wasabi by morimoto - the taj mahal palace

we have tried to get a reservation at wasabi a few times only to hear the by now familiar 'we're fully booked'. finally did manage to get one and was it worth the wait or what! let me talk of the things that could be improved. for a restaurant that's pegged to be so premium there are small things that one cannot overlook even if one wanted to.
the chopsticks and chopstick holder were plastic and worse still were kind of faded owing to use at the tip (the chopstick that is). the table cloth was frayed. not that any of this dampened our experience but you come to expect attention to detail of this kind from restaurants like these.
while i do not claim to be an expert i've had my share of japanese cuisine in popular restaurants across the world. wasabi is second to none.
be it the soft shelled crab sushi roll to the chilean sea bass, it was delectable.
the pièce de résistance was the dessert. we had seen stuff like this a week ago on masterchef australia. thetastewas amplified by the theatre. am taking of the green tea chocolate otsukimi. green apple (the shape that is) with freshly made mango ice cream with mango slices around the apple. hot chocolate was poured on top of the apple, which caved in and every scoop of mango ice cream had a mouthful of luscious chocolate.
a place i would recommend for those who like food and above all like the love put into the making and the love it helps spread.

the wasabi is just next to main lobby . once you reach the bar lounge , you need to take a small lift to the wasabi. typical japanese restuarant counter seating next to the chefs with high chairs at one side and few tables on the sea side view front . i was planning to go for the omakase menu, that is small portions of chefs recommendation.
we decided to go for the table with a view overlooking the gateway.
my requirement was to go beyond the standard sushi rolls and explore japanese cuisine with a wide variety and have a sumptuous meal. i was glad i spoke with the staff and one of them understood what i exactly wanted .
he suggested that we go in for the lunch set menu which would give a wide range of authentic japanese sampling with sizeable portions .
so we ordered the kaiseki zen.
started off with a fresh salad leaves with caramelised onions and bit of soya sauce . nice and fresh , next was the sea food soup cup with clam and crab . this was really palatable considering i am not a sea food fan and mostly i would have given a skip at other restaurants . the overbearing smell andtasteof sea food is a put off for me but here is was just right . my wife being a sea food fan just was bowled over by the soup. next was the complete spread , a basket of tempura some vegetables and prawns , 8 pieces of sushi rolls , some rice and the lip smacking black cod fish and pork belly in a sauce with mushrooms . lots of soya sauce wasabi and some pickled vegetables. even the small pieces of black beans as a part of accompaniments were delicious.
next followed by green tea ice cream and transparent pudding. one of the best meals i have had in a while . in case you are not one of those who is conversant with this cuisine , i would recommend to go for the lunch set menu. there are multiple options and have a pic of the variety for you to check out. also the omakase is priced at around 7-8 k , the lunch set menu around 4-5 so it's really value for money. this is not offered for dinner. i must thank stafford for understanding what i want and guiding me . i am sure all the staff are good but i can vouch for stafford .

there are not enough words in the english vocabulary to even begin to describe how magnificent our dining experience was at wasabi by morimoto, and i am absolutely sure that there is no introduction even needed. it is truly something everyone should experience once in their life, i would say. each and every dish was simply a work of art and an explosion of authentic japanese flavors, and something that is absolutely unparalleled to anything i have ever eaten. 

the actual eating area that is situated on the first floor is kept minimal and truly adds to the exclusivity of the restaurant. the ambience is very classy and the décor is very minimalistic, with great mood lighting and wonderful fixtures to accentuate the beauty of the place. and honestly we were given a table that was perfectly overlooking the gateway of india. could it really get more perfect than that?

everything, right from the cutlery, plates, and chopsticks, to the service of the staff and manager, was impeccably handled. the manager gave us wonderful suggestions and asked us constantly if we required anything else.

now, on to the food. we had a wide variety of food ranging from rock shrimp tempura, five types of sushi, lobster in truffle oil, fried calamari, lamb chops, fried rice, noodles, chicken, duck, shrimp, three types of desserts, and of course the best champagne. each and every dish was immaculately made with imported ingredients from japan and with utter care. our favourites were the angel shrimp sushi, calamari, and the lobster in truffle oil. they were so decadent and thetastewas just out of the world! 

the desserts were such a treat, both visually and for thetastepalette. in fact, because they were so beautiful, a little part of me wanted to take it home as it is, and not consume a single bite of it so it would last forever. but, alas, it was not possible. although, i am so glad that i did decide to dig into those scrumptious heavenly sweet concoctions. it was like being transported into a whole new world, a world which no one would like to willingly leave.

overall, the experience was truly magnificent, and although the process are quite high, the quality of the dishes are worth every penny. definitely something everyone should experience once in their lifetime!

food:10/5

service:5/5

ambience:5/5

wasabi is back — or is it!
 
there are only a handful of restaurants in mumbai that have managed to retain their quality over time, especially during the pandemic. this list is even shorter when we talk about japanese restaurants in mumbai!
 
for me japanese food (besides the mastery of it all) can be evaluated based on the following:
 
first and foremost, the quality of the fish served; followed by the culinary technique used to make, and the final texture andtasteof, the sushi rice used to make nilgiri; and third the smoothness of the dashi.
 
everything else is secondary for me!!
 
as far as india is concerned, one of my best experiences (with masa-san telling me that he has never seen anyone eat so much sushi at a time in india) was at wasabi. that experience for me was a 4/5 then. it was right before the pandemic struck.
 
so - you could imagine my excitement when i heard wasabi was re-opening! i called and booked in advance for omakase (and not the omakase pre-fix menus)!
 
here is my take: the sashimi (though a limited menu) was as good as ever. there are a handful of restaurants in india that offer both oh toro and chu toro — and i went a bit crazy with my ordering (i was a kid in a candy store — with no regrets and mum’s credit cards!).
 
and the dashi, with a special shout out to the famous wasabi tacos, were on the mark! but then came the disappointments.
 
first, they missed serving us the hamachi carpaccio — and argued that it was served! for some one ordering half of the menu, this kind of argument by a server was not appreciated! itamae immediately stepped in acknowledged his mistake.
 
second, the sushi rice was a complete miss!
 
third, a few dishes did not hit the mark - for e.g. the spicy king crab was dry; the teriyaki chicken is better at kofuko; the edamame rice was mushy; and the chilean sea bass was strictly adequate!
 
fourth, there was no concept of social distancing on a thursday night — and the restaurant was jam-packed!
 
finally, though the new itamae was trying his best - and i appreciated it — he was no masa-san! this was very evident by the uneven slices of the sashimi that i was served.
 
i am saddened to say that overall i would rate today’s wasabi at 3.5 / 5 on my rating scale (see below) — with a caveat, that the sashimi is still a 4/5.
 
but there is hope — i have a table reserved for next thursday night!
 
ranking legend - for the chef and the dishes:
1 - please stop now and consider another career!
2 - nothing to write home about!
3 - worth a detour!
4 - god bestowed the chef with a gift - need to eat this before you die!
5 - god himself cooked it!

japan on your plate!!
the panko truffle lobster just melts in your mouth with the perfect texture,tasteand feel.
we tried the tako in sashimi & spicy salmon avocado in the sushi roll with some fresh wasabi tingling our tastebuds. the veggies in negi sauce was more than what we expected and the black garlic is a must try.
service was great and the staff really tends to all your requests.
so till we see you again...
itadakimasu!!!

only been once but had a lovely experience. this is the best japanese restauranttastewise in india. only problem is that the prices are steep. but one should go on an occasion as they will surely love the delicious sushi and other dishes.

i had lunch here for my birthday. the place is really cosy & warm, and the staff is extremely courteous. it has a very unique selection of asian food, (loved the miss soup ,try the non veg selection) with a perfect blend oftasteand simplicity.
but i think wasabi can do better in providing an overall experience. the ambience doesn't match the food. in simple words, there's a "punch" missing in the ambience. this toned down my overall experience a bit, which was really the important part for me on my birthday.
i'll recommend going here for some casual lunch / dinner and not a special occasion.

horrible experience never going again and would not recommend to anyone
i had gone on 10th september with my wife to celebrate my anniversary and they spoiled my anniversary they did nothing special nor the food was good according to their price the food is not worth it they have over charged their food and not giving service infact i have been to other places and restaurants in their catogery their service and food is much better than them i would never expect taj hotels to be so bad you have lost a customer and several other cause i am going to tell my family and friends about it other places with less price is much better intasteand service after that we went to jia that was much better than your restaurant

mumbai is the dream come true for many people. it's a city of dreams. and, in this city of dreams, is this all the more dreamier place called 'the taj mahal palace'. yes, the name rings a bell. it's the same place that got bombed by the terrorists on 26/11. 

the beauty of this place is incomparable. there are high end shops here like dior, louis vuitton etc.to name a few. amidst these shops is a restaurant called wasabi. wasabi, as the name suggests, is a japanese restaurant. i was ready for my order, in my head. the order details are:-

vodka large with red bull.
mushroom cheese pizza.
spicy prawn tempura sushi.

to be honest, not much of a lover of the mushroom cheese pizza. the portion, as you can see in the picture, is too small to be filling my belly. thetastewas okay too.

the sushi was the real deal. i ended up ordering twice. the prawns were crisp, yummy and they were rolled to perfection. the rice was fresh and the sauce was nicely done too. it was a great decision for me to order again.

they do not offer takeaways. that's a big bummer. and your order has to be on a particular time, else that counter closes. well my bill came around 6000/- for just this. at least you guys can increase the portions and offer takeaways for the price we've paid. i'm never coming back here to blow my money unless it's somebody else's party. well, i'm glad i have this place off my bucket list.

like nothing can go wrong eating sushi here, the sametasteyou will get like you in japan, i am so regular , i bet no one is more regular here than me. just love it the view and food just cant get over. plus you get fresh wasabi paste , i never got that anywhere outside india. just the best sushi place in town. love being here.

worth.every.penny

this restaurant is everything, when it comes to trying out the japanese cuisines.
the soft shell crab sushi, which was recommend is amazeballs!
we had a variety of dishes, shrimps, lobsters.
*i cannot really compare the food, since this was the first time i tried the japanese cuisine, and i have never been to any other restaurants for the same* (sorry for that)
the presentation was definitely great but thetastewas even greater!
the desserts were a treat to the eye as well as to thetastebuds.
totally worth it :)

beware – month-old sushi – seriously!!!

month-old sushi…possibly longer. yes, i am serious. time for all wasabi fans in mumbai to find a new sushi joint. read on…

i am a regular customer of wasabi, and have always received amazing service and great sushi…as one should for a meal that generally runs nearly $100 per person.

my last visit, on may 5th, 2018, the sushi did nottastefresh. i asked the manager how often the restaurant gets fresh sushi…he said twice a week. given that fresh sushi only retains any semblance of freshness for 24-72 hours (if carefully refrigerated), this seemed odd to me for a high-end sushi restaurant, but i resigned myself to – in future – picking my sushi nights to coincide with the arrival at wasabi of fresh fish.

so, in mid-july, i called the restaurant and asked for a manager. they put one on and i asked when the next shipment of fresh fish was due. he said…and i kid you not…in mid-august. i told him that was impossible...that sushi only lasts a few days. he said, “we carefully handle our sushi.” i said all the handling in the world wouldn’t keep sushi fresh for a week, let alone a month. he then explained that there was a customs snafu that was keeping them from getting fresh sushi. i asked when the last shipment of fresh sushi had arrived…he said two weeks ago. i asked how they could stay open serving two-week old sushi…he repeated that they “know how to handle sushi.” i explained that the only responsible thing to do was to close the restaurant during this period…keeping it open was reprehensible, and possibly a serious health risk to customers.

i tried to report this to the gm of this hotel before posting this but he did not respond.

its one of the best located restaurant with best view available. it gives your immense happiness. fantastic and awesome view.

food - i liked the overall selection in vegetarian. extremely awesome and beautiful. lot of options in vegetarian. 

staff is really humble and confident. 

you must try and enjoy the authentictasteof japanese cuisines. worth trying.

if you are looking for some fresh wasabi ground right in front of you - this is the place to be. thetasteseems relatively different from most japanese restaurants i've been around in the city, and is definitely worth the experience.

the cozy, small and warm lit corner serves a contemporary japanese menu. as a vegetarian i picked on the avacado tartare and tofu steak yogan yaki. both the dishes were simply well prepared and unique to its recipe.

pair them with a bottle of sake and well the night seems light already :)

having developed atasteof japanese cuisine , wasabi was in the cards for a long time. we booked the table for our fifth anniversary and were looking forward to the evening dinner !
we reached before time and as there was a vip movement (the premier of israel was visiting) , a representative from the hotel was waiting near the barricades and we were ushered in immediately! another person escorted us to our table and greeted us.
we started of with a sushi platter and a champagne glass for each one of us. the sushi was fresh and expertly presented. the platter consisted of 6 pieces of various seafoods, prawns, tuna, salmon , yellowtail & scallops. for appetiser we ordered aburi pork which was a revelation . it was served on a bed of thin and flavourful sauce and paired with mashed potatoes. have never tasted a pork dish so well made. although we are not a fan of pork belly, we were enthralled with the taste. panko and truffle crusted lobster followed next. have never seen truffle flakes in mumbai before and the dish tasted divine with the perfect crust of panko and richness from butter. it was served on a bed of tomato sauce which cut through the richness and was a perfect base. the dish came by itself and no rice or noodle dish was required to complement it. we ordered the desserts after the meal and went overboard with one dish from each one of us. while my husband ordered japanese peach three ways , i ordered the matcha and bamboo eclair with a chocolate ice cream. the desserts were fresh and yummy. the chocolate ice cream has me spoilt for any other variations.
it is an expensive place but worth an experience. the service was attentive and the highlight was seeing and tasting the fresh wasabi grated out of wooden contraption.
visit here for a memorable experience and if you are really nostalgic about being a mumbaikar and want to experience eating while gazing out at the arabian sea and the gateway of india.