These are reviews from the year recently gone by. Shiro was on the wishlist for a long time and when our 7th wedding anniversary dawned, we didn't think twice about trying it out. Loads has been written on its decor and the massive Buddha and the water bodies, so am not going to go on about it incessantly. Suffice to say that it is brilliant decor and one that really did set the mood for a day like ours. If you are seeing the Buddha for the first time, you are bound to have your mouth hang open for a few dopey seconds and for those with kids, well it will keep them occupied for a decent amount of time. 

We were there for the Japanese food and of course there was going to be sushi and sashimi. We thought some sake to go with it would be a good idea. We were shown several bottles varying between Rs 900 and Rs 2500. A small time out and we decided that we would rather spend on food here than on booze and so settled for some breezers in lime and Jamaican Passion. The wait staff seemed really knowledgeable about the menu. I asked them for a rice and chicken dish in the Thai section, something not too spicy for Anoushka. I really don't remember the name now, but it was a sticky rice with fish and chicken and a soy sauce base. It was hot, not spicy at all but really full of flavor. The rice was definitely cooked in stock and the fish and chicken cut into small bite-sized pieces. Anoushka rarely asks for seconds in a restaurant, this time round there were seconds, thirds and fourths. 

And then of course we got down to business - a premium platter of sashimi and a premium platter of sushi. Both are available in a slightly lower-end (if that's what you call it) version with a couple of options less. But the night was to celebrate our 7 years of being with each other - we both deserved a treat and so premium it was. The sashimi was great cuts of Norweigian salmon, crabsticks (the only thing I didn't like - they were imitation crab in the midst of fresh fish), Tuna, Red Snapper, Prawn and Hibachi Tuna. The cuts were great, the wasabi packed a decent wallop and the gari (generous in its presence) made for great palate cleansing in between the slices. I loved the presentation and the quantity for Rs 950 which again made me curse Oko silently under my breath for ruining my birthday. 

Next of course came the nigiri sushi platter, this too in premium and for more or less the same price as the sashimi. It came with Norweigian salmon, Prawn tail, Tuna, Red snapper, spicy tuna and mayo in a cucumber wrap and chicken pesto in a cucumber wrap. Again, the cuts of fish were fresh, and while I appreciate the creativity with chicken pesto wrapped in a cucumber to resemble sushi, I would rather have had another red snapper or salmon on my platter. That having been said, there was nothing to fault taste or presentation.