Let’s get the important bit out of the way first. There is a Yuzu soy tuna tataki at YouMee’s sushi festival that is worth driving across the city for, as we did. If that is all you read, great. Go.
For those still here, 'You Had MEE at Sushi' runs into next month, and we started with the Kimchi futomaki. It is crunchy and creamy at once, and the kimchi’s heat comes through without bullying anything. There is a little sourness from the fermentation and a sweetness we could not trace to anything, and the vegetables inside add a little umami. The rice pulls the heat down, mellowing it all out.
The Nishoku salmon came next, topped with sweet mayonnaise and lightly torched. The surface develops a smoky, almost caramelised finish, while the salmon remains pleasantly firm and fatty. A thin slice of fish clings to the outer edge, and we still haven’t figured out the trick behind keeping it there. Our advice is to eat this one upside down, so the mayonnaise hits your palate first, with the rice coming through towards the end to soften the richness.
Then came the Cheesy inari avocado, an absolute must-try. Cubes of avocado and a cheesy topping sit atop a piece of fried tofu skin. Have the first bite without soy sauce. The tofu carries a gentle sweetness and holds the topping neatly in place, while the avocado adds a lovely buttery quality and the cheese brings a little dairy richness. Dunk it in soy and add a little wasabi for the next bite, and you’ll get a deeper, savoury finish.
And now the Tuna tataki. Tataki is a technique where fish is seared hard and fast, leaving the outside cooked and the centre raw. The tuna is firm, the sear slightly crunchy, the centre cool, silky, and almost buttery. The yuzu has an aroma that sits somewhere between mandarin and grapefruit, and it is cooked down with soy, sesame, and chilli into a glossy glaze that coats the fish instead of drowning it. It is the most technically interesting plate on the festival menu, and if you only order one thing, order this.
After that, the Japanese-American favourites. The Spider roll is the crunchiest of the lot, properly crabby, rolled with seaweed dust and served with spicy mayo. The California roll arrives with a little caviar for a salty burst, drizzled with spicy mayo and soy.
We finished with Tub tim krob, a pretty-in-pink Thai dessert of crunchy water chestnuts and chilled coconut cream.
Meal for two: Rs 2,000. On till December 10. From 11.30 am to 11 pm. At YouMee, Royapettah
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