Basic Info:
Authentic Japanese food by a Japanese chef. Nice, modern ambiance. Low seating available too. Good alcohol. You're not going to regret this.
Located in the heart of Bangalore, Harima is a great option for Japanese food lovers- both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There are enough opitions for both. Keeping the over all experience in mind, I would say the food is well priced. Harima's menu is VAST. There are items like the tempura (basically fried vegetables) for those who want to be on the safe side and a good variety of seafood for the experimental ones.
They've got huge windows and at night decorative lights are lit outside the restaurant, quite clearly visible from any of the tables. I would say if you're good at chopsticks, take your date to Harima at least once, for it looks quite romantic at night. If you're not too great with chopsticks, you can ask for a fork though.
Oh, and another good thing about the restaurant, the menu contains the Japanese names of the food items and the detailed descriptions of each of them in English. Very helpful. They try their best to make you comfortable with Japanese food.
The staff and the service are really good too. You'll feel like coming again. Ah, I can go on.
Food:
Ok, I tried two types of veg sushi here some time back, but I don't remember which now. All I remember is that it tasted really good and I wanted to come back for more. The sake was well made and went quite well with the food.
Today we tried the lunch menu. You can choose two entrees, which will be served with miso soup, salad, rice, and mashed seasoned potatoes. All for Rs350 (or was it 300? I'm not sure).
For my entrees, I picked vegetable tempura and Tamago Yaki (omelette rolls). Each and every item was delicious. I can not fault anything. Cooked and served to perfection. Very filling. Very healthy too. And for once, I was satisfied with the portion size.
My friend tried the prawn tempura, which was really great too.
We wanted sushi too, but since it was around 3 pm, they told us it can not be made available, which is quite sad because after a long time I had felt like having fish (I've been an on and off vegetarian all my life and sometimes I switch back for no rhyme or reason).
Anyway, for dessert, we tried the pancake sandwich with mashed red beans and vanilla ice cream. The pancakes were nice and puffy and soft and fresh, the red beans just sweet. With respect to taste, it was nothing special, but the textures were really nice. I was expecting the red beans to taste a little exotic, but they just tasted sweet.
One thing I liked about the dessert was the yellow vanilla ice cream. So far, I've seen only the best French restaurants serve pale yellow vanilla ice cream. Apparently it's supposed to have egg in it. It tastes pretty much the same as its white sister but it just gives me the vibe that my food is being taked seriously.
I guess I needn't say it, but I was impressed by Harima in every way and strongly recommend it.
Finally, for a tip, I'll quote wikipedia:
"Before eating, most dining places will provide either a hot or cold towel or a plastic-wrapped wet napkin (an oshibori). This is for cleaning hands before eating (and not after). It is rude to use them to wash the face or any part of the body other than the hands though some Japanese men use their oshibori to wipe their faces in less formal places."
They do give out a cold towel. Please keep this in mind. :)
Alcohol:Yes, lots
Meal for two: Rs 1000-1500 ($20-30) approximately
Value for money: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
For pics, check out:
http://gahkeepquiet.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-harima-residency-road-bangalore.html
rituchandra
