Looking around at the Israelis all enjoying the food at Minato, a veteran Japanese restaurant in Herzliya Pituah, I couldn’t help wondering whether Tokyo is full of falafel and hummus joints, where the locals can reciprocate and eat our food with the same enthusiasm.
I very much doubt it.
Minato, which I have visited several times in the past, is always busy, with Israelis wielding their chopsticks with great aplomb. The only fork we noticed on our recent visit was being used by a young lad of about 10, dining with his parents.
We started off with a cup of sake each; I had the cold version, my companion the hot. This Japanese rice wine has an alcohol content of between 13% and 17%. So, drinking an average amount, it would not be easy for us to get very drunk on it, only pleasantly high, which suited us fine.
A dish of edamame (soy beans), dressed in coarse salt, was served with the drinks, so we had something to nibble on until the real food arrived.
We began our meal with a dish called Tuna Matsuri (NIS 89), slightly pan-seared fresh tuna slices which were basically raw inside, served with onion ponzo (a spicy sweet/sour sauce), with avocado and green onion.
Our waitress assured us that this was made with the most desirable part of the fish, the otoro, as it is the fattiest and is the part used for sashimi, which is raw. It was, needless to say, a delicacy.
The next dish to arrive was a dish called White Grouper Yaki (NIS 93). Grouper is a meaty sea fish, rather like sea bass, and it had been lightly fried and seasoned. The fish was very fresh and was served with a delicate Japanese sauce, slightly sweet and sour. It was supposed to include asparagus, but our very sweet waitress confided that the amount of asparagus in the kitchen had dwindled to practically none, and would we mind having green beans instead? Naturally, we agreed.
Seven different types of nigiri
The next dish was called Omakase Nigiri (NIS 128), which consisted of seven different kinds of nigiri (raw slices of fish served on a ball of spiced rice). There was one with smoked salmon, one with red pepper, and my favorite, a parcel of nori seaweed filled with “caviar.” Several others featured the otoro of tuna again.
As we were still a little bit hungry – all this raw fish is not that filling – we each ate a gyoza (NIS 63 for chicken, and NIS 68 for beef). These are kreplach-like parcels with frilly edges and not only look pretty but taste great, too.
We felt we must sample a dessert. Since our last visit, the dessert menu has grown exponentially from being just mochi (ice cream in a dough) to including what was listed as apple pie, and also a plate of chocolate frozen fudgy things. The pie was served in a bowl and was more a crumble than a pie, but it was a very good dessert.
We left Minato after eating what was quite a large amount of food, but not feeling stuffed or bloated in any way. That’s the great thing about Japanese food – it’s not just delicious but somehow light and easy to digest.
Minato, which means “harbor” in Japanese, is a great place for dining out, and how lucky we are to have authentic Japanese food almost on our doorstep.
Minato
8 Hamenofim
Herzliya Pituah
Tel: (09) 773-1703
Open: Sun.-Thurs., noon to 11 p.m.; Friday, closed; Saturday night, from one hour after Shabbat
Kashrut: Herzliya Rabbinate
Wheelchair accessible
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
