“Cannot decide between Mexican and Japanese food? No worries, we have a fusion of both flavours in one delicious plate for you.” That’s what Vidur Malhotra from the recently opened Asian food restaurant — Pho Mo — in the Model Town area of Jalandhar tells you.
The Maki Zushi Sushi Taco, which arrives in about 10 minutes, one is in complete awe. Sushi, comprising rice and veggies like cucumber, carrots and scallions, and slices of avocado, are wrapped in a crispy Mexican shell. Accompanying the fusion taco is a sauce garnished with micro-greens.
The taco holder in wood and copper, and the bright colours of the veggies in the taco are so fascinating that the first thing that everyone does is click its pictures. “The taco is special too. It is made of seaweed sheets, which I have imported. The sheets are made crunchy and crispy by a special coating that our chef prepares,” says Malhotra.
He adds, “We planned this dish after many of our customers would request us to help them choose between Mexican and Japanese food. So, we give them both the tastes in a single dish. We are doing the same experiments even with our wontons, which we steam and do not fry. We sprinkle Mexican herbs in this otherwise Chinese platter and innovate with our dips too.” Even their American-inspired Chinese style Chop Suey—Flying Noodles—are also a hit. In this dish, the noodles hang from a chopstick into the bowl even though there is no one holding the chopstick, which is really fascinating!
Malhotra, who has worked in various Korean and Vietnamese restaurants before opening his own venture, quips, “The idea of calling my place Pho Mo itself meant that anyone who does not come could be affected by Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) for all my dishes are unique and new experiments! I chose to replace ‘FO’ with a similar sounding ‘Pho’ as it is a Vietnamese dish that we specialise in.”
