Restaurant India News: Gaijin Updates Khar Menu with New Japanese Small Plates

Gaijin, the chef-led Japanese restaurant in Khar, has rolled out a set of new menu additions as part of its ongoing approach to offering tightly focused, technique-driven Japanese food. The update reflects the restaurant’s emphasis on classical Japanese methods interpreted through personal experience, with dishes designed around flavour clarity, balance, and controlled experimentation rather than rigid tradition.

The latest additions centre on small plates structured for flexible ordering and steady-paced dining, aligning with changing urban dining preferences. The vegetarian selection focuses on restraint and contrast, featuring preparations such as asparagus temaki with avocado, smoked leek, ponzu, and gari; avocado and edamame gunkan with yuzu, kosho gel, goma, and kataifi; and artichoke and seasonal vegetable tsukemono paired with lima beans. Other plates include mushroom tataki and stir-fried Brussels sprouts and greens served with miso-infused tofu purée and smoked leek ponzu.

Non-vegetarian offerings continue the same controlled approach, prioritising ingredient quality and minimal intervention. The menu includes crab temaki with ginger and yuzu kosho gel, hamachi gunkan with shiso and pickled daikon, and chutoro carpaccio paired with smoked leek ponzu and scallion. Robata-style dishes feature pork robattayaki glazed with dark tare and miso emulsion, lamb gyoza filled with slow-braised lamb, and chicken karaage adapted for the lunch menu as a gluten-free option finished with oak wood smoke and Japanese tartare sauce.

Desserts follow a similar format, with a chocolate fondant combining dark, milk, and caramelised white chocolate, miso, goma ice cream, and sesame tuile. Beyond food, Gaijin continues to integrate Japanese ingredients into its beverage program while maintaining a compact, deliberately restrained interior influenced by Tokyo backstreet aesthetics. The new menu additions reinforce the brand’s positioning as a niche, chef-driven restaurant operating with consistency and discipline in a competitive premium dining segment.