INJA

After Mumbai, my next stop was Delhi — a city with a completely different rhythm and energy. Wide boulevards, lush greenery, and a calmer pace, yet just as rich in culture, history, and incredible food.

One of the highlights of my time there was INJA, located inside The Manor. The restaurant explores the meeting point between Indian and Japanese cuisine — two culinary traditions that are incredibly different and not always easy to combine successfully. But that’s exactly what makes the experience so exciting.

Chef Adwait Anantwar approaches food with a lot of curiosity and freedom, creating dishes that move between cultures, techniques, and memories while still feeling cohesive and deeply personal. The menu constantly balances Japanese precision with the boldness and depth of Indian flavors.

From the very first bites, the creativity of the kitchen stood out. The Aam Papad | Tuna hand roll replaced nori with aam papad, wrapping tuna tartare, cucumber, ginger, and shiso into something playful, tangy, sweet, and deeply umami. The Crab Kuzhambu | Chawanmushi combined silky Japanese custard with the richness of South Indian crab curry, while the Aslam San reinterpreted Delhi’s famous white butter chicken with dashi cream and shio konbu butter without losing the soul of the original dish.

What I appreciated most was that Inja never tried to play safe. It’s ambitious, personal, and completely unapologetic in its creativity — and that’s exactly what makes both the restaurant and its chef so memorable.

Delhi gave me another perspective on modern Indian dining, and places like Inja show just how fearless and exciting the new generation of chefs in India has become Less