What if we were to tell you that the most authentic flavours of Japan can be found right in the midst of Delhi! That’s right. Chef Tomoharu Shonu’s popular Mensho Tokyo which has a number of outposts in Japan, San Francisco and Bangkok among others opened its first Indian outlet in Greater Kailash recently and the place has become the talk of the town for its delicious ramens.
Chef Vidushi Sharma credits her husband Viren Khuller for helping bring the Michelin starred chain of restaurants to the country. “Mensho Tokyo is Viren’s find and brainchild and his passion for it rubbed off on me. He was in San Francisco and stumbled upon this long queue, it was the queue to Mensho! He’s always been an ardent foodie and had to check this out. With his first slurp, he was in love and luckily Shono was there and they struck up a conversation. The rest, as they say, is history,” she recalls.
At Mensho, you will find a concise menu with the focus being on ramen. “When Sushi was gaining popularity globally, India took its time to accept it but once we did, it became a common household concept. Today Sushi is widely accepted and people love its pungent flavour. With Mensho, our aim is to create awareness about Japanese cuisine beyond Sushi and I’m sure Ramen will strike a chord with Indian hearts everywhere,” says Vidushi.
Chef Shono’s philosophy about the dish he creates is that each ramen bowl is a work of art. And for that, he prefers calling himself the ramen creator. “I have seen Ramen give joy to people around the globe – the heartiness of a good broth, the wholesomeness of a bowl, be it on the street side or a gourmet restaurant is the same,” he says. Shono had visited India before finalising the outlet in Delhi and was fascinated by how the cuisine changes every few hundred kilometres or so. “The Indian taste buds are very inclusive and Ramen is a dish I know India will enjoy. Khuller was very persuasive and made me experience India and its food in an amazing way. We took a few months to finalise everything but I’m so happy my Ramen is exploring a new country,” he says with a smile.
On the menu are some delicious Zensai which are Japanese starter courses of small plates. Take your pick from Chicken wings, Dynamite Prawns and Gyozas. There are salads, Raisuboru (rice bowls) and a couple of desserts including the much-recommended Truffle Brownie and Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream. But like we mentioned, the focus is on the ramen and Chef Shono has left no stone unturned to truly make it a work of art. Right from the wholesome Vegan Spicy Garlic Ramen to the goodness of Tori Paitan, there is a ramen for everyone. There is also a section of Mazesoba which are essentially soupless Ramens. The five key elements of Ramen including broth, tare (sauce), noodles, toppings and oil come together in a glorious symphony of flavours and textures to make each bowl stand out. “The five elements of ramen have to be in complete harmony to render a good bowl. I brew my own tare sauce and send it to my restaurants in all parts of the world to maintain 
quality. The quality of the ingredients is also very important,” says Shono.
Using organic wholesome ingredients, he created a menu keeping Indians’ love for garlic and chilli. “I’ve introduced ramen like Spicy Garlic Vegan Ramen and Spicy Lamb Mazesoba which are delicately balanced but pack a punch,” he explains, adding that they visited spice markets, farms and local vegetable markets to get inspiration. “Protein is standard globally but the spices in India are so beautiful and overwhelming. We did lots of trials using local ingredients and some of them married the ramen so well,” he says.
Well, don’t just take his word for it. Drop-in at their Greater Kailash II-based outlet and thank us later.
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