Japan, Korean Style

One of the truly great and under-appreciated aspects of dog ownership is the ability to become extremely well-versed in the local landscape through routine walks. While out with Sydney, I frequently passed a Japanese restaurant that looked quite lovely from the outside, and I had always wanted to give it a try. Tonight was the night to take that dive.

Although I was no fan of Japanese cuisine while living there–the food could generally be described as “bland” to many observers–I do every now and again have a hankerin’ for it. Korean food is fantastic, but every now and again I would like to get a meal without a copious helping of kimchi.

I walked in the door and after some confusion, I was sat at the sushi bar. I started thumbing through the menu (all of which was in Korean) and was doing my best to sound out the characters to see if there were any dishes I recognized. Here, it must be noted that I’ve found I know much more Japanese than I would have previously given myself credit for, insofar as I keep trying to think in Korean, only to have its Japanese counterpart pop into my head. However, before I could decipher my first dish, a waiter came up, pointed to an item on the menu, and seemed quite insistent that I take that dish. So, what the hell, I said “OK” and awaited the meal of mystery that was to come. It was 30,000 won ($26), which was a tad north of what I wanted to spend, but it’s Friday and I thought I deserved a treat.

I waited around for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence, but when the food started arriving, wow, did it arrive! Obviously this was a Korean-owned Japanese restaurant, because only in Korea do the heap food at you with this sort of ferocity. They started me off with a small salad and some rice porridge. Before I had even had a chance to dig in, they gave me a small platter of sashimi, along with some sort of egg custard, creamed corn, sauteed onions, and tempura potatoes and shrimp. This seemed to be an “all you can eat” sashimi special too, because the chef kept gladly refilling my sashimi platter every time it got even a tad low. I came to the realization that I had to eat as much of this as humanly possible, as this was becoming a test on my manhood.

I ate and ate and ate and every time I began to slow down, boom, there was more food at my disposal. Finally, I managed to clear my sashimi platter and for the first time the chef asked if I wanted more. I took this to mean that I had won the challenge, and politely refused. I paid, thanked the chef, and went on my way with a very full stomach and a great new memory.