Teppanyaki @ India Jones!

India Jones, Trident
Burrp page: http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/india-jones_nariman-point_mumbai_restaurants/155121554

Place: Nariman Point

Food:  - 7/10

Menu variety:  - 9/10

Service:  - 9/10

Ambiance:  - 8/10

VFM:  - 4/10

Food
Teppanyaki was on my mind ever since I saw Kunal Vijaykar enjoying India Jones' Japanese cuisine in The Foodie. So I roped a friend to join me at the Trident to try it out.

The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried. So there is a large iron plate in front of you, on which the chef cooks up a variety of dishes. We started with a vegetable salad and roasted garlic with hot sauce on the side. The miso soup was really nice, with the softest tofu I've ever had. This was followed by a plate with chicken, beef and prawns on sticks. The chef then brought out lobster, lamb chops and beef steak. I totally loved the lamb chops. I still salivate thinking of it. The beef steak and lobster were average though. Then came the fried rice and finally dessert. I had chocolate pecan ice cream and my friend gorged on some fresh fruits. Dinner was over in just over an hour. I would have liked it to last longer.

The one thing I hated though, was my Mojito. Halfway through the drink, it started tasting of saunf (fennel) and the flavor was so strong that it bugged me to no extent.

Menu variety
Apart from the meal for one and meal for two, the teppanyaki counter also has ala carte, though this being our first time, we decided to stick to a pre-decided menu so we didn't have to rack our brains much.

We didn't even look at the regular India Jones menu, so I'll have to have a separate blog post if I ever try that another time.

Service
When you have your own personal chef cooking for you, you know service can't get much better! The chef is from Thailand and we also had a chat on the current political situation there. The waiting staff was always there for our requests and all in all, great service!

Ambiance
I love the teppanyaki counter, though the rest of the restaurant is pretty average looking. My friend thinks that Trident by itself looks very boring, though I don't share that view. I love the piano in the lobby so much. But anyway, that's beside the point. The key attraction for me is the large teppanyaki plate and the chef's juggling skills!

The teppanyaki plate

Value for money
This is where the biggest let down is. Of course, a 5 star hotel will come with 5 star prices. A meal for two with one Mojito and a Kingfisher pint cost us Rs. 5800. Extremely steep. Low, low value for money.

Location
The Trident is right in front of my Nariman Point office at Express Towers, so if you work close by, you could drop in here for a quick dinner.

And in conclusion...
It's a one time visit place. Just for the experience.