Next an “psychological roller coaster” of a 12 months that saw both of his dining establishments close, Seattle chef and current “Prime Chef: Portland” contender Shota Nakajima is officially bringing again his beloved Capitol Hill cafe Taku.
The Osaka avenue food restaurant closed in March 2020 at the commencing of the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened briefly with a takeout model in advance of closing yet again indefinitely. Now, the wooden shutters are eventually coming off as the restaurant prepares for its reopening on May well 5.
The recently reopened space proper in the heart of Capitol Hill will have a menu concentrated on Japanese 2 times-fried rooster recognised as karaage. For Nakajima, the menu is a return to the comfort foods of his youth spent in Japan.
“My beloved lunch expanding up was my mom’s chicken karaage and rice,” Nakajima stated in a information release. “The nostalgia and comfort and ease I truly feel for this home made dish encouraged me to make it the emphasis of Taku’s new menu. I can not wait to convey the simplicity of Japanese fried rooster to Seattleites.”
Alongside with buckets of marinated, battered and two times fried hen nuggets and wings, the cafe will serve karaage rice bowls and burgers together with Japanese-inspired sides like furikake fries, cabbage salad, edamame, miso soup and macaroni salad.
“I held the menu easy with two hen selections and a wide variety of moist or dry seasonings, teriyaki currently being my preferred,” Nakajima claimed. “The side dishes are what you will come across all above izakayas in Japan, and cabbage salad is extremely recommended with karaage as it can help break down the unwanted fat.”
To-go cocktails and rotating flavors of Jell-O pictures are also on the menu as the Washington legislature a short while ago up to date the state’s liquor laws to let takeout booze to keep on.
The area alone emanates the avenue vibes of Osaka with vibrant neon road indications and a lot of eclectic decorations like Japanese lanterns, manhole covers, anime posters, Japanese pop tradition stickers and even a huge Godzilla head.
The place will initially open up as a takeout window, but Nakajima claims he designs to reopen for dine-in at the time his staff is entirely vaccinated and cozy serving indoors once again.
But Seattleites would not have to wait around till Might to get their Taku resolve: Nakajima and fellow “Leading Chef” contestant Chef Byron Gomez are holding a particular pop-up takeout window on April 23 to give lovers a taste of the show. Right until then, foodies can continue to capture Nakajima competing on “Top Chef: Portland” Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo.