Foodventurists, meet at Golden Oryx, Muscat

“Golden Oryx Chinese food is quiet something!”

“Golden Orxy has a Mongolian Grill, how exciting”

“We went to Golden Orxy for a business lunch and it was a munch fest”…

…These are some of the tempting statements Muscateers have said about one of the oldest restaurants in Muscat. Somehow our paths never crossed up until last week, when I was invited for a food blogger event at the restaurant.

The ‘food-adventurist’s meet’ coincided with the restaurant’s new Japanese Menu launch, which added to the excitement of being around a bunch of food lovers, who have explored the depths of Oman’s food scene.

As the conversations flooded the table, so did the food. The dishes from the new Japanese menu kept flowing. Yay! We go to taste it before anyone else in Muscat, the sushis, sashimis, California rolls, tempura and what not.

I am familiar with sushi; I worship Global Fusion the coolest sushi joint in Mumbai; but do not qualify as an expert (even though I am a major ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ fan). 

Image licensed under Creative Commons courtesy <Movies in LA>

There are some dishes on the Golden Oryx Japanese Menu that I absolutely loved, some I couldn’t comprehend, a couple that I disliked, some familiar and some completely new.

I got introduced to EDAMAME – young green soybeans that were steamed.  An absolute must have!

Vegetarians will find this menu enthralling as some of my favourites during this exploration were Mushroom dim sum, Negima roll (Negi = green scallions), Three Seasons roll.

Mushroom dim sum

Negima Roll

Three Seasons Roll

I also loved the California roll and the Cocktail Roll (latter a combination of two types of sushi, with fish roe, adding an interesting flavour and texture to the sticky rice)

I am an understudy to Japanese cuisine, if you are the same then here’s a break up for you.

Sashimi Platter: Comprises of fresh slices of fish that is served raw, often with daikon (raddish) or gari (pickled ginger)

I liked: Tamagoyaki (a slightly sweet, Japanese omelette made on the grill, by layering cooked sheets of egg), the sliced salmon was fresh and creamy, crabsticks…well were crabsticks, I always like them, tuna – not so much, octopus – not so much either.

Nigiri Platter: slices of fresh raw fish served over pressed rice.

I liked: Salmon, Crabstick, Tamagoyaki.

So, after my visit to Golden Oryx, I have got a status upgrade, from being an amateur to being a Japanese cuisine understudy. Can’t wait to act like a ‘food snob’ with the newly acquired set of vocabulary.

All in all, I think, if you are familiar with authentic Japanese food, it may be hard to satiate all your senses. (I say this not because I doubt the chef’s calibre – He is driving this new Japanese menu based on his in-depth understanding and hands on experience with Taj New Delhi – one of India’s premium hospitality brand. But I say so because some of the produce (prawn in particular) used weren’t fresh enough)

Nevertheless, there are some winning dishes on the menu and the novice in me would like to go back and sample it after the official launch.

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014 by Smitha Categories: UncategorizedTags: california roll, crab sticks, dubai, fish roe, gari, global fusion mumbai, golden oryx restaurant, india, japanese food in muscat, jiro loves sushi, Muscat, nigiri platter, oman, restaurasnts, sashimi, seafood places in muscat, sushi, sushi in muscat, USA, vegetarian, wasabi 6 Comments