Miyuki
Japanese
Food: 4 | Service: 3.5 | Décor: 4
Miyuki is a fine-dine Japanese restaurant at Double Tree by Hilton in Chinchwad. The name Miyuki is a Japanese word for ‘royal seating’ and the restaurant serves traditional and authentic Japanese cuisine.
DÉCOR
Miyuki is a seven seater restaurant tucked away in a corner inside Double Tree by Hilton. The seating is the teppanyaki style seating which means guests sit around a live iron griddle called teppan in Japanese. The space, though tiny, is designed beautifully. The wooden benches and walls create a perfect ambience elevated further by typical Japanese décor elements like paintings, Japanese dolls and other such embellishments. The plates, bowls and other cutlery is handpicked and arranged perfectly on the table. Interaction with the chef and his team while they cook over the teppan livens up the place.
FOOD
The elaborate menu at Miyuki has been curated to introduce people to authentic Japanese food and to highlight the diverse Japanese cuisine and the varied styles of cooking. The fish and other Japanese ingredients are handpicked by their team from Japan and Thailand. For our meal at Miyuki, we picked the more casual Izakaya or tapas style menu over the formal Kaiseki or a fixed course meal. This meant we got to try and share a variety of dishes among fellow diners.
We started with a variety of sashimi, sushi and maki rolls. The freshness of each and every ingredient was evident in the taste of the dishes. Be it the Maguro (Saku or block of Tuna) sashimi or the Shake (Salmon) sushi roll. For maki we went the vegetarian way and got the Shitake Maki or sweet shitake rolls and the Avocado Maki. Here again the each and every ingredient was fresh and both the rolls had a distinct flavor of the shitake mushrooms and avocado respectively. We got both the versions of the Aka Miso or Red Bean Soup. Both the soups were flavourful and hearty, but our pick would be the Prawns variant thanks to the umami-rich dashi or fish broth. After the sushi, the soup was a perfect palette cleanser before the next course.
The first dishes were prepared in the kitchen, but for our Teppanyaki and Yakitori selection, the chef worked his magic on the teppan and grills around which we were seated. The Tomorokoshi or grilled Babycorn was served first which was a tad bit disappointing as it was overcooked. The Tofu Steak in contrast was absolutely delicious. The tofu cubes were grilled and glazed with a sticky teriyaki sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds. Pork lovers will go ga-ga over the delicious Buta No Sogayaki (Pork with Soy Ginger Sauce) and the melt-in-your-mouth Kakuni (Kagoshima style simmered pork belly). The Kakuni particularly was definitely the highlight of our meal. As convention dictates, one must try the tempura at any Japanese restaurant. We picked the Tempura Moriawase or assorted vegetables and seafood. The batter was perfect coated the veggies and seafood lightly. A dipping or topping sauce was missing which could have taken the tempura up a notch.
We were surprised to see some interesting options on the desserts menu. The Matcha Cheesecake tasted fine, but it is definitely an acquired taste. Our top pick would be the Wasabi Panna Cotta which was perfectly sweet and balanced and the wasabi flavor was not overpowering.
PLUS & MINUS
Miyuki is one of the few restaurants in the city which serves authentic and traditional Japanese cuisine. With many restaurants evolving their menus to accommodate other cuisines, it is heartening to see Miyuki serving solely Japanese food. With only seven seats, prior reservation is recommended.
Must Try Dishes: Sushi Moriawase, Shitake Maki, Aka Miso Soup, Kakuni, Tofu Steak, Buta No Sogayaki, Wasabi Panna Cotta
Meal for Two: Rs. 2500
Address: C-32, MIDC, Tata Motors Road, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra - 411019
Contact: 020-67313333
Timings: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM | 7:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Photo Courtesy: Miyuki
Note:
This review was first published in Pune Times on 6 March 2020.