Dejected was how we felt that Saturday. We fished for tickets of the movie Hangover in every multiplex in Bangalore with rotten luck. Rather eat then sulk we agreed. My partner is new to Bangalore so I took him to one of the old places - Casa Del Sol off Residency Road. Just as we were entering, we chanced upon an inconspicuous board of Harima. I remembered faintly that it was a Japanese restaurant I had read about in one of the food reviews. Never having tried Japanese cuisine, it was an easy choice.
Harima had a look of Zen - quiet yet appealing, niche yet evolved. And the wooden setting added to the aura of the place.
The waiter guided us to a corner table. We refreshed ourselves with perfumed face towels. There were no second thoughts about ordering sake to drink. Sake, which is wine fortified with rice, can be had warm or cold. We asked for cold. The sake served in shot glasses was smooth and strong. Our eyes shut every time we sipped it.
As we stared at the menu with wonder and the urge to try everything that sounded new (which was almost everything, except the word Sushi), an earnest head-waiter came to our rescue. He educated us about the different kinds of sushi; the fact that sushi, which is any dish made with vinegared rice, is often confused with sashimi which is a dish that uses raw fish as the main ingredient. So sushi can contain raw fish, cooked fish or no seafood at all.
After rounds of contemplation, we started with inarizushi and makizushi. Inarizushi is a pocket sushi dish stuffed with flavoured rice while makizushi is rolled sushi stuffed with sushi rice, egg and shrimp, and covered with seaweed. The waiter demonstrated to us the art of eating a sushi. We tasted a bit of the wasabi paste which passed right through our nasal passages, followed it with the sushi dipped in soy sauce and ended with sweet garlic pickle. The experience was fascinating. Being seafood and meat lovers the maki appealed to our palate more than the inari which was too plain.
For the main course, we ordered chicken teppanyaki with egg and chicken noodles. Teppan means iron plate and yaki means grilled, broiled or pan-fried - the chicken was pan-fried and succulent. The noodles were very regular nevertheless went well with the chicken.
We were still sipping our sake, so consumed by the sheer exotic experience of the food, that we let go of dessert. Harima, which gets its name from an old Japanese province, mesmerised us.
Harima had a look of Zen - quiet yet appealing, niche yet evolved. And the wooden setting added to the aura of the place.
The waiter guided us to a corner table. We refreshed ourselves with perfumed face towels. There were no second thoughts about ordering sake to drink. Sake, which is wine fortified with rice, can be had warm or cold. We asked for cold. The sake served in shot glasses was smooth and strong. Our eyes shut every time we sipped it.
As we stared at the menu with wonder and the urge to try everything that sounded new (which was almost everything, except the word Sushi), an earnest head-waiter came to our rescue. He educated us about the different kinds of sushi; the fact that sushi, which is any dish made with vinegared rice, is often confused with sashimi which is a dish that uses raw fish as the main ingredient. So sushi can contain raw fish, cooked fish or no seafood at all.
After rounds of contemplation, we started with inarizushi and makizushi. Inarizushi is a pocket sushi dish stuffed with flavoured rice while makizushi is rolled sushi stuffed with sushi rice, egg and shrimp, and covered with seaweed. The waiter demonstrated to us the art of eating a sushi. We tasted a bit of the wasabi paste which passed right through our nasal passages, followed it with the sushi dipped in soy sauce and ended with sweet garlic pickle. The experience was fascinating. Being seafood and meat lovers the maki appealed to our palate more than the inari which was too plain.
For the main course, we ordered chicken teppanyaki with egg and chicken noodles. Teppan means iron plate and yaki means grilled, broiled or pan-fried - the chicken was pan-fried and succulent. The noodles were very regular nevertheless went well with the chicken.
We were still sipping our sake, so consumed by the sheer exotic experience of the food, that we let go of dessert. Harima, which gets its name from an old Japanese province, mesmerised us.
