Shinji For Lunch

I've never been able to make it to lunch anywhere with anyone for years. It always has to be dinner, and at a later timing of after 8.15pm. These 3 weeks, I've had the time to fix up many leisurely lunch appointments, and do dinner at 7.30pm. *happy sigh

This is the first time I've made it to lunch at Shinji. It's still nice, but I always prefer the vibe of a dinner somehow, wherever. Lunch was good today, as usual. I like the traditional style of the food here. No newfangled strange combinations. A fitting end to 2010, so to speak.

By now, Chef Oshino remembers that I don't like wasabi in nigiri sushi. I prefer my sushi without it because I like the taste of the rice here as well. The texture of it and the flavors of the fish mesh well enough not to have other sharp tints interfering. I don't mind wasabi, but I'm very particular about it, and will rather not have it if it isn't done well, or god forbid, out of a tube. If I do indulge, it'll be just a touch on the sashimi with the tiniest drop of soy will suffice.

The chefs at Shinji accede to my request for a tinier-than-normal portion of rice for the sushi. Otherwise I can't fit in a decent amount of food in the stomach! So I haven't mustered up the courage to ask them to for a kombu onigiri. They might just smack me. Next time. I'll do that on the next visit.