Great and affordable wagyu at Japanese restaurant SHIN
A5 Wagyu at restaurant SHIN in Rotterdam
Nasu SHIN and Sakura Hanafubuki Martini at restaurant SHIN
Matcha Parfait and Ikemen Handsome Guy at restaurant SHIN
The Japanese borders may have opened up on October 11, but thanks to restaurant SHIN you can enjoy Japanese cuisine right here in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. At SHIN, owners Tony and Nanako share all their favourite dishes (like the affordable wagyu) and drinks, prepared by a certified chef from Japan, with the public. In July this year, SHIN, a Japanese tapas bar and matcha café in izakaya style, opened its doors on the Rodezand in Rotterdam Center. This brand new concept is created by entrepreneurs Tony and Nanako, who also own the popular Japanese ramen restaurant Ajisan on the Coolsingel.
2 minutes read
Affordable wagyu in the Netherlands
In Japan, Tony and Nanako always enjoy wagyu, high-quality Japanese beef. Tony: “Anyone who eats wagyu immediately falls in love with this dish.” The couple soon noticed that there are only a handful of restaurants in the Netherlands that offer real wagyu, and if they do, it is often unaffordable. That is why they made the choice to import the highest certified A5 wagyu from Kagoshima, Japan and to offer it at SHIN at the buying price. Tony: “We offer our affordable wagyu for 38 euros. Normally it’s at least double that price. We have chosen not to make a profit on this dish so that it is more accessible for our visitors to taste real Japanese wagyu. And also to fall in love with it, like us.”
New menu of restaurant SHIN
After working with a soft opening menu for the first three months, restaurant SHIN now comes with a new menu. The new menu offers more diversity in the dishes with more typical Japanese flavour profiles. “At first we were afraid that the taste of the dishes was a bit too distinct for the taste palette of the Dutch public. But during the soft opening we noticed that many guests come to us especially to try the typical Japanese flavors,” Tony explains. He adds: “That gives us the confidence to experiment with classic flavors and give it our own spin.”
A small selection of the new dishes, all prepared by a Japanese chef: Japanese cold tapas, such as the delicious Japanese spinach salad (Ohitashi), new fish dishes such as Hokkaiko Scallop Carpaccio, Salmon Miso Butter Foil-Yaki and Odén, a Japanese stew of fishcake and vegetables in homemade dashi broth. More dishes are also available for lunch, such as three types of Japanese sandos and the extensive SHIN Teishoku Lunch set, where you get a main course, a small side dish and a salad.
As a matcha café, the Matcha Parfait could not be missed on the menu. Two special desserts have been added to this: the Matcha Tiramisu and SHIN Strawberry Shortcake, both of which have limited availability.
Japanese whiskeys and Japanese cocktails with a twist
The drinks menu features many different types of Japanese whiskey, such as the popular Hibiki and local whiskeys made with groundwater from the Fuji Mountain area. To introduce customers to Japanese whiskey, the new menu also includes a flight of Japanese whiskey. In addition, there is even a whole new menu with different variations on the Old Fashioned cocktail. You can also drink classic cocktails here with a twist, such as the MojiTokyo with Japanese sake for an extra taste sensation or the Matcha Martini, made with matcha powder.
The bartenders are given complete freedom to experiment and regularly work outside the menu. For example, customers can indicate which flavors they like, and then receive a personalized drink. SHIN also offers fantastic non-alcoholic refreshments such as the Yuzu Mockjito, a virgin mojito or I Hate You!, a purple iced tea with yuzu puree.
We already wrote about the opening in June but this little article gives way more details.
Website: Restaurant SHIN
