4 Huyen Munch - 7 months ago
While Japan is not yet open to tourists because of Covid, Daruma is your best choice to feel like you were in a bistro in Tokyo. A little bit shabby, but cozy because of that. With an open kitchen in the middle of the dining hall like an izakaya (Japanese bar), Daruma style is not for everyone. Friendly, timely service and pretty hard to get a table if you call on the same day of desired reservation.
They have a pretty big menu consisting of various Japanese dishes, ranging from meat to fish and vegan. There are also items of the day, which are written on a small school board. And you think it can't get more Japanese than that? Wait until when you receive the complementary appetizer, just like in Japan.
All dishes that I had so far taste great. However grilled eel on rice won my heart (and robbed my wallet). The eel is so soft, so fresh and the seasoning is well balanced between sweet and savory flavors. Some Sichuan/Szechuan pepper added such a nice twist to this traditional dish. Rice is perfectly cooked too. It felt like heaven to have that bite of succulent eel and fluffy rice in my mouth.
Sashimi can be watery sometimes, most probably because of the defrosting process. The braised meat in soy sauce was just ok and actually tastes better with some rice. Some bowls look so amazing that I wanted to buy them all home, but the chef forbid me to because he brought them all the way here from Japan.
The location, while close to the center, is not on the most pleasant looking route of the city. But it will be worth it, as long as you have a reservation.
