Relish the sizzling hot delicacies at Ai, straight from the Wood Fired oven and don’t miss the wood smoke aroma in the air. It is perhaps the only Japanese restaurant in India to introduce a wood oven for cooking.

Styled after Nobu London and Nobu Melbourne’s wood oven, it is the most unique kitchen equipment for a contemporary Japanese restaurant today. The oven is enclosed with the wood being burnt inside to radiate heat for cooking, giving exotic wood smoke aroma. The design of the oven is quite similar to an Italian wood fired oven, apart from the fact it is used for cooking only delicate fish, seafood, meats, veggies and not pizzas. The oven also uses Sakura(Cherry Blossom) wood chips to smoke some of our food items.

Great ambience, lively lounge inside with an option of http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining in Alfresco is a double whammy, with an exciting new menu.

Says Chef Saby, “All the dishes are cooked in a single cast iron plate and served sizzling hot to guests straight from the wood oven. There are two main styles of dishes cooked at the wood oven – The Toban Yaki where the main dish is accompanied by clear soup or broth boiling on the same cast iron plate and the Wood Grilled dishes.”
 
All dishes are made with a thick sauce or glaze which is also served on a sizzling hot cast iron plate. The highlights of the oven are that it cooks very fast sealing all the juices and nutrients inside of food items. Since everything is wood grilled no/or very little oil is used for cooking. The oven uses the best Japanese or seasonal produce and has almost no carbohydrates since nothing on the menu is fried.

With an exciting new hot dessert (a la carte) freshly bake cake with organic honey and vanilla ice cream from the same oven which has never been done before in the country is a must try. 

The yellow coloured exteriors and the unusual entrance to the stairs are inviting and the bright coloured walls with Chinese graphics come as a surprise. Awestruck by the uplifting Chinese colours like imperial yellows, celadon green, ivory and distressed wood on the paintings, me and my friend find ourselves a seat right across a red coloured painting that has a Chinese girl with chopsticks in hands.

Impressed by the interior, we browsed through the menu and noticed that it has been done in colourful pages with the references of a dish being veg, spicy and classics is done in creative signs mentioned in front of each item.

As we learn the meaning of Mamagoto, is ‘to play with food’ we hear a voice, “Hi I am Kabir Suri business partner and friend of Rahul Khanna. Introducing us to the concept he says, “It’s basically a Japanese social experiment of sort, involving infants to use their senses and understand the textures and shapes of the food. Borne out of this idea came our concept — to make Asian eating fun. To create an affordable and casual eating atmosphere with authentic food and drinks combined with quirky décor is what makes it different from the bunch of restaurants in Khan market. “It’s not only the décor that’s unusual but the food is also quite experimental. We have played with food and created interesting items,” boasts Suri and shows us the signature dishes.

Agreeing, we ordered coal fried eggplant, vegetable tempura and rock shrimps tempura with signature chilli mayo,which were simply delightlful as it comes to lite bites. Having kind of pigged with starters we tried to be judicious with mains – steering clear of all the temptations and ordered tofu with sticky rice and Prawns with Teriyaki noodles.

While we have our portions, we realise that we had too much of it but unable to curb our sweet cravings we dig into the Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Finishing it off I thought Mamagoto is the find of the season!

It is the return of the Tiger, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar and Mainland China has pulled out all the stops to celebrate the New Year of the Tiger like every year. But with a difference. To bring back the big cat in the wild and help it finds a safer home in its original habitats. It is an urgent move on all our parts to ensure that the magnificent animal does not fall prey any further to mindless development and poaching. So, this New Year, Mainland China(across all outlets) contributes proceeds from every bill to ‘Save the Tiger’ project fund!

Legend goes that Gods came down from heavens to enjoy imperial New Year Dinners in China. Master Chefs Zu Bai Yong and Zhong Ye prepare these traditional recipes for the special New Year Menu at Mainland China.

Every dish, from the starters like Asparagus salt & Pepper and Wok Tossed Aniseed Flavored Fish turn into an aromatic journey to the heart of China’s greatest festival. Crispy Five Spice Chicken almost inspired General Mao to raise five spices to the National seasoning.

The new year of the tiger settles down with delicious soups like Wintermelon & Chicken Velvet Soup or Spicy Tomato Basil Soup. The starters menu also has Baby potato with Sichuan spices,  one of the most popular traditional dishes.

Coming to the feast’s main course, dishes like Exotic Winter Vegetables in Smoked Pepper Sauce bring centuries of tradition to our palate. Mongolian Chicken is a speciality while sautéed Mushroom with dry red chillies & cashewnuts is a well balanced preparation of delicate flavors’. A wide range of sumptuous rice and noodle dishes include the subtle Chicken fried Rice with Garlic & Celery, Whole Wheat Noodles with Shitake Mushroom and Leeks.

Coming to the desserts menu, the Fruit Sushi with Ginger Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate hazelnut Ice Cream subtly lingers onto your palate and leaves behind a feeling of sumptuous experience.

An explosion of sights smells flavors and colors. A profusion of lemon grass in exotic thai curry, of basil tucked away in farm fresh greens. It’s a time for a harvest of fiery shrimps and piquant poultry. A time for the warmth of ancient eastern recipes steeped in crimson.

Catering to all ages, Chilli Seasonss is an amalgamation of colonial art deco with contemporary feel with an innovative menu and scrumptious food.The professionally run hot spot of the city, is taking its customers on a trip down memory lane to celebrate its ninth anniversary, bringing alive memories of the old food, customers, critics, staff, and ambience. The highlight of this trip will be the recreation of Chilli Seasonss’ best-selling dishes across the years, brought to customers at the old prices.

Keeping in mind its patronage of the likes of India’s first family of politics, Jaya Jaitley, Renuka Chowdhary, and even other restaurateurs like Rohit Khattar of Old World Hospitality and the F&B team of the Taj Group, not to mention many designers and socialites, I walked in to the restaurant to have my share of delicacies. These included young papaya salad (cold), tom yum soup, prawn tempura and Burmese khao suey…

Wait a minute! This is not the end, their celebration menu also includes Phuk phat Bai Kapaiow and T-momo, Chicken wrapped in Banana leaves, Prawn Dimsum, Crispy Lamb, and Kung Phai Kartheim Phirk.

Simply brilliant was the word which came to my mind instantly, once I was through with my meals and said to myself this probably is the best Pan Asian food that I’ve had in Delhi.

Chilli Seasonss was Sudha Kukreja’s first venture into hospitality and from then on there was no looking back. Talking to her she says, ‘My vision was to bring to the city a much needed stand alone Thai restaurant with authentic cuisine, in a pleasant atmosphere, and at an affordable price. It was a challenge to create a commercial success but today it stands firmly entrenched as a landmark in Delhi’s culinary scene’. She further explains, “it was and still remains of utmost importance that we capture the heart of true Asian flavors at Chilli Seasonss".