Mimigar

Mimigar at the Gallery Hotel is an izakaya; a Japanese pub serving small plates of food and alcohol, much like a Spanish tapas bar. And a worthy one at that.

It’s a cosy space, from the bar counter, chefs can be seen preparing items from the menu of salty eats. The food is Okinawan, hence dominated by pork, a sign of Chinese influence.

The menu is detailed and exotic, as demonstrated by our 15-plus chosen dishes: we started off with a passable okonomiyaki ($14), a Japanese pancake with toppings of cabbage, octopus, cheese and salmon. The flat dish is piled on with bonito flakes and drizzled with mayonnaise and a fruit sauce not unlike Worcestershire sauce. Sadly, the dish was only passable despite the numerous ingredients; perhaps the batter needed more seasoning.

This, and the crab croquettes ($9) with a soft potato and cream center helped line our stomachs for the izakaya ritual of alternate drinks and food that followed.

Squid ink noodles: Better than mama's

We could not resist the pork belly, an Okinawan speciality done two ways: cooked until fork-tender in a sweet soya sauce and another cured in salt then grilled.

Vegetable lovers would take to the bittergourd and ladies fingers ($7 each). Both stir-fried with beaten egg and pork, these chanpuru (‘mixed’)-styled dishes are reminiscent of Chinese home-cooked fare that hit home with us.

Noodles on the menu came bathed in a rich and tasty thick black squid ink sauce ($17), easily beating any Italian restaurant’s version. The seasonal tempura sweet potato sticks ($15) are sweet and nutty, while the deep fried seaweed dumplings (aosa tempura, $9) are redolent of the ocean.

Unfortunately the Mimigar Ponzu (pig’s ear in a tart citrus-based sauce, $8) was a let-down. It came thinly slivered and meagrely tossed with bean sprouts in a sour ponzu sauce. The shreds were so fine they were hard to find among the sprouts.

We washed it down with the comforting barely-set yushi tofu soup (fluffy tofu soup, $10) and zenzai ($8), a Japanese version of the ice kachang studded with soft chewy rice cakes.

In all, an experience like this is not cheap – costing about $50 a head, excluding drinks. 

Yushi tofu soup

Must tries: Braised and grilled pork belly, squid ink noodles, sweet potato tempura, bitter gourd and ladies fingers chanpuru, Yushi tofu soup
Ratings: Ambience: 4/5; Food: 4/5; Service: 3/5; Value for money: 3/5
Okinawa Mimigar
#01-03, The Gallery Hotel, 1 Nanson Road
Tel: 6235 1511

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