Nirai Kanai just gets better and better. We've been avoiding them for so long (from a first lacklustre visit) and missing out at the same time. Happenstance decided that we would get the counter seats today - which was pretty spacious.
This visit also happened to be a re-evaluation of their peanut tofu. It had that nutty flavour with a texture that was creamy - somewhat akin to panna cotta. I didn't remember it being that good the first time we had it. We had some chilled umi budou to start with that tofu. Those sea grapes, bursty and refreshing with the also chilled ponzu dip.
So I finally got to try an Okinawan taco rice. A dish that was a result of the Americans that were stationed in Okinawa back in the 60s I heard. Shredded lettuce, tomatoes & salsa, spicy minced beef and cheese over rice.
I was initially wondering where had all the cheese gone. It was somewhere inside. It's not as much cheese as I would normally prefer but after all the tossing, this was delicious. Those beef bits were so good. I believe comforting and tasty are suitable adjectives for this bowl.
Their hamburg was well seasoned and quite peppery. While it was not normally the kind of beef patty that I shoot for, it was pretty tasty. What was outstanding was that brown paste beside the pickled daikon. I believe it's something they call pork miso. The texture was like a paste with bits of dried pork. The sweet flavour was a cross between char siew bao fillings and pork floss. I found them very addictive with the rice.
Here's their chanpuru which we are ordering for the first time. A different beast from the rendition at Keria and also appears to be the more commonly seen rendition. This was good. The bitter gourds weren't as bitter as I had imagined. Altogether a dish without pretence and great comforting flavours.
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