My wife has treated me to a night out which she has promised me before that she would bring me to a Japanese restaurant, Nonki. It was my first time and I was eager to try authentic Japanese dishes. I have seen a lot of these dishes online and have heard about people's experiences with exquisite Japanese food, so my curiosity have been piqued. I have become tired of eating takoyaki and tempura and wanted to try something different this time.
The ambiance and the whole environment of the restaurant replicated the vibe of a traditional Japanese restaurant. It was beautifully decorated, with simple traditional Japanese lanterns. I couldn't help but notice how authentic the atmosphere was. We were greeted by the staff who said something in Japanese language and were also dressed in traditional Japanese attire, I supposed it means "good evening, welcome!", and they immediately gave us the menu. They were very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. As we looked over the menu, my wife recommended that I try the ramen, which she said was a must-have dish. I was excited to give it a try.
While scanning through the menu, they served us an appetizer with a sauce, which I couldn't identify but tasted creamy. I didn't know the name of the dish, but it was delicious. Its sticky sauce had a rich, creamy texture, and it was the perfect start to our meal.
I was impressed by the small opening of their serving window, which allowed me to barely see the chefs or what's inside their kitchen. I can only have small glances of their minimal movements. That serving window was an interesting feature, it made me wonder about the level of expertise of the chefs. It made me realize that the Japanese value simplicity and minimalism in their cooking, and the small window was a reflection of that.
After much picking, we decided to order three dishes: Ramen spicy beef, Salmon cheese rolls, and Bean curd Szechuan-style rice bowl and sashimi set (Mabo-don, Sashimi set). I was particularly excited to try the salmon, as it was my first time eating raw salmon.
I also wished they have the Ichiraku ramen, the ramen that is said to be popular because it appears to be in an anime show called Naruto. I saw some videos before where they replicate the Ichiraku ramen. I wonder what would it taste.
When all dishes were fully served, we started with the salmon cheese rolls and alternately slurping with the ramen spicy beef. The combination of the salmon cheese rolls and the ramen spicy beef was one of the best Japanese food experiences I've ever had. The salmon didn't taste raw at all, maybe because I put a lot of sauce and wasabe with it. I thought wasabe wasn't that spicy, but when my wife insisted on putting more wasabe on the sauce, I regretted it as the sting of wasabe went throughout my nose and eyes.
The ramen's broth was rich and flavorful, with a spicy kick that was balanced perfectly by the tender chunks of beef. The sushi presentation was beautiful, the rolls were neatly arranged on a platter with a side of soy sauce for dipping. The flavors and textures were amazing. The cheese added a creamy and rich taste to the sushi rolls
Next, we tried the sashimi set and the mabo-don. My wife liked the Bean curd szechwan style rice, and I also liked it. It was a good match of rice and sauted tofu, which tasted more like a cottage cheese spread all over the rice. I liked the idea that it was not dry, it was like a congee, the Japanese style.
Lastly, we feasted on the sashimi set, which included white fish, salmon, tuna, and squid. This part was the most challenging one. All fish meat were raw, or maybe I was wrong, and they were all blanched. I couldn't be sure as I didn't get the chance to ask one of the waitresses. We ate them one by one and they really have specific taste and freshly aroma. I can say the best of the three was the tuna, then the salmon. The white fish still smells fishy even dipping it on sauce. But we enjoyed all of them except the squid, which tasted like a plain fish meat with a hard skin to chew. The sauce and the wasabe made these raw fishes very pleasurable to eat.
It was an unforgettable experience dining at Nonki, trying authentic Japanese dishes for the first time. I am looking forward to trying more Japanese dishes in the future.
All photos were taken by the author.
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