Where Nikkei Meets New Delhi: A Quiet Culinary Revolution at Hikki

There’s a quiet corner in Delhi that now thrums with an unfamiliar rhythm. Not loud, not showy—but magnetic. The kind of place you don’t stumble upon, but seek out. Hikki, the city’s newest dining destination, doesn’t announce itself. It whispers, and the right people listen.

In a metropolis awash with culinary ambition, Hikki is a different kind of arrival. Conceived by Ninecamp Ventures and helmed by founder and CEO Chaitanya Mathur, it’s not just another addition to Delhi’s fine dining map—it’s a redefinition of what global dining can feel like when done with precision, soul, and unrelenting style. A Japanese-Peruvian fantasy, spun into existence with intent.

At its core, Hikki is a tribute to Nikkei cuisine—a remarkable fusion born of Japanese immigrant communities in Peru. Here, that fusion is treated not as a gimmick, but a philosophy. The experience unfolds gently, led by Chef Vaibhav Bhargava’s vision, where discipline meets boldness, and every bite is a conversation between continents. The menu is both poetic and provocative: a perfectly caramelised Black Cod Robata that melts with intention; Gyozas that hum with quiet confidence; pickled vegetables and brie sushi that challenge expectation and reward curiosity. Even the pork belly, a staple in so many kitchens, emerges reborn—delicate yet indulgent in a donburi that lingers in memory.

But to speak only of the food would be to miss half the story. At Hikki, cocktails are theatre—measured, layered, and impossibly well thought out. The bar is both a destination and a philosophy. Japanese mixology meets the vibrancy of Peruvian pisco, producing drinks that flirt with fragrance and seduction. The sake list is quietly exhaustive—from earthy Junmai to polished Honjozo, the sort of detail that only the obsessively curated can deliver.

There’s an olive tree at the centre of it all—rooted, reaching, metaphorical. It anchors the restaurant, both visually and spiritually. Designed by Renesa Architects, the space is an immersive paradox—at once contemporary and ancient, layered yet minimalist. Architect Sanchit Arora speaks of a dialogue between Japan and Peru, and you see it everywhere: in the fluted wood that catches light like silk, in the red ceramic tiles that feel ceremonial yet modern, in the mirrored surfaces that gently distort time and space. It’s a space that breathes differently by day and by night—lunches drift in with golden tones and airy notes, while dinners sharpen into seductive geometry and after-hours intimacy.

The seating is intentional, the lighting responsive. Even the transitions—lunch from noon to four, followed by staggered dinner seatings—feel choreographed, allowing the restaurant to move from lightness to luxe with fluid elegance. This is not just a place to eat. It’s a place to feel, to pause, to watch, to lean into.

Hikki doesn't scream for attention. It earns it, quietly, beautifully, plate by plate, pour by pour. For Delhi’s diners who thought they’d seen it all, this might just be the beginning of a new appetite.

Hikki

119A, First Floor, Shahpur Jat, Siri Fort, New Delhi – 110049

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