The rain is pattering against the metal covering protecting a stairway down a shadowy passage. Walking into its depths, you can see the the passage giving way to a simple woodwork sliding door and the noren of Nakajima hanging.
My friend and I recently went to Nakajima in Shinjuku after reading that it served lunch starting at ¥880. At lunch, this Michelin-starred establishment accepts no reservations. So the two of us lined up around half an hour in advance for the opening at 11:30. We were the first ones there, but only barely — minutes after our arrival, two businessmen showed up and as we waited, a fellow tourist joined us.
By the time it was opening, the line snaked all the way up the stairway and we were ushered inside by a matronly woman who quickly took us to our table. Unfortunately, since I was with a friend, we weren’t able to snag seats at the counter.
The menu centres around four preparations of iwashi (sardine): Sashimi, Deep Fried, Simmered in Soy Sauce, and Nabe (which can mean Japanese hot pot dishes or one pot dishes).
This is kind of reminiscent of a katsudon dish, where the fried bits soften because of the broth and egg mixture. The eggs are infused with some of the flavour of the iwashi, and they also add a textural component of creaminess to the dish. Despite being simmered in broth, some of the crispiness is retained so there’s a lot of things going on. Paired with the natural sweetness of onions, this is a warming dish that’s great for cooler weather.
I wanted to try something more simple, so I ordered the basic sashimi set. It’s a very fair portion for the price and there is surprising complexity to this — the nutty sesame and micro thin slivers of green onion work to balance out the fatty strands of iwashi. You can choose to add more zing to your bite with the grated ginger, or to enhance the onion flavours with the seaweed on the side, or you can squeeze a drop of lemon onto the fish for a more refreshing flavour. Or, you can mix and match! This creates a plethora of different flavour sensations in something that costs a little more than $10.
Price: ¥ 880 – ¥990
Score: 80/100
Website: http://www.shinjyuku-nakajima.com/
Tabelog: http://www.shinjyuku-nakajima.com/
Address: Japan, 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome−32−5 地下１階 日原ビル
JeffKCW Food & Travel 