Sushi Mushi!

Nilma DOLE and Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Finding the 'Nihonbashi' restaurant is a tedious task, being comfortably nestled in a private corner of Galle Face Terrace. So if you ever have a energetic walk along Galle Face, the best way to satisfy your hunger is to head down over to one of Sri Lanka's only Japanese eateries.

Tasting 14 years of delicious success, the restaurant is the brainchild of Dharshan Munidasa who is of Japanese and Sri Lankan descent. Speaking about delectable Japanese food wonders, he said, "In 2002, I introduced a 5x5x5 sushi menu matrix at our ODEL branch and after seven successful years, I uplifted the selection to offer a comprehensive 10x10x10 matrix with a stupendous 100 combinations of which the 1001st is yet to be christened."

Outlets

Founder Munidasa, looking quite Japanese has garnered a name for Nihonbashi which means 'Japan Bridge'. Opening outlets at ODEL, Hilton Colombo residencies and now at Galle Face Terrace, he has even chipped in as Guest Chef in various luxury resorts in Maldives.

It certainly takes a little while getting used to eating nori (dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed or algae) most of the time you have sushi but no doubt Japanese food tingles your taste buds which can be rather sharp and strong. However, keeping in mind that most Japanese are hardly 'fat' makes you think that eating like the Japanese will give you a good figure.

In Japanese cuisine, sushi is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, usually fish and sliced raw fish alone is called 'sashimi' which is palatable and a world apart from sushi. Mixed with hand-formed clumps of risotto-like rice, it is called nigirizushi. Sushi dished and rolled inside or around nori is makizushi.

Tofu

Toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu is inarizushi. Toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice called chirashi-zushi.

Eventually, once you eat Japanese food, all the chis and shis sound the same but the proof of the sushi is in the taste.

Choice

We were treated to a great sushi wrapped in nori where rice, a vegetable of our choice, a meat/fish selection and a good dressing could be circled to tickle your fancy. Also we were surprised to find a daikon (large root) offered to us as well which is the Japanese name for a mild-flavored, very large, white, East Asian radish.

Thick Nintoku beans that have to be eaten by pulling out the seeds are rather delicious as a side dish and with the different variations of edible green leaves, the health factor in Japanese food is prevalent.

Tofu or bean curd is made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks.

Nihonbashi rewards its patrons with a loyalty program called the Maguro Stamp Card for every Rs.1000 spent for a stamp. With a firm emphasis on quality and proper Japanese culture, the gentle stream of water foundations and bamboo shoot interiors to even the power of Zen, the Nihonbashi restaurant definitely reveals the true art of authentic Japanese cuisine.

The fact that you get Japanese food in a neat and tidy manner reflects that nothing is better than a well-organized meal!