Oriental cuisines and flavours in India have evolved over the years from a typical fiery/spiced chilli chicken to the milder versions of basil or cashew nut stir fried chicken/veg curries or a unique blend of five spice meat or veg curries. It isn’t difficult to find a place that serves the best of Chinese, Thai curries and some fiery Singapore noodles. What’s more challenging is to spot one which serves Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese all under one roof with each of the cuisines mastered to perfection and when do you do spot one, you are bound to do frequent rounds. 

Shizusan is one such place, serving the best of Oriental cuisines and some delectable Vietnamese desserts. The place smells Oriental from right when you step in. The south East Asian cuisines are much more than just Hakka or a Thai curry. 

The place has an exhaustive menu with a wide variety of Sushi, Oriental curries and the exceptionally well done and beautifully plated desserts and some worth-a-try drinks as well.

Visiting Shizusan on a weekend calls for an advance booking (unless you don’t mind waiting) as the outlets are usually crowded. What surprises me every time I visit the place is that no matter what I order, dish is cooked to perfection and plated artfully.

Sushi roll variations simply amaze me here! We ordered the Rainbow Maki on our visit. What makes the Rainbow Maki unique is not the inside but the topping. Each of these eight pieces is topped with a different fish. So it’s like having eight different rolls in one! 

Whenever we visit the place, it’s kind of become a ritual for me to order Cashew Chicken, a perfect blend of well-cooked chicken and spices. It’s a perfect combination of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and pungent. The blend is so perfect that no one taste overpowers the other. The noodles and rice here can simply never go wrong, few might be a bit high on the spice meter, so in case you wish to play safe on the spice front, go in for the basic Hakka.

We ordered the Black Bean Yaki Udon (Udon is a thick what noodle from the Japanese cuisine), this dish has some strong and distinct flavours, however, it did not go well with the Cashewnut chicken, I expected the flavors to be a bit mild.  However, the dish is superb as a stand-alone.

I would highly recommend the traditional Shiitake and black Mushroom Dim Sums served with leak oil. These Dim Sums with a mild taste are safe to order in case you do not wish to experiment. 

There’s one thing about the place, I love to experiment with one of the dishes we order and it has never let me down.

This time around, I decided to play with the desserts. We ordered the Vietnamese Banh Chuoi Nuong- A Vietnamese dessert layered with cake, chocolate mousse and candied/caramel glazed banana slices. This one is a not-to-miss! I can still feel the flavours in my mouth. My little one enjoyed it as well.

I look forward to trying Manila’s Halo Halo Sundae on my next visit!!