Zosui for the soul

We're going deep with this post. This is a Japanese food that when translated into English sounds less appealing.

It's time for some rice gruel! Just like granny used to make.

You're going to have to trust me on this one, it's amazing.

Do you like white rice? Do you like hearty, rich soups? Are you a human with a stomach?

Then, for your consideration...

Nobushi. Nobushi serves one type of dish and damn they do it well. Zosui is basically a dish that is made when you finish a Hot Pot dinner.  All that left over broth shouldn't go to waste. So you add some white rice, plenty of egg and some seaweed and then turn the heat back up and put the lid back on. A few minutes later you've got Zosui! Let's call it Japanese Risotto instead of gruel, that sounds way better. 

Nobushi is run by a super Granny and Grandpa duo who make you feel at home real quick. I felt like I was eating in their home, it's really cute inside and they have an ancient pay phone that they let us dial. Takao wanted to know what the ringer would sound like. It sounded old. Very old.

Anywho, all of the food here is super Japanese, no fusion nonsense. The starter menu is made up of things you would typically see in a Japanese fridge at home. If you were to have a Hot Pot dinner at your house these are some of the side dishes you might see.

Dashi maki tamago.  This is a type of egg omelette.  Before the omelette is cooked the eggs are beaten with a bit of dashi (fish stock).  Dashi is in almost everything you eat here and is one of the reasons it can be hard to find 100% vegetarian dishes. Dashi is made by boiling kelp in water and then pouring the boiling water over dried bonito flakes (tuna).  Then you remove the kelp and bonito and you've got dashi.  Of course it is occasionally made with other ingredients as well but those 2 things will generally always be present. This egg dish is common and sometimes served on rice balls as nigiri zushi. It is served hot or cold and has a slightly sweet flavor to it.

Yamaimo.  Yama (mountain) and imo (potato). This is a very odd type of potato. It is super starchy. So starchy that it drips off the potato in clear liquid with a honey like consistency. Don't let it scare you, it's just a potato. It came served with nori (Seaweed) flakes and umeboshi paste. Umeboshi is a sour plum. It is an awesome flavor that you will encounter in many different forms. It's sour, salty, fruity and unique. Very unique.

Not the prettiest dish but it's a good one. This is a peeled eggplant that has been grilled on one side.  Then covered in bonito (dried tuna flakes) and served with a bit of ginger and soy sauce. Very light, warm and yummy. I should mention that the Bonito does not taste at all fishy. It's a very earthy, lightly salty flavor that just makes the dish taste more Japanese.  

All of this will go perfectly with the draft Kirin. They also have whiskey and shochu but no other wine or cocktails. It's strictly a Japanese menu. Most Japanese will tell you beer and whiskey are just as Japanese as sake and shochu. Highballs are a big thing in Japan.

Dinner is here. And it came in a cauldron...so get your camera out. Takao and I really like umeboshi so we ordered some as a side to plop into the soup. Because salt!

This stuff is hot. When you open it you'll see the soup will have egg on top. If you prefer your egg to be a little more well done just put the lid back on for another minute or two. Once you're ready just scoop the goodness into your bowl and slurp away. The spoon is just for serving. After that you use chopsticks and slurp.

I ordered the Hokkai Zosui. The Hokkai stands for Hokkaido, which is famous for corn, crabs and butter. So, bubbling away in my little cauldron is rice, egg, the dashi broth (the base of zosui) and then it has wakame (an extremely healthy type of seaweed), corn, crab and BUTTER. It is fantastic! I can only describe it as unbelievably pleasant. This would turn a cold or a bad day right around. 

Takao had the Nira (Chinese garlic) Zosui which is a much simpler Zosui than what I ordered. Very tasty...but mine had butter!

If you're visiting in Winter this is a must eat. Summer time. . .maybe not my first choice. If this looks like your kinda meal though by all means! This place, like quite a few places on my bloggy wog is located in Araki Cho. So after dinner you have just about a limitless selection of bars and vinotecas to choose from.  

Quick note on the menu. This thing is not available in English and i'd be shocked if they ever bothered to translate it. If you want to check this place out just give me a shout in the comments and I can help you find something you'll like. You could also just point at one thing on the left (the zosui) and 3 things on the right (starters) and see what happens!

Enjoy!