Ishimi 石見
Add: 991 Beijing Lu, near Nanhui Lu / 北京路991号, 近南汇路
Tel: 6217 9872
Hours: [lunch] 10:30am-2pm [dinner] 7:30-10:30pm
Price: 200~250 RMB/person
Visited: Aug 2012
A discreet little Japanese restaurant on Beijing Xi Lu with friendly service and simple, authentic dishes. The menu is only in Japanese, so ask the waitresses for recommendations if you need, or take a look at what we ordered below for some ideas.
Appetizer, okra with some kind of crunchy slimy vegetable (a type of seaweed?) bathed in vinegar sauce. Very tasty and totally woke up our palates.
牛肉と水菜サラダ (60 RMB), beef & mizuna salad in sesame sauce.
鰹たたき (85 RMB), katsuo tataki – lightly torched skipjack tuna with garlic and chopped scallions in vinegar sauce.
築前煮 (50 RMB), Chikuzen-style braised vegetables: taro, lotus root, bamboo shoots, carrots, snap peas, and mushrooms cooked in a dashi-mirin broth.
カニ春菊かき揚げ (65 RMB), crab & crown daisy tempura.
ロールキャベッツ (50 RMB), pork cabbage roll. This one is amazing, must order.
牛和風スデーキとゆかりとろろ (85 RMB), Japanese-style steak with grated mountain yam and plum. A version without the mountain yam is also available for those who don’t like its sticky texture. The beef was very tender, though a bit on the bland side.
鶏みそ炙り焼 (55 RMB), miso grilled chicken.
にぎり盛り合せ (230 RMB), nigiri sushi platter. Mediocre quality.
あじなめろう (60 RMB), Namerou-style jack mackerel, chopped and mixed with shiso, ginger, and scallions. Very salty, order with rice.
松茸ご飯 (80 RMB), matsutake mushroom rice. Fragrant, light.
にゅうめん (50 RMB), light soup noodle.
The dishes at Ishimi are simple and comforting. I liked almost everything we ordered, and the only ones that I probably won’t order again are the chopped mackerel (a bit fishy and very salty), nigiri sushi (mediocre quality), and perhaps the noodle soup (not bad, just not memorable). Dinner turned out to be around 200 RMB per head – not cheap, but I suppose it’s about right for Shanghai standards.
