Ukiyo at The Ritz-Carlton, Pune, serves Japanese cuisine with a creative and contemporary touch
BY BRINDA GILL
The warmth of wood, an embrace of browns, the expanse of a high ceiling, latticework wooden screens, muted lighting and an omakase counter with a view of the kitchen cast a warm welcome to Ukiyo, the Japanese restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Pune. Across the length of the voluminous restaurant is the spacious outdoor section with a long bar counter; lit by lamps and flaming torches, and resonating high-energy music from the DJ console, it exudes a hip vibe. Two private dining areas and well-spaced out tables in the main indoor and al-fresco areas, ensure a good choice of seating and invite diners to sit back, relax and savour Ukiyo’s acclaimed rendition of Japanese cuisine.
Ukiyo literally means ‘living in the moment’ or ‘a floating world’ in Japanese. Its origins go back to the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan that was marked by peace and progress. As the Edo era had been preceded by a period of war, strife and loss, there was a conscious attempt to foster ukiyo or an urbane lifestyle under the new regime. This newly pursued culture manifested as physical precincts that offered food, theatre, art and popular entertainment, where one lived in the moment as if in a floating world, temporarily forgetting the exigencies of everyday life.
Inspired by the aura of ukiyo of times past, the restaurant serves modern Japanese cuisine prepared with Japanese ingredients, both traditional and contemporary, using Japanese techniques. Ukiyo takes pride in showcasing the creativity of Chef Abhishek Kumar, the affable head chef, and his team in incorporating newer ingredients (that have made their way into Japanese cuisine), in preparing dishes with panache and in the artful presentation of food. And all these invite the diner to savour the art of living in the moment, and stories of tradition, simplicity, aesthetics, precision and innovation that meld to create its superlative drinks and food.
The dining style takes the izakaya way that features a variety of small, shareable dishes ordered, in no particular set sequence, over the course of the evening and enjoyed over drinks and conviviality as an informal, social dining experience. This contrasts with the more formal/structured dining style of a multi-course meal of appetizers, main course and dessert even though the menu features them all. The izakaya dining style inspires diners to try different types of Japanese preparations, order dishes to share and savour small portions of several preparations. And as the menu features a variety of different types of appetizers and platters to share, it makes it easy to ease into the experience.
Diners looking for a novel experience may opt for omakase – that literally means “I leave it up to you”. For this experience the à la carte menu card is kept aside; diners simply take a chair at the omakase counter just in front of the kitchen, and entrust the chef to create preparations with the season’s freshest ingredients of the day. Diners may mention dietary preferences (such as vegan, vegetarian, non-vegetarian, seafood) and allergies, and leave the rest to his creative skills!
It is a unique culinary journey as the seating offers a front row view of the chef and his team preparing dishes at the robata grill (on which small portions are cooked over hot charcoal), the sushi counter and in the main kitchen. And they savour the chef’s signature creations with the freshest ingredients – replete with flavour, texture and artistic presentation – as he shares details about the ingredients, techniques and stories related to them.
The extensive à la carte menu – in keeping with the restaurant’s ethos of offering dishes that are designed to be shared at the table – has an emphasis on appetizers. The preparations mentioned under Taste of Ukiyo (the finest seasonal specials), zensai (starters), tacos, okonomiyaki (literally ‘make it your way’ thus giving the chef complete freedom to create), tempura, platters (of sushi and sashimi), sashimi and nigiri, maki, dim sum, gyoza (pan-seared dumplings) and robata (grilled on charcoal) are appetizers; the rest are mains; ramen, noodles and rice; and dessert.
The creativity of the chefs shines through the food – for along with traditional Japanese ingredients like fresh wasabi, yuzu, soy, miso and hamachi, they also prepare dishes with ingredients like truffle oil, baby spinach, parmesan cheese, pineapple salsa, kataifi (a shredded phyllo pastry), and prepare traditional Japanese food like sushi and sashimi along with food like tacos and pizza in Japanese style.
Among the showpieces of the menu is gyoza, in different variants; perfectly pan-seared casings, crispy-edged, tightly retaining the flavours and juices of the ingredients sealed within, served with a tasty soy-based sauce. Crispy Ukiyo, an avocado and asparagus tempura (uramaki style where the rice is outside and the nori sheet is on the inside) with teriyaki sauce and shio konbu mayonnaise served along with a soy dip, pickled ginger and wasabi is a crunchy, flavourful and layered delight. Grilled Asparagus with sesame sauce, presented on skewers on a small grill, is lovely visually and to taste.
A simple and tasty preparation is Hamachi Carpaccio featuring thin slices of raw yellowtail fish (hamachi), in a yuzu-truffle-soya dressing (which gently cures the fish as it’s plated) with pineapple salsa and a dash of jalapeno. The hamachi slices, radiating from an edible micro chrysanthemum in the centre, appear akin a flower. The tacos – soft and hard shell – are prepared with batter fried nori sheets, with vegetarian/non vegetarian fillings (such as salmon avocado tartare, yuzu kosho, mayonnaise) and topped with a bubu arare (tiny rice crackers) garnish giving them a distinct and delicious profile.
The beverage menu has a wide selection of non-alcoholic drinks, wines and spirits. In the spirit of the Ukiyo’s concept is Gehutsu Keishiki, a cocktail menu that pays tribute to Japan’s Edo period. The six cocktails in this special menu are created to reflect Japan’s artistic heritage with Edo era origami influences in the garnishes, and edible manga strips and calligraphic brushstrokes adding a layer of storytelling to the experience.
The meal may be blissfully wrapped up with a dessert. Perhaps the Ukiyo Signature Cheesecake served with wild cherry compote that – unlike New York-style cheesecake – is light and fluffy. Or the dark, dense, velvety and melt-in-the-mouth Nama chocolate made in-house. With just the right touch of sweetness, flavour and indulgence, it is a perfect ending to a memorable dining experience.
