Taiki — Restaurant in Bengaluru

Taiki, at 100 ft Road, indranagar, is a proficiently engineered little space off the main road. The decor has been ingeniously designed & seems quite a setting, given the small space. Artifacts cast depict the authenticity of the country. Easy to reach with the metro station being nearby & one can't miss the vivid ambience of the restaurant. The staff is highly courteous, spruce & swift with the orders, although it takes quite some time to decide what you would like to eat from the elaborative menu! The theme of the restaurant & the music makes you nostalgic. The alcoholic beverages go well with the setting & sways your mood insync with it. Authentic food is served & each recipe has a distinctive touch to taste it. The food is eminently plated by the chef & makes it all the more alluring to be devoured quickly! If your idea of a perfect weekend / weekday dinner night is some scrumptious Asian food, Taiki is the perfect getaway.

Broccoli, water chestnut & silken tofu gyoza These pan-fried dumplings are traditional Chinese delicacies made of wheat flour wrapping a sautéed mixture of diced broccoli, water chestnuts & tofu. It's a pleasant change from the Momos usually consisting of paneer & other Indian fillings used. The gyōza has an authentic taste about it with the garlic finely infused in the filling & a bite with the dipping sauce, made of soy sauce, rice vinegar & layu (Japanese chilli oil), is what you would call a perfect starter. Taste : 4/5 Price : 280 /-

Goma-ae

A nutty & savoury Japanese twist on spinach salad tossed in creamy sesame dressing. Fresh ripe strawberries, sweet lime & avacados are tossed with rich leafy spinach in soy sauce. Though early on the season, the strawberries were very fresh & had a subtle sweetness to it. The strong sauce well infused in the flavor of spinach & the sweetness of sweet lime & strawberries is a bite of total health with a twist in taste. It's perfect getaway salad if you're on diet! - Taste : 4/5 Price : 180 /-

Veg nigiri set

Bell peppers, zucchini, avacado, Asparagus, shitake mushroom, spinach, cucumber, balled inside vinegar flavoured sticky rice wrapped in black dried out seaweed paper or rice papers & seasoned with roasted sesame seeds so as to nicely balance the whole raw feel. The platter consists of one sushi in particular that's rolled in corn flakes powder & deep-fried which goes too well with the crunchy bell peppers. The taste is enriched with a dip in the soy sauce/wasabi/Japanese style mayonnaise. Tropical fruits like mango are used to crown the sushi which completes it's taste as well. The chef has enraptured our senses with the presentation which makes it all the more delish. Taste : 4/5 Price : 440 /-

Inside-out sushi : Veggie roll

Vinegared rice rolls with nori (rice paper/seaweed wrappers) inside & coated with sesame seeds. The filling is made of diced avacado, carrot & cucumber. The beauty of this exotic sushi is the tangy mango pulp on top which evenly distributes the flavors with one serving of sushi. It is accompanied with Japanese spicy mayonnaise & soy sauce. Each bite reminds you of a tastier cousin of the rice. Taste : 4/5 Price : 380 /-

Hirata steam bao buns

Sweet & sour tofu bao Chunks of fresh tofu dipped in a batter of sriracha, sweet & sour sauce, rolled over Crumbly coating & deep fried are sandwiched with fresh tender cucumber & carrot slices, topped with roasted sesame seeds only to be relished in an overly fluffy soft bao bun. The bao is very light since it is not the regular breads with too much maida & butter. It's like the chinese mantou. A very healthy dish with various options for fillings. The dish tastes authentic given that only Chinese/Asian filling is used instead of paneer & other masala. Served fresh in a bamboo steamer, a mouthful of bao bowls you over. Taste : 4/5 Price : 290 /-

Bibimbap

A traditional Korean main course rice bowl with warm white rice topped with sautéed & seasoned vegetables, gochujang, soy sauce & fried tofu. Gochujang, a kind of red chilli paste...

While it may seem to be an unassuming place if you go by its name or even as you stroll past the restaurant, what lies inside is an absolute wonder in terms of Pan-Asian cuisine. As I understand, the food ingredients are all sourced from abroad to give it that authentic taste! Plus, you get to eat with chopsticks! Double yay!

SHORT REVIEW:

A must visit place for authentic Pan-Asian fare, the amazing portions justify the pricing. Their Sushis are spot on, as are their mains. Oh, and don't miss out on their hot teas, which are out of this world!

MUST TRY:

All their hot teas, Mango Bingsu, Litchi Bingsu, Lamb Bulgogi Bao, Chicken Laksa, Thai Rice Pot (Red)

LONG REVIEW:

After a heavy breakfast, with some amount of persuasion from my friends and a ton load of interest from within, I decided to visit Taiki. I’d heard quite a lot about this place and hence had some really high expectations. So did it disappoint? Hell no! Let me take you through some of the dishes one by one.

Sencha (Classic Tea) – Has an exceptionally muddy and bitter taste. The only tea in their entire list that I didn't like.

Chili Flavoured Tea – Had a very mild spicy note, good for a rainy day or to rid yourself of a sneezy nose.

Berry Tea – This tasted like a mixed berry juice, but hot. Amazing natural sweet taste.

Mogo Mogo Tea – This tea has mixed notes of all kinds of fruits and is light yellow in colour, almost like mountain dew. Loved it!

Orange and Mango Tea – This tea is mildly flavourful with neither fruit overpowering the other. Worth a try.

Spa Tea – Probably the best tea I’ve had in my life, and that should say a lot! Just a few sips of this tea and I immediately felt calm and pleasant. Not kidding!

Matcha Latte – Downright the worst item I had in the place. Avoid if you can. Could not down more than two sips. Felt like watered down Thandai gone wrong.

Crispy Lotus Stem – A decent item to order for veggies, I personally felt it could have been a bit more crispier.

Litchi Wontons – This is something really interesting. The texture feel in the mouth can’t really be explained. Probably an acquired taste as well. Some may like it and others may not. Personally, I’m still confused about the dish.

Fish and Bell Pepper Hirata Steam Bao Buns – The bao was tasty, the fish was crunchy, but the flavours weren’t quite extraordinary. Worth a try though.

Lamb Bulgogi Hirata Steam Bao Buns – Loved the bao and the flavours on this one, but the lamb chunks weren’t quite wow.

Classic Tuna Maki – Loved this dish. Nothing over the top, and the flavours just right!

Ngiri Set – Hard to explain these items but tasted quite good.

Spicy Chicken Bibimbap – This dish is a meal in itself and can fill a person to the brim. Luckily I had friends along to help me finish it.

Thai Pot Rice (Red) – Thai food is always soul food, with copious amounts of coconut milk. I loved the dish!

General Tso Chicken – Was expecting this dish to be more flavourful, but it wasn't. I'd give this one a miss.

Chicken Laksa – Another dish with loads of coconut milk and a tangy taste. This soup-noodle mixture is a filling dish! An absolute must try.

Date and Chocolate Cigar Roll with Ice-cream – Despite my friends ordering this dish, I gave it a miss as I’m neither a chocolate person nor an ice-cream person.

Mango Bingsu – Bingsu is a Korean snow dessert made of ice shavings. I watched them make this dessert live and did a bit of research and learned that the machine used to convert liquids into these ice shavings costs a whopping 2.5 lakhs upwards. I’m surprised that they are giving this dessert at such a low price, that too in massive quantities. Note to all, 1 Bingsu can be shared by at least 4 people!

OVERALL VERDICT:

The guys at Taiki have got their basics right, and most items are spot on. The service staff is friendly and polite, service is quick, prices are reasonable for the large quantity they serve and the place is cosy and comfy. Definitely a must visit...

This Neo Asian Restaurant located in Indira Nagar seems tiny from its outer appearance but its quite big, largely heightened and modern from inner looks, opens up across the two storeys. Although the limited space is very designed, but a lot of ideas seems to have gone into creating a room for all the guests specially at the first floor, where they have brilliantly carved up the space into two different sittings.

The trend of fusion delights touched new heights these days and this fashion is still going on and on. ‘TAIKI- THE BIG TREE’ the trendy restaurant cum cafe made its debut a couple of days back, and offers you the best delicacies from both the world ‘Japanese and Korean’ including Asian fusion food and truly stands for its name.

For starters, we tried here,

LITCHI WANTONS : First time we tried these open wanton and it’s basically in a layered form; At bottom, the fried crust then they put on some bean sprouts and leafy greens ,topped with fresh litchi pulp glazed with a thin slices of carrot served with crunchy lettuce leaf and a designed flower are simple but standout wantons which are crunchy yet supremely juicy.

CLASSIC NIGIRI SET : This irresistible hearty set is an epitome of scrumptious fusion of Nigiri's consist of brownish tuna, orangish salmon, reddish crab-stick, chicken slab and omelette girdled brilliantly with a thin dried seaweed served with a glossy soy-sauce sprinkled with a generous sesame seeds, strong wasabi, pickled ginger is a feast for the eyes and the palette. If you are seafood lover, don’t miss this Classic Nigiri set .

CHICKEN KATSU GIMBAP : Chicken Katsu inspired Finger food filled with Bits of fried Chicken, Carrot, Pickled Radish, Lotus root and vinegared rice rolled in a roasted nori glazed with some glittery sauce and white sesame seeds on top comes with orange slices, soy-sauce, Thai ginger, soy-sauce tastes very light and delish.

Coming to Baos, We encountered with the fish ones for the very first time and being a fish lover, we decided to order, after having it we were delighted with the way it turned out, could have done with more spicy sauce.

FISH & BELL PEPPER BAOS : Hot steamed fluffy Bao’s filled with iceberg lettuce, golden fried fish fillets, thin slices of bell-peppers, scallions, tomato, onions, spicy sauce and mayo accompanied by dipping sauce.

For the Mains we opted for, CHICKEN BIBIMBAP : A Bowl of warmed sticky rice mixed in some white sesame seeds sophisticated put-up healthy veggies like green courgettes, Bok-choy, baby-corns, carrot, bell-peppers, spinach and of-course, tender chicken dressed in spicy Gochujang and shiny soy-sauce topped with fried egg served with piquant sauce is filling, satisfying and a delicious meal that keeps you warm in a cold night.

JAPANESE OMELETTE : We could not turn the page without ordering our favourite Japanese accompaniment that is Omelette which goes great with any main dish; usually comes in rolls in many Japanese restaurant but they served in rectangular cuts spruced with mayo and black sesame seeds loved a moderate mound of hot rice on a side garnished with carrot flower, cilantro sprig and fresh wasabi.

Make sure, to have their signature W\asabi in itsy amount since its highly potent.

Dessert: PINEAPPLE BINGSU : This popular Korean Dessert is not new for us, basically consists of sheer ice shavings, some chopped pineapple, fresh cream, pink syrup and topped with cherry served with the milk-made is a tasty glee for all dessertarians.

Young staff were attentive and made sure, we were looked after.

During festivals, they do have festive ranges of delicacies to meet appetite, the best and exciting food destination in Indira Nagar Zone for Asian food lovers. I recommend all to visit here.

Recommend Dishes : Litchi Wantons and Classic Nigiri Set.

Report Card : Ambience : 5/5 Hospitality :5/5 Taste : 5/5 Value for Money : 5/5 Hygiene : 5/5 Parking Availability : Yes( for...