108 sleeps

All I can think about is food; food of the Asian variety. Tom yum goong, shiitake dashi ramen, agedashi dofu, dim sum, gai lan, miso soup, Peking roast duck, tuna nigiri … argh!!! I want it all! [Drools; clutches heart; falls over backwards]

I had an impromptu fabulous Minato sushi dinner with Mrs Starke, Jools, Barbarella and B followed by an after-dinner drink at Julep that had one of the best music spinners I have heard in years. That man was mixing an awesome blend of blues, funk, soul and early-Prince-ish-style stuff. You couldn’t help but groove along in your seat.

Minato has achieved a legendary status in Cape Town, definitely because of the food but equally because of the chef. The restaurant has been going for at least 10 years. Given the combination of Minato-san’s fiery temper, the complete lack of stylistic decor and Cape Town’s general fickleness (downright pomposity on occasion), one should be surprised that it has lasted this long.

Minato-san has been known to throw all of his patrons out at 9pm on a Friday; only two waitresses service the entire restaurant; he has blacklisted people who have ‘insulted’ his food; he does not allow anyone under the age of 12 in the restaurant; you must book in advance; there are signs, handwritten scrawls on white typing paper, along the corridor from the main entrance to the restaurant that say things like “Order everything at once” and “No changes”. He makes the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld look like a walk in the park. The décor includes such gems as a laminated poster of sushi and an old kimono. The restaurant has no windows. The wine list is limited. The tables are cramped.

The food makes it all worth it. The agedashi dofu melts in your mouth, they serve thick, fresh portions of nigiri, the inside-out crunch roll is ToDieFor. Some of the swishier, swankier, “must-be-seen” joints in Cape Town should sit up and take note (I’m talking to you, Bel- and Wak- and even, I daresay, KG). Minato does sushi and Minato does sushi right. I completely understand why some people will stand outside in torrential rain, clutching the iron-gate entrance to the restaurant with a look of quiet desperation in their eyes, waiting for Minato-san’s “Ok. Come!”

Alas, Minato-san is no longer part of Minato. Apparently he sold a while ago. The food is the same, the décor is the same, there as still only two waiters for the restaurant… but… but… we were allowed to place our miso soup orders before ordering our sushi mains. Who knew that you would see that day?