Owned and run by Revathi Nagaswami, an interpreter who learnt this unique cuisine while living in Japan, Dahlia is spotlessly clean and neat, and brightly-lit in a cheery, homely way. A few Japanese knickknacks decorate the walls and the furniture is of fine quality. The tables - long, wide and topped with glass-smooth granite - seat four each with ample elbowroom; the chairs, with large, cushioned seats, are very comfortable. Three cubicles along the window wall offer traditional dining arrangements - low tables and cushions - partitioned by wood-framed paper screens.

Raw fish delight

Japanese food is meant to taste natural so it contains little or no spice; the main flavouring agent is soy sauce, with a little seaweed, ginger and horseradish for tang. For some dishes, though, a mild chilly powder might be added according to taste. Raw fish - eaten ice-cold off a polished stone slab - with flavoured rice and soya bean soup form Sushi, the most popular dish at Dahlia. The variety of fish served here is impressive: tuna, halibut, shrimp, cuttlefish, snapper, mackerel, reef cod, squid and crab. And they also come deep-fried, pan-fried, roasted or grilled. The Japanese Set Meal, Teishoku (Rs.350-400), consists of rice, pickled cucumber, soup and a meat or vegetable dish. The dish varies by the day and could be sliced raw fish, squid roasted in butter, grilled or fried chicken or shrimp, or deep-fried vegetables. 

Japanese pizza!

Domburi (Rs.200-300) is a bowl of rice topped with sauce and a special preparation of the diner's choice, which could be deep-fried prawns and vegetables, or deep-fried beef or pork, or raw tuna, or chicken and eggs. There is even a Japanese pizza, a traditional preparation called okonomiyaki (Rs.150). Noodles (Rs.150-250) are served hot or cold, depending on the preparation, with fried vegetables or beef or chicken, or with soup. Cold noodles are eaten off a bamboo plate. One can order a la carte (Rs.50-250) vegetable salad, egg rolls, fried shrimps, raw fish, deep-fried chicken and crab, soya bean curd and roasted chicken and fish. Steam Boat (Rs.500), a preparation of beef, chicken or seafood, is cooked at the dining table so that diners can have it done to their preference. Dahlia is understandably popular with Chennai¹s Japanese residents, but to palates accustomed to richly flavoured, well-cooked food, it offers novelty rather than satisfaction.

The Japanese are polite

Unfortunately, the hostess, Revathi, is unwilling to explain the intricacies of this cuisine to uninitiated customers, even going to the extent of being rude; if you don't know the basics of Japanese cooking it is better that you do not come here was her reply to this writer's questions about the food! She did, however, serve her Japanese guests extremely courteously. I hope that she learns to treat all her guests equally well, for her current ill-mannered behaviour is unbecoming in a city known for its hospitality and in an establishment serving the cuisine of a cultured, polite people.

Dahlia is at Kaveri Complex, 96 & 104 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. Phone: 8265240

Arun Masilamoni

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