"Do
you like Japanese food?" Like Haggis or porridge I suppose, marvellous
or disgusting all depending on whom you address the question to. So
when a friend asked me that last weekend, I said yes, as I have been to
Japan and what I had there were all excellent, so was that I had in
Hawaii, where there were a large population of Japanese, and many
authentic Japanese restaurants. I am not over fond of Sushi, but the
other pan fried, deep fried and grilled dishes are wonderful. So we set
off to what's supposed to be a real nice and new one in Barcelona.
Quite a long drive, over 2 hours each way from Roses to Barcelona and
back for dinner. But I will just about go any distance if the meal is
expected to be an outstanding experience.
The
restaurant was, how should I describe it, very dark, almost like being
inside a cinema with the film about to start, but with some
wall-lights telling you 'not yet'. I barely made out that it was very
lush, perhaps post-modern was the word I am groping for. The proprietor
was Italian, and the decor, a mixture of Art-decor, Chinese touches
here and there, and some Japanese paper lamps and lacquered wooden
everything. Kimono clad waitresses and a couple of Spanish waiters in
oriental gear trying very hard to look Japanese.
Very
low tables, even lower seats, and you need a miner's lamp attached to
your forehead if you are half serious about looking at the menu. I
found the word 'Nudel' appeared all over the menu and guessed this
meant 'Noodle', and was confirmed that it was. It seemed to me too much
work to try to find out what's what, so I gave up, and asked them to
tell me what there was and best to be had. The food took absolutely
forever to come, so I got plenty of time to look around. Even in the
dark, one thing stood out, the absence of customers. Either they were
all hiding in the darkest corners or, more likely, they were not there.
For a very large restaurant I could only see about 20 people or so
there.
That's
definitely a bad sign. Most restaurants in the centre of Barcelona are
nearly always full, regardless of what food they serve. So even before
the food arrived, I was busy thinking where should we go and eat
something simple but decent afterwards. Not a lot of point telling you
what the food was like, except that my friend kept apologizing
throughout the meal about it not being his fault, that it was highly
recommended by some idiot (his words, not mine) he would never trust
again.
I
am sure there are marvellous Japanese restaurants in Barcelona, but
not in this one. Just as well I do know that Japanese food can be
heavenly, or I would have been misled to avoid it forever. That would
have been a great tragedy in my book.
We
drove back to Roses. Before taking me home, my friend suggested that
we stop in one of the restaurant-bar for a drink. Guess what, we shared
3 Tapas (typical local dishes served in smaller portions than a main
course): battered squids, Palma ham, and spicy meatballs. Delicious!
Tags:Haggis,Porridge,Sushi
