Heaving a mallet into the air, we slam it back down with a thud.
We’re at Inakaya, a Japanese robatayaki (grill) in Venetian Village in the grounds of
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal.
We never expected to have to work for our dinner, but we’re making mochi – glutinous, pounded rice.
Diners take our photo, and this sums up Inakaya – because it’s not only a place to eat, but a stage to perform.
Chefs in headscarves bang wooden blocks together to encourage the rice pounder, and shout “irasshaimase” – welcome – when guests enter. So don’t visit on a discreet date… Go in a group, and give the chefs a run for their money.
The décor is as authentic as the experience. Think origami, calligraphy, drums and bottles of rice grape. The cuisine is on the same page: more fish with bones and eyes the size of egg yolks than cream cheese sushi.
We start with seared tuna salad. It’s delicious, but there’s not enough peanut sauce to flavour the leaves. We also try the root vegetable satoimo, baked in its skin, but it’s mushy and flavourless, although the eringi mushrooms are moist.
The special sashimi – tuna yellowtail, medium fatty tuna, seabass and salmon – is soft and succulent, while the dragon eel sushi with avocado is also moreish. We’re intrigued by the futomaki nori roll, made with eel, prawns, egg custard and kanpyo (dried gourd), but we can’t taste the egg custard or eel – our favourite.
The black cod fillet, marinated for four days and grilled with saikyo-miso, is a dish we’ll remember. It’s so soft it falls apart. The pole-caught kinme-dai, or golden eye snapper,
is just as memorable. Inch-thick and grilled whole, it’s flavoured with salt and that’s all it needs. The chefs fillet it, but it’s not for the squeamish.
To finish, we sample the mochi we made, flecked with powdered green tea and teamed with ginger and yuzu citrus sorbet.
DETAILS
Location: Venetian Village, in the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
We say: An authentic experience
Cost: AED 800 for two with soft drinks
Opening times: Daily 6.30pm-11pm
Contact: 02 404 1921 www.venetianvillage.ae
