New Delhi is here with yet another gem for you to spend your weekends at aka INJA, a place that infuses the authenticity of Indian dishes with the flavours of Japan in some of the unlikeliest ways.
Have you ever thought of an amalgamation of Japanese and Indian food? Well, seems like INJA’s Dubai-based Indian chef Adwait Anantwar is way ahead of us and even before we could imagine something along those lines he actually curated a well-made menu that depicts the marriage of Indian delicacies along with Japanese flavours. INJA is a live example of how diverse and versatile Indian delicacies are. This brainchild of Chef Adwait has a unique finger-licking menu at the Manor in New Delhi. So, if you’re bored with your usual choice of cuisines then INJA’s exclusive menu awaits you and your taste buds.
A review of INJA: An amalgamation of Indian delicacies and Japanese flavours
Now for all who’ve been wondering what INJA means after all, well just like the cuisines it’s quite literally the amalgamations of their names, India and Japan equals INJA. What started out as an imagination of Chef Adwait during the lockdown period has now turned into a destination for delectable Indo-Japanese dishes. From minimal Japanese motifs on the walls depicting their culture to the Indian thalis placed in intervals on the same walls is what depicts the true marriage of the two countries. Speaking of INJA and their specially curated menu, let’s just say it’s much more than experimenting with just sushi, instead you’ll see the Japanese flavours crawling in through the authentic and cult favourite Indian dishes like Chaat, palak paneer and much more. From Gobhi 65 to Napolese chicken momo, there were many dishes that served us unique flavour worth savouring.
Furthermore, when asked about what gave birth to this bizarre notion, Chef Adwait said “So professionally I’ve always been an Indian chef, but I’ve always been a fan of Japanese food the minimalism simplistic nature of the Japanese food plus I’ve always been a very non-mainstream guy so I didn’t want do something that has already been done before and during lockdown when I was having rasam and watching these videos I thought of doing this Indian plus Japanese food together. So I made a dish that turned out pretty well that’s how I got the confidence of doing this cuisine and thankfully we are a pioneer of doing Indian Japanese together”.
From starters, the main course to the desserts each and every dish depicted Chef’s deep-rooted admiration for combining the two cuisines. Here are a few of our recommendations.
Cuisine
Indian and Japanese
We recommend
Starters
Banarasi Chaat
Gobhi 65 “Maki” (Indian take on sushi)
Napolese chicken momo
Nadru
Palak Paneer “Sarada” (A Japanese style take on Palak Paneer)
Alaskan King Crab “Raj Kachori”
Main course
Udon Khasi Curry (noodles with Japanese flavours)
Lobster Rasam “Chawanmushi”
Drinks
Vodka-based Lychee Gondhoraaj Martini
Sake Sangria
Quick Notes
Address: The Manor Hotel, 77, Mathura Rd, Friends Colony West, New Friends Colony, New Delhi
Timings: 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm; 7:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy INJA
Jhanvi Duggal
Lifestyle Writer
