Japanese immigrants started arriving in Peru in 1899, and they kept coming till 1936. Mostly men between 20 and 45, they were contracted to work on cane plantations. They migrated because Peru needed labourers and Japan needed to alleviate poverty at home. It was a hard life, yet the Japanese Peruvian community thrived.
Witness Japanese Peruvian food – the Japanese brought new ingredients such as miso, ginger, soy, wasabi and rice vinegar and used Peruvian ingredients like aji or yellow pepper, Andes potatoes and corn.
It’s called Nikkei cuisine and it’s the namesake of the newest kid on Bree Street.
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Nikkei is in the Hacienda, Scala Pasta, Iron Steak and Burger & Lobster stable, so you know you’re in for a treat. The team gutted the old Gate69, co-owner Paolo Carrara tells us.
It’s now a mysterious dark green space, with influences from the 1920s seen in the lines, panels and lighting. The green, Paolo says, represents the Amazon, while the kitchen with its graceful dance of chefs, gives diners a direct view of the hot coals and robatayaki.
One Michelin star chef Rikku O’Donnchu consulted on the menu, which is ably executed by group executive chef Justin Barker.
Start your meal with a cocktail at the bar. While tasty, my classic pisco sour was the poor cousin to my friend’s Stars of Machu Picchu, a singing combination of La Diablada Pisco, agave and pink peppercorns. We would have had another (several others?) and moved on to the sake cocktail menu. But our table was ready.
The waitrons are dressed in pink kimono-like jackets and black trousers, Impressively, although the ceiling is high, the floor tiled and the music part of the vibe, the sound is manageable. You can even have a conversation.
My friend and I are both vegetarian, so we got the vegan amuse bouche of edamame with tiger’s milk foam and beetroot on an edible oyster shell. It sets up your taste buds for what’s to come. Edamame is always a win in my books, and we ordered the beans with fermented chilli ketchup and cooling radish and cucumber salad for our starter.
The crispy citrus tofu with green garlic aioli is delicious. It is very (very) easy to get tofu wrong. Nikkei does not. But the stand out for us was the truffle maki with black truffle mousse, nori and fresh black truffle. Nikkei sushi differs from the Japanese in the rice. It is less sticky, a longer and almost imperceptibly crunchy grain.
We have it on good authority (the table seated next to us) that the citrus and kelp cured seabass with yuzu emulsion, chilli, red pepper salsa and ginger dressing, and the salmon teriyaki with sesame and red onion salsa are deliciously palate-pleasing.
Nikkei is a tasty and fun new addition to Cape Town’s restaurant offerings, and it has specials: Pisco Hour is half-price on all Pisco cocktails, Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 5:30pm.
Sushi & Sake Sundays is a special 25-piece sushi platter for R199 and half price on all sake cocktails – and there is usually a live DJ on the decks, noon to 6pm.
Nikkei is not disabled-friendly. Wide stairs up to the entrance from the street, and narrow down to the facilities.
There are some vegan options, but not many – four on the Entradas (appetisers) and two on the Piqueos (small plates) menus.
Details:
- Location: 87 Bree Street
- Times: Monday to Sunday 12pm to 10:30pm.
- Contact: 021 109 0081
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Picture: Supplied