss the chance to check out the 'Wasabi-effect' on them... just one of the many devilish pleasures of the world to sit back and smile when you get to see someone else's tongue on fire. hahaha!
The first time I tried the Sashmi, as my friends and I were waiting for our order to be served, I watched a Man in a chair in the next table shoot backward from his chair (literally) like as if he just had a rocket in his mouth. His eyes started to tear and he scuffled for water, water and more water. I did not understand. "Why make a scene?!" I wondered. "Amateurs!" Duh. Moments soon, our plates or rather tiny bowls were in place and everything placed where it should be. And like a typical South Indian who has plenty of everything without knowing any and that too with the epitome of confidence, I too proceeded to layer my sushi with that little white piece which later I came to be introduced to as ginger and then plunged the sashimi, ginger into a bowl of black thingy which later was confirmed as soya and proceeded to plunge that sashimi, ginger, soya into a green thingy which by the by, I wished I had known before hand... liberally I dabbed my sashimi, ginger, soya and green-coloured thingy and stuffed this splendid bundle into my mouth and... VIOLA! my chair shot back and as I fumbled for my glass of water, the newbies around me gave me that 'look' (yeah right... the same "look" I had given the guy near my table just moments ago) and sniffled. The fiery streak of my nerves have never been exposed to something so freakishly devilish that this green-thingy which shot fire through my nostrils and blasted every opening in my body with every fluid that could possibly explode from them. Duh! that "WASABI" I wish I had known earlier.
Since then I take a lot of friends to introduce them to Japanese Cuisine and I never miss the chance to check out the 'Wasabi-effect' on them... just one of the many devilish pleasures of the world to sit back and smile when you get to see someone else's tongue on fire. hahaha!
