Nikkei
A student once told me of the simplicity of an Izakaya, a dining location where you stretch your feet up and lounge out to your heart’s content. And the treats and drinks that arrive at the table while you do so imbue you with the resurrection a Japanese person’s overworked body requires. A well nurtured rendition of this tradition is fortified for the Peruvian masses through Nikkei cuisine. It is in essence a unity of Peruvian ingredients: camote, quinoa, the Pacific’s content of seafood, choclo, aji amarillo, aji panka and the flawless precision of Japanese prep techniques, which have been honed through Peruvian centuries by the Nikkei (Japanese descendants). And this has sprung cocina nikkei to the international stage. Evidence of this lies in restaurants like Maido, earning a spot at the top 50 best restaurants in the world.
For Niki’s slot last Saturday, she tossed her mental coin for the healthy. An association she has confidently linked to Japanese food. On Avenida Aviación, we stretch our hungry bellies’ options between the two renowned Izakaya’s of San Borja. A cold front gusted along Javier Prado as we waited for the 201/ 206 on the red corridor. Lima’s icy humidity tickled our browsing fingers, comparing Reiwa Izakaya and Izakaya.
As far as Nikkei is concerned, price factors in like a sore blister. Reiwa Izakaya prices for those luxurious Saturdays. Izakaya on the other hand, manages to lure Niki’s perusing eyes for the cost/ benefit. The only drawback is the operation hours of the establishment, the hours of which would naturally slide, especially when the focus is on food/ price. 12 to 4 PM, 6 to 10:30PM. And for some hubbub of inconveniences, we arrived at intermission. About 15 shy from the 6 PM opening.
Appetizer
While waiting ensued, happiness imbued me with a need to skip around the fountains of Paseo de las Aguas de San Borja. Niki choked in astonishment at the childlike insanity I personified. In consequence, the 15 minutes fluttered away like a hummingbird on crack. As the gates to Izakaya opened, we steadied ourselves for the descend, hand in hand, toddlers in excitement, into the basement. Regardless of the earlier buffoonery, we were seated as adults in exquisite Peruvian nikkei fashion.
A tiny Japanese lady with Yoko Ono glasses chirped away the greetings and presented us with the menu. Comida Nikkei here at Izakaya is dense in originality and rife with tradition from the old country. Niki took charge of the selection. Her eyes ogled the soups as her fingers drummed the table. To clarify, I am not much of a soup person (I have peculiar standards). This factuality presented her with a dilemma of sorts.
Eventually, we concurred with the selection of appetizing on some miso soup. This alleviated me from quite an amount of entree distress. On the contrary, miso proves to comfort your soul on a winter day and yields mild notes of savory that pillows your dining episode with flavors that hover around a central incidence, delicate and precise in projecting warmth inside out. However, I wished for a few more cubes of tofu, that seemed to disappear as Niki’s spoon exited my bowl incognito. Just perfect for setting the tone for what might come next, as Niki still peruses, deliberating the entree, warm soup rolling down her throat.
Entree – a Nikkei bento set
We were told of a bento sets that included Misoshiru, which seemed like good options to add on, expanding the experiential circumference of the palate. Among the Obentos, Niki pondered on Obento A, seeking my opinion on the combination. I amicably agreed, feigning delight, avoiding selectional conflict as it is her day, her day, her way she has. Come to think about it, Obento A provided us no room for disapproval Nikkei-wise. Markedly, it covered a spectrum of super nikkei food radiating with color and variety. Here is the breakdown: prawn tempura, fish tempura, vegetable tempura (eggplant, sweet potato), sashimi (tuna, salmon [usually the seasonal catch]), makis, nigiris, yakisoba (Japanese stir fried noodles) and an order of chicken teriyaki. Of course: Gohan (Japanese rice) and Tentsuyu for dipping.
My chopsticks targeted the first prawn tempura seconds after the arrival of said bento. Niki for the avacado roll. Consequently, I am a dipper and I soaked the prawn long enough for the tentsayu to be absorbed into the crisp Panko coating. I took the first bite and steam from the fresh prawn emanated in my mouth. I tossed it around and adventured to commence the chew. Delight! Fresh and cooked to perfection. A textural dynasty unraveling with every bite, from crisp to chew.
Likewise, the freshness of the sashimi enriched our mouths with clean gelatinous bites, proceeding to dissolve effortlessly. I knew the ocean was present when Niki smiled as she casually conceded that we had been missing many things from life and, this experience is one of them. The makis and nigiris were close to being immaculate: taste and design. The Yakisoba provided that element of staple, bland in the right way, allowing the other components to shine, providing a bedding to fall back on and just plainly satiate the hunger. Niki justified the elegance of comida Nikkei with this selection. However, it wasn’t enough.
Makis in Nikkei fashion
A communal decision had to be made, whether or not to add the special makis to the order. After serious thought and deliberation and speaking to our guts homogeneously. We bit the bullet and went for the order. Undoubtedly, the order included a California Roll and the Peruvianly ubiquitous Acebichado. The ones that differed were the spicy roll and the crispy roll mounted with fish crisps for textural thrill. Exceedingly superior to the rest, the star of the makis being the quintessential Acebichado. Ideally, what elevates this specific type of roll is the salsa acebichada. A concoction of fish broth, peruvian lime juice, soy sauce, neutral oil and one egg blended to drizzle consistency. It provides for an acidic burst of citrus and the richness reminiscent of mayonnaise (which is essentially what the base is).
In culmination, this tied up our late lunch quite exquisitely. It would have been good to top it off with a sake, but Niki begged to differ. She had a day of meetings ahead of her and consequently, she led me up the stairs, hand in hand, the same way we came in. Dusk arrived a little too soon. Traffic bustled along Avenida Aviacion, quite similar to the day spent at Arenales. The pink sky neutralized everything and made the whole affair seem strangely beautiful.
