Sharing the same soi as the more well-known Ramentei, Custard Nakamura and Fuji Supermarket, it is, at first, difficult to understand why Nishimura has relatively less traffic despite its slogan “yummy food, at cheap prices.” However, at this inconspicuous izakaya (a Japanese drinking restaurant), one soon realizes that the adjective “cheap” applies to both the prices and the quality of the food. The thick menu offers an assortment of izakaya stalwarts from pickles and skewers to karaage (bite-sized deep-fried meat) and donburi (rice dishes with savory toppings), most of which, unfortunately, are insipid and unpalatable. A word of warning: when you go to a Japanese restaurant and hear a waitress say, “Bring me some takoyaki from that box” or “Grab that fish from the fridge for me, will you?” you should take it as a sign to get up and leave. The plump takoyaki looks delicious, but turns to tasteless, gluey, elastic things in your mouth. Cuttlefish with natto, the stinking fermented soybeans, is an acquired taste—but you won’t want to build up your tolerance here. Disastrous cooking continues in the form of grilled beef with soy sauce. Not only do the thin strips of beef arrive cold, they have no flavor and are overcooked and chewy. However, with arduous digging, you can find a few decent items in the fish section. The shima hokke (grilled Atka mackerel) might spend a bit too much time on the grill, but offers a pleasant salty fullness. Served atop half-melted ice, salmon sashimi is the only dish truly succulent and fresh enough to soothe the mounting irritation. And if you like to dine in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, you’ll probably have the restaurant, equipped with a TV tuned to NHK channel, a sushi bar and a handful of Japanese-style low tables, to yourself. Service is a notch slower than one might expect in such an empty dining room and servers regularly leave the food on the counter, letting it cool down before serving. Look at the bright side: no tipping. Corkage B200.
