{"id":10105,"date":"2017-05-11T09:31:06","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T09:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flash.hr\/?p=10105\/"},"modified":"2017-07-03T16:02:03","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T16:02:03","slug":"takenoko-touch-japan-in-the-center-zagreb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flash.hr\/en\/2017\/05\/takenoko-touch-japan-in-the-center-zagreb\/","title":{"rendered":"TAKENOKO – A TOUCH OF JAPAN IN THE CENTER OF ZAGREB"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t seem to make a gastro lady out of Irena. Every time we come to a restaurant, she orders a hamburger or, in best case, fried squeed with inevitable french fries. I was trying to think of a place where there are no fries and burgers and I thought of a Japanese restaurant Takenoko. They just moved to a new location on Masarykova street 22 and that was a great opportunity to turn a simple country girl into an urban lady.<\/p>\n

I phoned her and said: \u201cIrena, I\u2019m taking you out for sushi!\u201d<\/p>\n

Irena:\u201dIs sushi that raw Chinese thing? I\u2019ll be sick if I eat that!\u201d<\/p>\n

I had to restrain myself from killing her. I told her politely: \u201cWear something oriental and let\u2019s eat. You\u2019ll like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO, Massarykova 22, Zagreb; Source: Takenoko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
TAKENOKO, Massarykova 22, Zagreb; Source: Takenoko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The restaurant really looked phenomenal and Irena looked even better in her oriental edition (maybe because of the bird nest on her head, but in any case, it was her most asian look so far).<\/p>\n

The kind waiter asked us if we would like an aperitif and as if Keith Richards spoke through her, Irena eagerly asked for two shots of schnapps.<\/p>\n

I was so embarrassed. I told her: \u201cYou\u2019re not in your village now, woman! We\u2019re not going to order moonshine. \u201c I apologized in her behalf and ordered SAKE – Kikusi Junmai Ginjo (I explained to her that Sake is a traditional Japanese rice wine which has a bit of a schnapps flavor). She only heard the word schnapps and she was happy. Since she comes from a heavily drinking region of the country, she asked the waiter to leave the whole bottle to the table.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
TAKENOKO Irena drinks Japanese schnapps for the 1st time. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For appetizer we chose fried scallops breaded in panko crumbs and rolled beefsteak with daikon and truffles.<\/p>\n

Crunchy, yet soft, creamy with aromatic truffles, scallops were just melting in our mouths. I told Irena that the Japanese say Itadakimasu before the meal. She said: \u201cIta-duck me what now? Don\u2019t be a know it all, just shut up and eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Fried scallops, breaded in panko crumbs with truffles; Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Irena was having a hard time eating something that didn\u2019t use to walk on four legs so she immediately grabbed the steak rolls and said: \u201cJoe! This is excellent!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Rolled beefsteak with daikon and truffles. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Irena used the chopsticks only for the photoshoot. Namely, her parents would have disowned her if she had not used the proper cutlery. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The amazing appetizer was fallowed by a plate of Nigiri Sushi, Philadelphia rolls with infallible wasabi (I explained to Irena that it was a spicy Japanese horseradish because she already went for it like an orphan for a second plate of food), ginger, soy sauce and one Gunkan nigiri sushi with salmon caviar.<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Sushi plate. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Irena eats raw fish. And….now. Yes, just now her parents have officially disowned her. \ud83d\ude42 Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When someone who eats burgers all the time enjoys sushi like a German enjoys beer at Octoberfest, then you know that sushi is great. The plate was phenomenal, as were the crunchy prawns we ordered alongside it, just in case. You\u2019re not you when you\u2019re hungry and that applies to Irena especially. My guess is she has tapeworms. She could eat all day and night.<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO – the chef Motohiko Mochizuko brings out Kataifi prawns. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Kataifi prawns. Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even though everything was going great, Irena seemed nervous. I saw she was troubled. She was drinking wine, lost in her thoughts.<\/p>\n

\"TAKENOKO<\/a>
TAKENOKO Irena after her third glass, as if wondering: “Am I an alcoholic or do I just like the wine?” Photo: Josip Novosel, Flash.hr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I asked nicely: \u201cWhat the fuck is wrong, dear?\u201d She said: \u201cI think someone cursed me. Must be this cashier lady Ivana. I know she hates me. I need a black cat and a bats wing to get rid of my troubles but where can I find those now?\u201d I said: \u201cA black cat and a bats wing? Have you been living under a rock this whole time? No one uses those anymore. They\u2019re totally out of style and they were also proven to be useless. Pure placebo if it actually works. You are well aware that I\u2019m a village champion in getting rid of curses or even casting some from time to time. One time a cashier named Helga cast a curse on me and trust me, I didn\u2019t get rid of it easily. Those cashier women are a fucking pain. I will use a snob way of taking the curse off. Old school.\u201d So I ordered a plate of fresh truffles and liquid smoke. I can\u2019t tell you the mantras I had to say but you can see what it looked like on the video. Later on, Irena was thanking me and also admitted that Chucherye (in case you don\u2019t know where that is, it\u2019s the biggest fucking shithole under the Zagreb mountain.) school was the best in the world for getting rid of curses.<\/p>\n