N Japanese Bistrot
92, Strait Street
Valletta
Tel: 2730 0781

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Google’s search predictions reveal quite a lot about what the world is thinking. I can’t recall what it was I was searching for this week, but I was struck by the suggestion that Google had for me. Based on the gazillion of daily searches, it helpfully asked if I was searching for a way ‘to live forever’.

This means that many, many people have had this intention. Apart from the futility of the pursuit, it makes one wonder why anyone would live for so long. Many people I know are at a loss when they’re faced with a Saturday afternoon that has no definite plans to it. What would they occupy their time with for an entire eternity? I think I know as many people who are driven by predictability as I know those who are easily bored and seek constant distraction.

Take the number of restaurants that have a menu based on ‘pasta, pizza, salads and grill’. They are basically serving a spread that’s comforting in its safety. I’m betting that the most popular items sold there are chicken breast, salmon steak, and ribeye. While this sort of dining is fine for many, I’m too easily bored to consider it.

This is not a value judgement. I get that we’re individuals who are carving out our own paths based on what provides thrill, comfort, or a healthy blend of both. I’m boring when it comes to clothing, for instance. It is a practicality that I get out of my way early in the day and I’m sure that those thrilled by the prospects of expressing themselves via their outfits would find my habits unbearably tedious. Well, to each their own.

Luckily, and it would be tough to write this column otherwise, I seek excitement in the dishes that are placed in front of me. And just as fortuitous is the seemingly constant pace at which different restaurants are popping up all over the place.

Valletta is experiencing a concentration of this effect. As efforts to prop up the city are backed by a steady stream of investment, restaurants of all shapes and sizes are popping up. I’m not complaining. If I can go to a tiny place like The Submarine and have a sandwich with Porchetta di Ariccia for lunch, all is fine with the masterplan as it deviates from the Grandmasters intended.

Surely, they hadn’t predicted what would happen to Strait Street. The intersection with Old Theatre street, for instance, has transformed into more of a tourist trap than a culinary hotspot but who am I to argue with the dictates of easy revenue?

Further down and further up Strait street is where interesting things happen and the place I’d been itching to try is called N Japanese Bistrot. I expected behaviour I’d experienced in Japan so I went there thinking it would be worth queuing for. They’ve gone the Western way here – you have to call and make a reservation in advance.

The tiny dining space inside is designed and finished with the beautifully ascetic aesthetic that we associate with Japanese interiors, employing natural wood to create a soothing space. There are also a couple of tables on a platform outside the restaurant and we booked one of these.

The menu is quite simple – there is a page of food that covers smaller sharing dishes and salads, deep fried items, and what passes for main courses. The other page is devoted entirely to Sake.

Exercising restraint is a tough call. You know the dishes are going to be quite small compared with the giant bowls of pasta we’re used to, so it’s tempting to order as many of them as you think the table can handle.

Food is served in the Japanese tradition

The man who appears to be running the front of house is incredibly well suited to the task. He knows the food, he knows the sake, and he has heaps of personality so we instantly felt like we were in a pair of very capable hands. We discussed the food and made the agonising choice of Sake. Well, I did. The better half was sticking with wine.

We placed our order for food and drinks, adding a bottle of Asahi for good measure, and settled in to enjoy this quiet part of the city.

Food is served in the Japanese tradition, with dishes arriving as they are prepared rather than split into the formality of starter and main courses. The first to arrive was a marinated egg. It had been smoked and marinated, two processes that work exceptionally well with the fatty yolk.

Next up was a bowl of marinated fried fish with bell peppers and onions, topped with fresh spring onion. The spread of flavour balances what I guess is a ponzu based dressing for a ripe, tart sweetness that’s equally savoury. It manages to cover most of the olfactory spectrum without assaulting any of it. If one is expecting a Westernised version of Japanese food, one can likely be disappointed. Approach these dishes with an open mind and an open palate and prepare for a delightful experience.

The sushi platter covered the range of fish that’s usually available to us. The rice is simply on point and this forms the basis for exceptional sushi. I have rarely eaten such accomplished sushi this far from its country of origin. I am not one to order sushi because it inevitably disappoints but this is the real deal. Order the right Sake to go with it and you’re in sushi heaven.

The final two dishes were pork belly and fried calamari. I’d ordered a bowl of steamed rice to go with all my food. It is a little like having a bowl of sliced bread with you, where you take a bite of meat or fish and have a small mouthful of rice with it. My rice hadn’t turned up and all the food I’d ordered was at table so I asked for it. It was at table within seconds.

The pork belly tastes beautiful, steeped in a savoury, shoyu-based broth but the slow cooking went awry and the meat was chewy to a point of annoyance. I really didn’t expect the kitchen to mess up such a cornerstone and, judging by the rest of the food we’d been served, I chalked this up to a mistake on the night.

The fried calamari are good but not special. I was somehow expecting more of a tempura type exterior. The batter is thin and oily, more of what I’d expect of an Izakaya – the restaurants that serve food to go with plenty of beer. So, in Izakaya style, I picked at the squid and drank all my beer.

By the time we’d polished off our plates and tipped all our liquids down our throats we had reached that comfortable point of having eaten just enough without feeling weighed down by the meal. We paid a shade of €70 for the lot, which is probably on the mark for the quality and quantity of food. My intent is to return and explore a little more of the menu, possibly going heavier on the sushi next time, and definitely taking a tour of the Sake.

For a Japanese restaurant, the place that I will simply call N has sought a delicate balance. The food is prepared and served in a traditional method while sticking to dishes that are more easily presented to a Western palate. I’d be curious to know how the market would react to regional specialities that we have not yet been exposed to. I suppose I’ll have to keep tabs on the place. Seeing I won’t live for ever, I might as well explore all I can while I roam this earth and N is shaping up to be an excellent place to do so.