The Jolly Belly: Nom, Darlinghurst

An invitation by a new found friend (Junji-san) to have Japanese food and sake cannot be turned down. The workplace must be left on time, and the gym gear can stay in the bag. The venue for the night is NOM.

A modest little shop which lets its cuisine do the talking

Tucked away in a little area just off Oxford Street lies Nom with it's red signboard shining brightly. If not for that, we would have easily missed it. Anyhow, Junji-san said he'll be late and to have a drink first. No need to tell me twice. :)

The narrow entrance way and a hungry missus

Stepping through the narrow doors, we were greeted warmly by the 2 ladies(I'm guessing mother and daughter) who worked there. we mentioned our bookings and were quickly ushered to our seats. Walking in, I couldn't help but notice bottles after bottles of Sake! My excitement started to grow!

SAKEEEEEEEEEE

Suntory penguin says "Kampai!"

As an appetizer whilst waiting, we decided to get a couple of drinks and something to munch on. Now I haven't had a Sapporo since I was last in Japan so the first drink had to be that. The missus decided to go for glass of hot sake. We then ordered the tempura okra to start with.

Okura Tempura

My first thoughts when this dish was served was "Wow!" It was evidently busy at around 7pm and the pair that worked that kitchen didn't let their standards drop. The okra was stacked nicely on a piece of parchment paper topped with some pretty leaf and a cone of daikon radish on the side. The batter had a nice light crunch to it and the Okra was cooked well.

Round 2 - Asahikiku Junmaiginjo

With the first meal done and our drinks finished, it was time to start sampling the sake. We asked for a recommendation and the Asahikiku was served up hot. It was light yet complex in taste and had a hint of fruitiness to it. Nom allows you to also choose your own sake cup which I thought was pretty cute. :)
Nom has a page full of different types of sake and it's on the cards for me to learn up on what the differences are. (Note to self - organize a sake tasting session with the gang)

By about this time, Junji-san arrived and the ordering began.

Mentai potato salad

The potato salad had a good balance of flavour. I could taste pepper with every bite but it wasn't overpowering in any way. It would have been nice if there were more fish roe :)
2nd carafe of hot sake was ordered.

Nikomi

Next up was basically a beef stew dish called Nikomi containing konnyaku jelly and beef. It was a simple homemade dish which I could see myself having more off. It was subtle in flavour and the beef was really tender.
3rd carafe of hot sake was ordered.

Karaage Chicken

I could smell the karaage chicken being cooked and when it was served, I wished we had ordered more! Deep fried perfectly, the crispy outer layer cracked with every bite. We savoured these by sipping on sake and nibbling away trying to make it last as long as possible.

Junji-san, a lemon slice and some sliced ox tongue

Junji-San explained that the Japanese version of Ox tongue is usually more tender when compared to the grilled Korean version. It had the consistency of a slice of ham and the accompaniment of lemon juice and pepper on the other side, this dish was a pleasure to eat.
4th carafe of hot sake was ordered.

Nom is a pocket rocket of an Izakaya restaurant. It has friendly staff and really good food. The range of sake is delicious and it's very obvious that the Obachan who cooks everything takes pride in what she serves to the patrons.
I'm coming back here again in the near future.