Both were on display at Taikun’s recent «nomikai»—which means party or social gathering—to celebrate the restaurant’s reopening, where guests were treated to Moon Orchid cocktails made with vodka, sake, lychee, yuzu, aloe vera, pineapple, and hibiscus—as well as an abundance of plates piled high with delicious soft-shell crabs, sashimi, nigiri, and unagi.

Although Japanese cuisine and drinks were the highlights of the evening, Taikun's head chef, Ramesh Murugesan, says his restaurant isn't limited to sushi. 

«Taikun is a Japanese fusion restaurant, and we know that many people think Japanese cuisine is all about raw fish,» he said. «But we’ve also designed our menu to feature Caribbean ingredients and dishes prepared in a Caribbean style. For example, we offer dishes made with callaloo, eggplant, and avocado. And since people in the Caribbean prefer cooked foods to raw ones, we’ve created dishes like shrimp tempura and used fried chicken in our sushi—dishes that people love to enjoy every day.»

«We also use duck,» he added, «which isn’t really a staple of Japanese cuisine, and we incorporate Asian flavors with bao buns and oysters, enhancing them with local touches like green apples, so we’ve truly fused the flavors of the Cayman Islands and Japan.»

The new menu also puts pure indulgence front and center, featuring signature dishes such as salmon foie gras, truffle-infused nasu nigiri, and Wagyu beef nigiri—all carefully selected by Murugesan to highlight his personal favorites.

The restaurant's interior has also been redesigned, transforming the angular seating into softer, half-moon shapes and incorporating more subdued lighting with a floral theme.

Born in Chennai, India, Murugesan, 33, fell in love with Japanese cuisine from the very beginning of his training, working first at the Taj hotel chain and then at the Shangri-La in Bengaluru.

«When I started my career, I was lucky enough to choose the type of cuisine I wanted to work with, and Japanese cuisine has always been my favorite,» he said. «I simply fell in love with it.»

Murugesan moved to Grand Cayman nine years ago, and after working for a few years at Mizu Asian Bistro+ Bar in Camana Bay, he joined the team at Taikun at the Ritz-Carlton seven years ago.

In addition to enjoying serving up to 120 guests a day at Taikun, Murugesan is now fully focused on the Next Month's Cayman Cookout , a highlight of the Cayman Islands’ culinary calendar, where an evening of French-Japanese fusion cuisine promises to delight the taste buds.