Shakariki 432 on 2nd Road

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Shakariki 432 is a relatively new Japanese restaurant on 2nd Road, about 100 meters north of the intersection with Pattaya Tai. It's an izakaya, which in Japan ia an informal "drinking restaurant" where food accompanies the booze. It's a bit like a tapas bar, except the food is more substantial than snacks or finger-food. The customers at Japanese izakaya generally start out with lighter dishes and progress to more substantial fare.

There are different kinds of izakaya in Japan (the word translates as "sit-down sake shop") and Skakariki 432 is billed as Osaka style. The cuisine of Osaka is noted for dishesmade from wheat flour (savory pancakes, grilled filled dumplings, thick noodles, etc.) ; skewers of grilled meat; and beef dishes.

Sharariki 432 is a chain restaurant with branches in Japan, Bangkok and now Pattaya. It's clear from the signage, mostly in Japanese and Thai, that it's making a play for Asian visitors and residents of Pattaya. I doubt the izakaya concept will catch on with a significant number of plain-vanilla farang. The ones who do eat there will be looking for a casual Japanese meal and not the full izakaya experience What will bring me back is the huge menu, which features some dishes not available at other Japanese restaurants in Pattaya.

I started out with a mug of draft Asahi (95 baht) and seaweed salad (60 baht). It wasn't an original choice, but chuka wakame has always been a favorite of mine.

I followed that up with sunomono moriawase (mixed seafood salad) at 150 baht. Again, not an original choice, but I really enjoy the vinegary taste of the seafood. and it's a standard starter for me in Japanese restaurants.

I then had oumi gyu tataki, or seared Omi beef on a bed of raw onions, with sliced garlic, chopped scallions and fish roe as accents and a dish of ponzu (soy sauce ad citrus vinegar) for dipping..

The very rare, almost raw, slices of sirloin were exremely tender and had a delicate but distinct beef flavor.

This in't the right post to get into all the intricacies, but Omi is third -ranking type of Japanese beef, trailing Kobe and Matsuzaka.. The beef I had wasn't top-grade (A5) by Japanese standards, but it was cetainly high-grade. The best grade of wagyu (Japanese beef) would be wasted in a seared dish.

I then had a bowl of kasu udon to round off the meal. It was a generous portion of soft, thick wheat noodles in a beef broth with vegetables and what the menu called beef innards- offal or organ meat, including small pieces of cow intestine. It was delicious. The cost was 200 baht..

Tax of 7% and a service charge of 5% was added to the bill. It wasn't a cheap meal, but a reasonable price in terms of the quality. Bottom line: I'll be back to try some of the Osaka-specific specialities.

Some interior shots:

Evil

[teelack 9,640]

Thanks for the review. I will make sure that I never wander into the place! Sorry but this simply isnt my type of cuisine.

[Harvey 249]

Asahi super dry (nama biru) - on draft. My fave beer!

 

:-)

 

I'm dropping by next month.

[BigDUSA 71]

Asahi super dry (nama biru) - on draft. My fave beer!

 

:-)

 

I'm dropping by next month.

Same goes for me except I won't be in Pattaya next month. Asahi is my favorite Asian beer.

Edited May 17, 2015 by BigDUSA

[cbrib 354]

Looks good. Another great review Evil, thanks for taking the time!

[Bear194 51]

Great review Evil - will definitely try this place before heading home.

[Dungheap 243]

Excellent review Evil and spot on with your izakaya analysis.

 

The menu at these sort of joints is usually huge with heaps of variety, even for Teelack! :)

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Last night I ate again at Shakariki 432, this time with a farang friend. We were there at 8 p.m. and the restaurant was fairly busy, with 10 other customers besides the two of us. We were the only farang, the others were Japanese or Thai.

I had okonomiyaki, a savory, filled pancake that is a specialty of Osaka . Many times Westerners only think of Japanese cuisine in terms of sushi and maybe tempura, but of course there's vastly more that's worth trying.



The cross-hatch topping is Japanese mayonnaise, which has a softer, lighter taste than its U.S. equivalent but is largely appreciated by Japanese diners for its silky "mouth feel."





Despite its substantial appearance, the okonomiyaki wasn't heavy Identifying the individual items that had been folded into the batter was difficult, it seemed to be mostly vegetables.





I then had a bowl of finely chopped raw tuna and scallions over rice. Fresh and subtly seasoned, it was nevertheless a filling dish thanks to the rice.







My friend had the "tomato salad," was in fact three nicely sliced tomatoes. Presentation is important part of Japanese cuisine I tasted a slice of the tomato.




It was OK, but should have had more flavor to be able to stand alone in that fashion. It's odd that in a wet, tropical country with plenty of sun, tomatos grown in Thailand are so insipid.



He then had the shrimp tempura over rice, which he thought was excellent. Another good meal at Shakariki 432 and I'll be back for more.



Evil

Edited May 20, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

EP, it looks fantastic. I can't wait to try it.

 

I'm impressed with your knowledge of Japanese food.