Welcome to DonDon!
J and I decided to meet up after work for a serious overdue story time.
Food and stories - just what we needed.
At an izakaya, everything is tapa-styled so it's best if you go in a large group so you can try more dishes. Since it was just us two, we decided on the following 5 dishes.
1. Beef Bowl | beef, onion, sesame, rice
Starting off with a traditional dish that we knew. It was a little dry with too many ginger slices. I'm not a fan of ginger but those who are would definitely enjoy this mix!
2. Stir-Fried Seafood Noodle
This was so delicious!! I love pan-fried Japanese noodles. I don't think I've ever had a bad experience with them. What I liked most about this dish was the bonito flakes. It looked like the dish was alive! So awesome.
3. Spicy Grilled Squid | squid and ginger
I've recently starting enjoying squid, but only when it is grilled. It wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be but the sauce was still delicious. Needless to say, I didn't touch the ginger on the side :P
4. Smoky Hay Sashimi (Salmon)
The smokey hay sashimi dish is when they sear the fish over burning hay. They do it right at their bar and make it a mini show. While they sear it over that huge fire, someone is constantly banging on drums and yelling LOL I wish I got to take a video of it but this photo will do.
To pair the sashimi, you get garlic, onions and salt.
You're supposed to put it all together like this:
And dip it in soy sauce.
Verdict: super delicious but super salty. I don't like raw onions nor have I ever eaten slices of garlic, but I'd say it actually goes well with the salmon. The fish actually had a smokey flavour to it, which I enjoyed.
I would definitely order this dish again! I just wish they gave more pieces :(
5. DonDon Special Black Croquette | breadcrumbs, shrimp, and mayonnaise with a side of ketchup
This was definitely the most interesting dish that we got. J and I decided to be adventurous and try the weirdest looking one on the menu and... It was special indeed. It doesn't look appealing but it basically tasted like a mozzarella cheese stick, in my opinion.
Overall, it was a great meal. It was rather loud and hard to talk over all the banging of the drums and constant yelling, but it was all part of the experience that I enjoyed.
Until next time!
