So Nakashita. A favourite among Instagramers, TripAdvisor and Google+.
My dilemma is that I didn’t like it. At all.
You know how when you walk into a great Japanese restaurant, the chefs are all ram rod straight, hinging only at the hips, in impeccable whites (or blacks as is more often the case). Even without looking up, they greet you in unison like you are a general and they are your officers. I find at the best places, the chefs remind me of samurais prepared to fall upon their chefs knives in an act of seppuku in the case of sending out a bad roll. (Not really but you get it, right?)
When I step into Nakashita for lunch – I most decidedly do not get that feeling. It’s more like a bunch of guys garbling in Portuguese in a locker room. One guy, the most presentable one, seems to be explaining something to the other two. There is a lot of talking. Too much talking. I kind of want to back out and go somewhere else for lunch but I am spotted and invited to sit down.
We order €70 of food with no alcohol. The edamame (€3.50) are greasy, the seaweed salad (€6) is not dressed – rendering it inedible, the gyozas (€8) are oily and have split to reveal the filling. Everything is served on plastic plates that do a good job of showing up the kitchen’s fingerprints.
We are here to eat sushi, so everything that has transpired so far could be forgiven if the sushi is good. Except it’s not. The Rainbow sushi (€15) looks sloppy. Worse though, the rice is unseasoned, lacklustre with gritty uncooked centres. Terrible stuff. We don’t eat most of it, neither do we take it home.
We ask for the bill and leave, dejected. When I tweet about my disappointing experience, I receive an avalanche of “chalk it up to a bad day” replies, “the place is great!”. The thing is, I am not going back to spend more of my own money to discover if I am wrong and they are right. Next time I’m going to Shunka.
See this and find more addresses on my Foodie in Barcelona Map
Nakashita
Rec Comtal, 5
08003, El Born
www.nakashitabcn.com
Hi Suzan,
I like your reviews specially because they are sincere, either aproving or disaproving the restaurant.
Moreover, I often match your opinions.
Thank you.
Bernie.
Hi Bernie. Thanks for leaving a comment. I try to be very real about my experience but of course, I am only one person eating on my own budget in Barcelona. So sometimes I only go once – especially if it is on the more expensive side.
What are some of your favourite places to eat at in Barcelona?
Have you tried Machiroku in the Gothic? Not fancy, but we love it.
Hi! I am not into fancy really, just good. The best dim sum I ever had was from a cart on Macau, ditto best chilli chicken leg (with foot intact) with chilli dipping sauce in a plastic bag – that was in Phuket. Best pineapple – some forrest in Vietnam and they served it with chilli laced salt – possibly the best thing I have ever eaten, ever.
Hi Suzy,
I’d like to recommend you the Machiroku (we already know the excellent Shunka) in Moles, 21, near Fontanella. It’s like a japanese tapas bar. Completely unpretencious (forgive the appearance and decoration) but the food is superb. The girls who run it are extremely cheerful and welcoming.
Best,
Toni
Hi Toni, Nice to hear from you and thank you for the tip!