(4/5)

Sakura, Gurgaon is one of the few places I’ve seen that do justice to a brunch buffet and maintain the quality of their offerings. Located in the Time Tower opposite the Gurgaon Central mall, Sakura has minimal decor, comfortable seating and enough open space for kids to romp. The staff are very friendly, welcome and add loads of value to Sakura’s service standards.

Sakura has multiple food stations, each offering a variety of food including salads, different types of sushi, teppenyaki, noodle soups, tempura and assorted desserts.

First off, I must say the sushi at Sakura is the best I’ve eaten, matched only by a lovely little joint in Seoul. Each piece is well made, pressed right and tastes exquisite. What? You say raw fish isn’t your thing? All I’ll say is you’re missing one of the simplest and nicest foods ever. The firm texture of the fish paired with the vaguely vinegary rice accompanied by a little wasabi and soya is something I wouldn’t miss for the world. At Sakura, Gurgaon you’ll be hard pressed to choose from different varieties of Makizushi, Nigirizushi and Temarizushi. The flavor and texture of the Beef Tataki are excellent too – a tender cut of beef that is briefly seared, marinated in vinegar, sliced thinly and served with pounded ginger, soy sauce and finely sliced spring onions.

The noodle soup station offers you a choice between cold soba and hot ramen soups. I chose the cold soba, which is made using buckwheat noodles in a cold mixture of dashi, soy sauce and mirin, topped with seaweed, shreds of nori, finely sliced spring onions, sesame seeds and wasabi.

The only disappointment were the tempura, which had softened considerably sitting in steamed containers.

Do visit Sakura, Gurgaon. I guarantee you’ll come back raving and ready to return for more!

- Sid