Big in Japan

by El Staff

We’ve managed to convince ourselves that it is part of our duty, as urbane citizens of this lovely metropolis, to sit back, relax, and let the joys of other countries fall into our laps. While we may have to get off our asses and walk, bike, or metro it to a spot several streets away, it’s infinitely easier than buying a flight to Tokyo and begging a kinda-sorta friend to let you crash so that you don’t hemorrhage money while you’re on vacation. And yes, you’ll miss out on certain aspects of the real cultural deal: you’ll get the style but not the grace, the clothes but not the face. But none of that matters. Waits has been onto you since the beginning. He forgives you your sins and knows you’re just doing the best you can with your pathetic sueldo. So come, my little miuchi, ¡a conocer a Japón!

Restaurant Take

C/ Llull, 226

Trust is an issue with sushi restaurants. That is, there are plenty of places that offer minimalist deliciousness, and few that come up on the tasty side of the get fed/go broke dichotomy. When you prepare to drop 10 to 15€ on an entree, you don’t want to get a piece of grey tuna that smells like cat food. Restaurant Take, a block from the Poblenou metro station, wasting no money or frills on decoration, has put its resources into a proper sushi chef, and that is a better long-term business decision than selling whatever was left over on the boat three days ago. Their Sushi Variado, por ejemplo, costs 12€, but for that you get a maki/sushi combo of 21 sizable pieces. If you’re waxing gluttonous, you can also order their miso soup (aka The Gwyneth Paltrow Diet), which is thick and seems to actually contain some nourishment. Foiled again, Blonde Spice! They also do take away.

Nunoya

C/ Banys Nous, 20

If Desigual isn’t looking quite as hip and unique as it used to, there’s another option out there for you: Nuno = Fabric, Ya = Shop. Run by an English/Japanese couple, Nunoya sells lovely imported items, to be used for your casual pleasure, including kimonos (60-100€), obis (30€), and T-shirts (around 24€). Or, you can go in, choose a fabric that you like, and BAM, they make you your own pimp kimono for 120€. They have dresses, too, custom also available, for around 70€. And, yes, my dear friend, they have baby kimonos. Yes. Oh oh oh and those dope ninja-like toe boots!! ILL. And the wooden sandals called geta and cool japanese flip flops that actually DO look bomb with white socks (German men, pay attention!). They have bags and fundas for gafas and little odds and ends, and they collaborate with some local designers, too, who get a break on the fabric and then sell their original BCN-Japan shazzle in the shop.

Yamamoto

C/ Aragon, 197

When a restaurant pays it’s employees to stand outside and persuade people to come in, it’s usually a sign to STEER CLEAR!! So when my friends and I passed this all-you-caneat sushi buffet and were nicely harassed, we were like “Tía, gracias pero no gracias”. That is, until we got a load of the massive dessert table, bejeweled with assorted gummy candy and weird Japanese Jell-O. So we coughed up the cash and got down to business. The service? Impec·cable. The staff outnumbered the customers, like, two to one, and these guys are on.top.of.shit. Raw fish not for you? Don’t fret. They’ve got a smorgasbord of tantalizing chow like noodles, rice, dumplings, spring rolls, stir-fry, soup, and even tapas for those of you who don’t like to stray too far from the cuisine of the homeland. Hey, they should be paying me to stand there and reel people in. See you at the front door. I think I just found myself a job.

Dong Fang

C/ Balmes, 6

We never said we weren’t morons, but every once in a while you get slapped in the face with something so obvious it makes elephantiasis look like a skin irritation. For example, if every time you wanted to make Thai food you’ve gone to Diagonal Mar to buy ingredients, you might feel a bit silly when you discover an Asian goods store next to Plaça Catalunya. Especially if said Asian goods store is the promised land, containing every difficult-to-find item you would need to make Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, and even some Indian food at home. You can also buy strawberry milk, but I’m not sure what that’s for. Suffice to say that if you’ve ever been curious about banana-sesame chips, peach liqueur, noodles of any kind, or need to do a consumer comparison between 50 different types of soy sauce, look no further. Two additional bonus sections in the corner: kitchenware and Chinese books and periodicals.

Bouzu

Ronda de Sant Antoni, 26

Before the white tent monster went up on Sant Antoni, Bouzu opened its doors to teach els Barcelonins that there’s more to Japanese food than sushi. Old Nippon has tapas, too, and they’re just as tasty. Oddly similar, as well, now that I think about it. Little pieces of baby pulpo in wasabi salsa, carpaccio with a soy-ginger sauce, a grilled tortilla salad with calamares inside... yes, you know these ingredients. They’ve just been deliciously twisted. If what you actually wanted was sushi, you can try the salmon and tuna don, which is basically a ball of white rice topped with marinated sashimi. Or down one of the udon dishes if you want something warm. Be prepared to drop about 20€ if you’re hungry and going a la carte at dinner; there are menus at lunchtime that are a bit more expensive than the 10€ you’re used to, but it’s a lot of food and worth it. Worth it.