Harima - The Land of Sashimi, Sushi, Nigiri, Sake & Wasabi
Harima - 4.5/5.0 (Only because my perfect restaurant hasn't been created as yet.)
Dher aaye pur durust aaye (Came late but came energetic). That's right, its been a while since my visit to Harima (4th Floor, Devatha Plaza, Residency Road, Bangalore) but the flavour still tingles my tongue everytime I think of this heaven. I am ... a 'Detox Vegetarian', which basically means I turn vegetarian atleast once a year for a period of atleast 6 months. But when it comes to Japanese food, I can't help but break the rules. This rule-breaking would title me a Bengali Brahmin (nope, I am not Bengali), which would make me a fish-eating vegetarian.
Harima is 'The (note the use of the word in all its glory) Only Authentic Japanese Heaven' in Bangalore. Heaven because each time you put fractions of your serving in your mouth, you make satisfactory noises like no other (ummmmmmm). Raw fish in all its glory.
Some Japanese food basics:
Sashimi is thin slices of raw fish (or other seafood) prepared in delicate ways, usually served as an appetizer with dipping sauces.
Sushi is an assortment of cold vinegar flavoured rice, topped with sashimi and other ingredients of choice, rolled in nori (seaweed).
Nigiri is sashimi rolled around sushi rice.
Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink brewed from rice.
Wasabi is made from the roots of Japanese horseradish and has a very strong flavour (believe me when I say 'very' strong).
Sashimi, sushi, and nigiri are usually served with a combination of soy sauce and wasabi. Now, here is where Harima weilds its experience - the sauce given to you along with the dish will have the right mix of wasabi and soy sauce (just right to suit the Indian pallette). You would be better off letting the experts decide on this mix, because the first time I was allowed to customise it for myself, thinking wasabi was like green chutney, I used a little too much of it. Lesson learnt the hard way, just to tell you that excessive use of wasabi could knock all your senses out for a good 15 min. It's the strongest chutney your tongue would have ever touched. I have a theory that a ladoo sized wasabi put in your mouth in a single intake could render a person unconscious (anyone want to take me up on that).
When you are at Harima, just go ahead and pick any item off the menu, all of them taste just fabulous. The decor of the place is 100% Japanese. They have gone to the extent of providing you with an option of getting seated on cushions placed on the floor (just the way the Japanese do it in Japan). I am told that Japanese Toyota officials often dine here. Harima also specialises in the world famous Bento (Japanese packed lunches).
If you are headed there, better make sure you bow to the Rajasthani dressed as a Samurai with a fake plastic sword at the entrance. For this is one Samurai who knows no Japanese. Haiyaaan ;-)
Dher aaye pur durust aaye (Came late but came energetic). That's right, its been a while since my visit to Harima (4th Floor, Devatha Plaza, Residency Road, Bangalore) but the flavour still tingles my tongue everytime I think of this heaven. I am ... a 'Detox Vegetarian', which basically means I turn vegetarian atleast once a year for a period of atleast 6 months. But when it comes to Japanese food, I can't help but break the rules. This rule-breaking would title me a Bengali Brahmin (nope, I am not Bengali), which would make me a fish-eating vegetarian.
Harima is 'The (note the use of the word in all its glory) Only Authentic Japanese Heaven' in Bangalore. Heaven because each time you put fractions of your serving in your mouth, you make satisfactory noises like no other (ummmmmmm). Raw fish in all its glory.
Some Japanese food basics:
Sashimi is thin slices of raw fish (or other seafood) prepared in delicate ways, usually served as an appetizer with dipping sauces.
Sushi is an assortment of cold vinegar flavoured rice, topped with sashimi and other ingredients of choice, rolled in nori (seaweed).
Nigiri is sashimi rolled around sushi rice.
Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink brewed from rice.
Wasabi is made from the roots of Japanese horseradish and has a very strong flavour (believe me when I say 'very' strong).
Sashimi, sushi, and nigiri are usually served with a combination of soy sauce and wasabi. Now, here is where Harima weilds its experience - the sauce given to you along with the dish will have the right mix of wasabi and soy sauce (just right to suit the Indian pallette). You would be better off letting the experts decide on this mix, because the first time I was allowed to customise it for myself, thinking wasabi was like green chutney, I used a little too much of it. Lesson learnt the hard way, just to tell you that excessive use of wasabi could knock all your senses out for a good 15 min. It's the strongest chutney your tongue would have ever touched. I have a theory that a ladoo sized wasabi put in your mouth in a single intake could render a person unconscious (anyone want to take me up on that).
When you are at Harima, just go ahead and pick any item off the menu, all of them taste just fabulous. The decor of the place is 100% Japanese. They have gone to the extent of providing you with an option of getting seated on cushions placed on the floor (just the way the Japanese do it in Japan). I am told that Japanese Toyota officials often dine here. Harima also specialises in the world famous Bento (Japanese packed lunches).
If you are headed there, better make sure you bow to the Rajasthani dressed as a Samurai with a fake plastic sword at the entrance. For this is one Samurai who knows no Japanese. Haiyaaan ;-)
posted by MC Preetham | 11:39
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