Nagasaki Dinner @ Gotaru, Kanda, Tokyo

 

From up north to way down south, this recent trip to Tokyo has really brought my taste buds to an extensive traveling experience. This time, we land at Nagasaki, or at least a bar that serves Nagasaki food. Once again, this establishment was another recommendation by my good friend and former classmate Risa. 

Serenity on a monday. 

Located in the depths of Kanda, Gotaru is a quaint izakaya style restaurant in the middle of Tokyo. Serving from little nibbles to full-on meals, this was a relaxing place to unwind and relax after a hard day's work. To start things off, we were provided with a serving of otoshi, which is a sort of appetiser, although in fact it is your sitting charge. Be that as it may, it was pretty tasty, being a mix of marinated vegetables and chicken. A serving stood for 400 yen each. 

Hot and cold. 

Soon after, our proper meal began with a serving of grilled mackerel sashimi, which 980 yen which was shared between us. I have to admit it was a bit on the pricey side. However, the fish was very fresh, and the skin was expertly grilled. The combination of raw and cooked made way for contrast in terms of flavour and texture. And readers will probably know that I like contrasts. 

Comfort in a bowl

The next that came was one of Risa's favourite, which is Goto style udon. Unlike most udon dishes in the country Goto udon is actually dried noodles from the get go. Think of it as a cousin of Chinese dried vermicelli and you get the picture. It was then combined with a delicate yet very flavourful fish broth and spiked with a little miso. A piece of grilled fish serves as a topping alongside some seaweed. This was very hearty and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This one stood at a modest 650 yen. 

Twin terrors

As it was after work after all, we decided to have a cheeky swig of sake mid meal. As such the owner recommended 2 of his favourites, one of which is the Shichida Natsumi  (七田　夏純) and the other is the Manchatsu Ha Negi (萬勝 はねぎ). They are both really good and are worthy recommendations worth your time. A glass stands at 600 yen a pop. Mid way through our drinks, we also had some nibbles in the form of uni mame, or sea urchin nuts. It sounded really good on paper and we were curious as to how it looks. But in the end it just tasted like regular salted nuts. Still, it was not too bad and paired well with the booze. A serving stood for 500 yen. 

Standards nuts?

This was a quaint and homely drinking spot which is pretty nice and comforting. It is ironic to then get back out into the big city and feel the electricity in the air again. The food is interesting and the chef owner was pretty friendly as well. So if you are in this part of the city and you would like a different take into Japanese food, then Gotaru is the place to go. If you are interested, the address is as follows:

6 Kanda Konyacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0035

Rustic entrance