Sakura, in The Metropolitan Hotel, flaunts a small yet chic restaurant with a lavish range of delectable dishes of authentic Japanese cuisine. If you aren’t among the ones to be fooled by the looks, Sakura undoubtedly stores beautifully served delicacies that would leave an everlasting taste in your mouth.

At the entrance are just a few tables, neatly kept. A neat row of pretty cabins welcome the visitor from the belly of the restaurant. This pleasant dining set-up itself appears to be welcoming the visitor for a perfect luncheon or even a fancy dinner.

Visually, the restaurant is quite inviting and comfortable. The combination of the colours — red and white — in the décor gives it an aesthetic feel. Sakura, which has already established itself as a super fine Japanese restaurant over the years, aims to plate up an array of scrumptious Pan Asian dishes.

The Asian menu curated by the head chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee unravels the flavors of Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and more.

The delish salads that Sakura beautifully presents in a martini glasses are the apt dish to start off the remarkable food experience that awaits the guest.

Avocado Salsa made with fined chopped Avacado, Kaffir, chili, and onion leaves a slightly sweet taste with a hint of spice on the tongue.

Next – and this one is highly recommended – is the Som Tam. It’s not the one a diner might instantly like but the chili and garlic which aims to spice it up surely compliments the slightly sour taste of raw papaya and cherry tomatoes in it.

Prawn sugarcane, a minced prawn dish coated on sugarcane sticks and served with spicy sauce, is the star of the starters. Interestingly, one has to chew on the sugarcane to enjoy the sweet juice.

Other than that, Sakura serves mouth-watering Lumpia, which is an Indonesian spring-roll filled with fried chicken, crispy and delicious meatballs. These would make for a perfect beginning of your meal.

The perfect balance of fish and rice, bite-sized portions is what makes for a perfect sushi. The Sushi platter, served with Sahmi and wasabi, at the restaurant would not leave you disappointed. In fact, Sakura is the perfect place to go if one has never tasted sushi.

The main course is a kind of a no-risk range of dishes. What stands out among them is the Bangkok style Chilli Chicken. You might have tried Chilli Chicken, numerous times, but the coconut flavour with the chicken leaves a faint aftertaste, which makes it a class in itself.

As it is said, a bad dessert can ruin a meal, Sakura, undoubtedly, leaves no chance for its patrons to end the meal on a bad note. The Coconut custard, a common yet finely made milk dessert, couldn’t be a wrong choice to wrap up. However, those who love experimenting with food can always go for the Litchi – the slightly sour fruit served with ice cream.

Recommended dishes: Som Tam, Prawn sugarcane, Icefish, Bangkok chilli chicken, Prawn Szechwan, Litchi with Ice Cream

Rating: 3.5/5

Cost for two: Rs 5000