Nara Chinese Restaurant

Orient Restaurant in Nara,
serving Japanese Food.
2F along the left of the Perpendicular Street from the Main Pedestrian Street,
on the Road to Todaiji from Nara Station
There.

We were strolling along this atrium-way of restaurants and stalls lined up in a street perpendicular of the main road that leads from the Station to Todaiji, and all of a sudden we stopped at a window with yummy-looking plastic food. It's all plastic food in windows, by the way.

We journeyed up to the 2nd Floor of this building and found a Chinese establishment, fanciful with Venetian plaster of red-ochre and little niches of art lights with cubist shelves displaying the tea culture of Japanese life. The place was popular, and more classy than most. It definitely looked more like a Thai Fusion restaurant atmosphere than Korean. The music playing was more popular, not a string instrument like most zen tatami mat nooks.

I remember that here... the food was delicious in a single dish. My date ordered an udon bowl with egg, and I went all out and ordered the sashimi dish I saw in the window, and boy was I excited.

The interiors are quite inviting... yes?

Seafood Salad
Prawn, Ahi Sashimi on a bed of lettuce
in Carrot, Ginger, Scallion vinegar dressing with tomatoes and wontons.
Oh my goodness, this dressing, I crave it often. There is also a sort of honey mustard mixed in I feel, or maybe it's just the ginger.miso. Whatever it is, I'd love the recipe. The ahi here -- my first true piece of ahi sashimi in Japan -- brought me to zone out and smile in pure satisfaction of experiencing the real thing in the place or origin.

These cube shelves dividing the rooms were an art of appreciation for me.
We had a lovely experience here, and the lighting was perfect. There is an 18" spot on each of the tables, recessed from above. Halogen. I am sad to say it... but I was truly becoming a bit ill by all of the unfortunate fluorescents dampening the appearance of most restaurant -- and shrine -- interiors. I know it's energy efficient, but the appearance of most things were very much distorted in the light. Here, the light is flattering for all things.

I paid somewhat around $13 for this lunch. It must have been around 1100 yen. It was worth it. Delicious salad, and it left me feeling well fed and ready off to the next adventure.