Fueled By Flapjacks: Nishiki and the Art of Robatayaki

Fueled By Flapjacks

Friday, February 02, 2007

Nishiki and the Art of Robatayaki

Today I spent some time out with Linda. First there was pain (Linda's eyebrow piercing), then beauty (visiting the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple in Botany) and then there was feeding. For the feeding portion of the day, we went to my favourite Japanese restaurant, Nishiki.

I did however, spy a few more Japanese restaurants in close vicinity that I might check out at later dates - there's a couple of teppanyaki restaurants and a shabu-shabu place a few doors down. Torrens Rd is a bit like a mini-Japantown.

I wasn't out for a big feast especially since I'm not used to having such a full belly in the middle of the day anymore. I'm not living up to my name all that much. I'm more like the (Occassional) Buddha Belly, which I feel is important unless one wishes to have a permanent Buddha Belly. I'm not like these other food bloggers that can pile insane amounts of fat and carbs without looking like Jabba the Hutt. Some of us must practice restraint to maintain our figures.

I'm always aware that I should try something new when I go to a restaurant but it had just been so long since I had eaten katsu that I couldn't resist ordering the chicken katsu don with sweet miso sauce. I love me some miso sauce. As I proclaimed to Linda "I could marry miso sauce". It's like the Japanese version of BBQ sauce. I'm not sure exactly what it's made of but I suspect it is miso, soy sauce and sugar. How can that not be a party in your mouth? The menu appears to have had a bit of revision since last time I visited. The lunch sets are still there but my usual old faithful here no longer comes with the sides of octopus, squid, crab and tofu. Never fear though, you still get your fill. The meal comes with a deep fried chicken cutlet topped with miso sauce on a bed of rice with salad and mayonaisse, accompanied by a bowl of miso soup. Apart from the deep fried chicken, it's pretty healthy. The portion of chicken appears to have been reduced as well but I didn't really mind since I wasn't out for a stomach stretching session. It's nice to not feeling like you have to be rolled out of the building for once.

As always it was a good meal. I can't say it's my favourite meal. The chicken was tender on the inside but crisply crumbed on the outside. I even liked the mayo which is interesting because I'm not usually a fan of mayonaisse. This was a buttery, slightly sweet mayo served in a delightful little swirl. It's golden colour initially fooled me into thinking it was butter until I splodged my finger into it. Yes, sometimes when curiosity overcomes me I resort to the childlike method of poking a mysterious object. The biggest selling point for me on this meal is the miso sauce, which could come smothered on anything and I'd probably order it. I do prefer going to Nishiki at night though to order a bunch of small dishes. I checked out their menu online and the dessert and drink menus have changed vastly. The dessert menu now includes a super sundae for a whopping $16! I cannot surmise the size of this icecream bounty but for $16 it must be fairly huge. They also now have a banana sundae, banana crepe, green tea icecream crepe, plum wine jelly and a shiratama (Japanese dumpling) set. The drink menu also now includes thickshakes - green tea, coconut, kiwifruit, banana, kahlua and strawberry (the last 3 also available with alcohol).

The restaurant is now also referred to as a robata-yaki (robata for short), a name which comes from the Japanese words 'ro' meaning 'hearth' or 'fireplace'. Basically it is the Japanese way of grilling but has come to accompany the simplistic way the food is served and the decor of such restaurants which maintains a rustic feel. The name descends from simple beach restaurants where fisherman cooked over an open fire, apparently with an oar (now that's a big spatula!) In a traditional robatayaki, patrons sit around a bar in front of an open hearth and direct the chef which meats to cook, much like teppanyaki. Technically, you can see the kitchen of Nishiki and you probably could see the chefs grilling up your meal if you sat at the bar but I wouldn't say it's as traditionally as open plan. I have yet to visit the City site.

As for the name of the restaurant. I have always pondered what it meant. I assumed it would be food related like the sushi bar at Botany named Oishii, which I instantly recognized as meaning 'delicious', an important word to know if one plans on eating Japanese cuisine enthusiastically. But from my quick Wikipedia search, I discover that it refers to the art of multi-coloured Japanese woodblock printing, nishiki-e.

Robata-Yaki Bar Nishiki (Open Tues-Sunday)
3/298 Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Downs, Auckland (open lunch 11.30am-2pm, dinner 6pm-9.30pm)
100 Wellington Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland (open dinner 6pm-10pm, winter sunday 6pm-9.30pm)

Labels: Japanese

posted by Lauren @ 3:21 PM

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