Having worked at Michelin star restaurants in NYC, JSan was born out of Chef Vishesh’s passion for Japanese Pub grub and Ramen.
JSan is a thoughtfully designed space where every detail contributes to an immersive dining experience. Open exclusively for dinner, the restaurant pairs its dishes with expertly curated cocktails that utilizes Japanese flavors along with local flavors and ingredients.
He started off as a business professional with business degrees, but after going the traditional 9-5 route he decided it wasn’t for him and that’s when he became a whisky sommelier followed by a chef. He has three degrees, an undergraduate degree in business, a master’s degree in business and an associate degree in culinary arts and unbelievably the associate degree came after the undergraduate and masters.
- 2010-2012 – Indiana University, Undergraduate degree in business (incomplete course).
- 2012-2015 – Amity University, bachelor’s in business degree.
- 2015 – 2016 – Failed attempt at opening a restaurant with my friend who was a chef in Kolkata (one of my biggest learning experiences) Simultaneously worked in the family business while the Kolkata restaurant was being conceptualized (Manufacturing and exporting rice).
- 2016-2017 – Master’s degree in business (Early graduation by a semester).
- 2017-2019 –Got affiliated with Whisky Magazine as a certified whisky sommelier and judged for the world whisky awards, interacted with multiple chefs and decided I wanted to follow my passion for food and become a chef).
- Nov 2019 – June 2020 – Applied to CIA, Covid Hit, got accepted and delayed my admission there.
- July 2020 – Made my way to Goa to learn how to make Neapolitan style pizzas at Melt Pizzabar under Abhijit Choksi. Ended up running the kitchen there and stayed till may 2021.
- May 2024 – Landed in Goa
- July 2024 – Found the location of JSan
- Jan 2025 – JSan Launched
JSan is a place which wants you to sit, relax and thoroughly enjoy what’s around you. The architecture and interiors have a focus on Japanese philosophy, especially wabi-sabi and kintsugi. It is a space that I have put my heart and soul into building, each table has been individually charred and scrubbed for the effect of yakisugi to come forth. “What also makes it unique is my belief that we make the best ramen in the country and that we are serving some of the best izakaya food in India. We use local ingredients in our food and it has been conceptualised keeping the Indian and international palates that we knew we would cater to.”
Read the full story that first appeared in The Global Indian here:
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