The inZen’ious invite from the Pan Asian restaurant Zen at the Leela Palace, beckoned to me to experience the Japanese Zensations that they were crafting. And I did not hesitate to accept, being inZen’ly fond of this cuisine.
With the Chef experimenting with Japanese with a touch of the unusual, that did not involve the run of the mill Sushi, sashimi and the like (not that I will ever tire of them of course) but dishes that involved salads, bakes, curries and miso flavored desserts, this was definitely a meal out of the ordinary.
What better way to deal with a cold, wet evening than a nice hot soup. The Miso flavored corn soup with those Shimeji mushrooms laden with umami flavors, had us moaning Oh Mummy !!!
The Lobster salad with shitake mushrooms, avocado, sesame and ponzu dressing convinced that was such a place as Salad heaven and the vegetarian Crispy tofu salad with arugula lettuce and tofu dressing did not lag far behind either, with its crunchy pieces of tofu, an ingredient that I normally do not care for.
A crisp Chicken Teriyaki in soy mirin sauce, headed the appetizer parade, followed by Lamb Tsukune, the melt in the mouth lamb balls grilled yakitori style and finally the Tuna Tataki served in truffle and wasabi soy, where the thin slices of tuna were lightly seared on an open flame, as per the tataki way.
What tantalized the tongue the most though, were the accompanying garnishes of pickled ginger shoot, that I was tasting for the first time and the green cucumbers steeped in salt, sugar and vinegar.
The vegetarians were served potato croquettes and I guess they were happy, since I did not hear any complaints 
The main course had the Vegetable Katsu curry with crispy vegetables and steamed rice and also the Vegetable Sukiyaki, the hot pot of sorts with vegetables and noodles cooked in aromatic broth and which I dipped into because it was the best thing to have on a rainy night !!!
I was served the Chicken Katsu curry with the crispy chicken served atop the sticky rice that was cooked ‘al dente’ (because I do not know the Japanese word for it ), a texture that agreed well with the smooth gravy that was thickened using potatoes.
The Pan seared salmon was up next with the luscious chunks of Atlantic salmon swimming in the deliciously healthy sauce that was made from carrot, tomato and potato puree.
Pots of Jasmine tea refilled our cups at intervals, the hot liquid filling the breaks between courses.
A remarkable meal needs an equally stunning ending and the dessert provided just that !!! The Ginger and white miso creme brulee served alongside ginger crumble and ginger ice cream, had everyone at the table going into raptures over the subtle but unmistakable hints of the sweeter and milder variant of miso and the sharpness of ginger.
I of course was charmed by the sesame seed lattice crisp that impaled the ice cream and the tiny beet micro green perched atop the whipped cream, that tickled me pink
Zensations is on at both lunch and dinner until the 18th of July, 2017. Visit them and allow them to zen’tly pamper you.
July 5th, 2017
For more pictures see My Facebook – The Leela Palace-Zensations
#theleelapalace #zen #zensations
