As a Bengalurean, there are days I’d rather have the restaurant come to me. Three reasons: Traffic. Dressing Up. Winter. All I’d like is to chuck the table etiquette, sit cross-legged in my PJs, binge-watch a sitcom, and stuff my face with a gourmet meal. “Gourmet” goes beyond fancy food. It’s an experience. A moment that turns your drawing room into a fine-dining space instantly. Redefining at-home dining experiences is Shoyu, a Pan-Asian cloud kitchen co-founded by actor Naga Chaitanya. Does this celebrity venture live up to the hype? Here’s my take!
Naga Chaitanya’s Shoyu Arrives In Bengaluru
Like many of us, food deliveries were frequent at actor Naga Chaitanya’s home during the pandemic. A passionate foodie since childhood, foodpreneurship wasn’t a distant dream. Rather, it hit close to home. Particularly, when he discovered a gap in the premium food delivery space in Hyderabad.
In 2022, having been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug, the Ye Maaya Chesave star, along with entrepreneur Varun Tripuraneni and F&B experts Akshay Quenin and Tanveer Kwatra, co-founded Shoyu— a gourmet Pan-Asian cloud kitchen. After having received rave reviews in Hyderabad (including a heartfelt message from Naga Chaitanya’s friend and actor Jr. NTR), Shoyu has debuted in Bengaluru at HSR Layout.
Gourmet Dining Without Leaving Home
What sets it apart from many cloud kitchens is the way it attempts to redefine at-home dining experiences. High-quality food curated with bold flavours and fresh ingredients is what’s expected, the baseline.
But where the cloud kitchen pushes the boundaries is its packaging. Premium food needs to travel well to taste premium.
First impressions matter. What impressed at first glance was Shoyu’s thoughtful packaging. Functional yet aesthetic. As I opened the eco-friendly containers, I noticed little compartments in sushi boxes for wasabi and gari; thumb-sized bottles for soy and ginger, and a hidden ice panel underneath the dessert. I didn’t just open food delivery parcels, I unwrapped gifts. The excitement of dining out was recreated in my living room.
Small Plates That Deliver Big On Flavour
I started my meal by tucking into the signature Crudo — thinly sliced bell pepper over a crisp tortilla, topped with jalapenos, pepper cream cheese and olives. Next came the Truffle Asparagus & Avocado Sushi and Charcoal Black & White Cream Cheese Dumplings. Taking advantage of my home-dining situation, I ditched the parcelled chopsticks to eat with my hands. As I bit into Shoyu’s black-hued dumplings, sour cream coated my mouth, and the textures played along. Like the well-made sushi, this was equally addictive!
For appetisers, Cream Cheese Wonton, Chonquing Chicken and Malay Style Butter Garlic Prawns sat on my steel plate. The wok-tossed delights were mildly spicy and perfumed with aromatics like curry leaves and dried red chillies. While the wonton wasn’t a standout, the small plates were delicious and would have paired well with drinks.
Tucking into luxurious Japanese small plates, munching on sushi, while casually sitting on sofas with my family, was a core memory. There was unparalleled childlike joy in treating our taste buds to unfamiliar yet deeply satisfying flavours like the pepper pizzette. No fuss, just the joy of pure comfort, leisure and of course, a touch of luxury.
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Hearty Gravies And A Luxe Dessert
Steaming hot Malaysian Curry Chicken, made with velvety coconut milk, was scooped with flaky Scallion Parotta. The chicken pieces were tender, and the gravy felt like a hug in a bowl. Warm spices, crisp curry leaves, the Asian flavours sang with every bite. Another main that I enjoyed was the Wok Fried Fish in Butter Chilli Garlic Sauce paired with Chinese Wok Fried Rice. It’s everything you’d expect from a good Chinese rice-curry combo: saucy fish that tears apart with ease, crisp veggies, and fragrant rice.
Soothing the intensely flavoured meal was the Jaggery Cheesecake, Salted Almond Toffee Brittle. Garnished with edible gold leaf, the no-bake cheesecake reminded me of Bengali Mishti Doi. Chilled, lightly sweetened with jaggery, it had a mousse-like consistency, which I quite enjoyed.
That night, Naga Chaitanya’s Shoyu in Bengaluru fed me one of the best Pan-Asian meals I’ve had lately. What made an ordinary weekend a memorable one for me was a cloud kitchen’s sincere desire to redefine at-home dining.
Sushi can travel all the way from HSR Layout to South Bengaluru yet taste like it’s straight out of the kitchen!
Gourmet is taste. It’s the packaging. It’s the experience. It’s even sitting on a sofa in PJs, eating sushi out of a box with my hands.
Where: Sai Sobagu, 461, near Silk Board, Teacher’s Colony, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560034
When: 12 pm to 11 pm
How To Order: Swiggy and Zomato
Cover Image Courtesy: YouTube/Infinity Platter and Sanjana Shenoy
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