Di in’ Jagp%n
Henry Hepburn uncovers a new venture aiming to bring a flavour of downtown Tokyo to Sauchiehall Street
here‘s no such thing as a Japanese
restaurant. So l)ayid \Van concluded
during a l‘act-linding mission to the lat Iiast last year u just as he was planning to open tip such an establishment in (ilasgow. There was no shortage ol specialist bars selling sushi. tempura or yakitori. but nowhere could he lind the country‘s greatest culinary hits under one tool. L'ndatinted. he resolyed that what you couldn't get in Tokyo. ()saka or Kyoto. you should be able to lind on a stretch of Sauchiehall Street better known l‘or nondescript take-aways and hordes ol' legless students.
The ambitious Naiiakusa menu is a daunting read: by the time you get to the IX-piece sushi moriawase toko jyo. you'll haye sil‘ted through more than l()() ol‘ten esoteric possibilities. To ensure quality throughout. Wan i'el'tised to cut corners on stalling. He gave some (‘hinese chel's a try-out. btit none managed to replicate what he'd tasted in Japan; so be delayed opening until he'd tempted a specialist Japanese head chef up from London. There's also a tempura chef who spends all his time proying that deep-trying needn‘t result in huge greasy shards: his batter is a light crispy coating. Another specialist does nothing but turn out sushi.
The archetypal Japanese set meal. the bento box. is where many lirst—timers start. It arrives on a plastic tray. yes. btit comparisons with stodgy TV dinners end there. The moriawese
combo (“2.90) includes miso soup. tempura of
king prawn and vegetables. sey'eral gltiey strips
of chicken teriyaki. and three bulging bundles of
nigiri sushi alongside perky soy sauce and slivers of ginger. Although the menu doesn‘t say" so. you can pick and choose your sushi
whether to play sale with salmon and tuna or
give eel and lly'ing-lish roe a try. You‘ll not need too much of the weighty mound ol~ sticky rice that's also pan of the deal.
The eight Varieties of noodle soup are \‘Cl'_\ filling. There is a steamy blast of l‘resh chilli from spicy chicken noodle soup. and plenty tender chunks of meat jostling among crunchy vegetables and thin ramen noodles. Desseits are
‘FOR ALL ITS AUTHENTICITY, IT'S NOT SNOOTY'
cutely presented in a little portable display cabinet that's brought to the table. and most l‘reshly baked at next door's llong Kong (Kile. But the iii—house speciality is a sticky rice pancake plumped tip witlt gooey red-bean lilling. alongside which it’s worth ordering green tea ice cream as a relreshing counterpoint.
lior all its authenticity. there's no snooty l‘undamentalisiit about .\'anakusa. The minimalist rows ot benches might suggest a street-corner joint in downtown Tokyo. btit the background music is Western and stall are as likely to come from the [K and liastern Iiurope as .-\sia. .-\ll share an easygoing nature and a
TI) l’F THPI‘T‘: NEW JAPANESE RESTAURANTS
441 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow 0141 332 6303. Modern. metropolitan Japanese restaurant
Average two-course evening meal E1 0
pride in the menu. 'I‘hey'i'e also genuinely curious about what customers choose without l‘orgctting lice top-ups l‘oi‘ iiitigs ol~ green tea.
’I‘Ilc‘ l'L‘leilll'Ltlil Hilly (melted in NiHc‘lith‘l'. yet there's already an inlormal bu/x bout a loyal band ol repeat customers. But Wan is not resting on his latirels. .-\ special grill l'oi' yakitori has just been installed and intermittent si//les emit l’rom the open kitchen as a result. while a cooking school is planned lor the currently unused area downstairs.
No 1 Sushi Bar
37 Home Street, Edinburgh
0131 229 6880
This Chinese-run Japanese restaurant is a cross between a ster bar and a (mom old-scr‘oo' C" gaff, With birds of paradise eavorting er otiareoa. walls and big mirrOrs to reflect the scarlet lanterns. Expect good. fresh Sushi in almost 50 variations. wok- fried noodles. tenyaki and crispy tempura.
12 THE LIST 28 Feb—1'3 Mar .‘c‘x‘S
Tang's 44 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh btifs' ci"‘.lf ."i:' JéiiiLt'EL‘st: IS‘VV‘: .1": L ‘:":’I 51.. {,72' i.> \sa s .1.’ '. ',
.I'Vu. 55»! .y ;1v-'\.o;1'.5. a'\"\1'_1‘ 4", .--\J j‘/ eci. .i 8 Sit: drt‘ '95:.” .V :1' 4:13: {1's} . .52 (1., 1... . L 30“ c c e,
Yo! Sushi Silverburn Shopping Centre, Barrhead Road, Glasgow, 0141 555 0042, www.yosushi.com
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