Za Don: A Great Japanese Fast Food Chain

This Japanese fast food restaurant can actually be found all over Japan, not just Nagoya, but it’s one of those good and affordable places I’d like to share. Za Don specializes in serving up all kinds of donburi dishes, or rice bowls. From kaisen don (sashimi topped rice bowls) to fried dishes such as katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl) and simmered dishes such as oyakodon (an egg and chicken staple in household cooking).

One of my favourites to order here is the tsukimi-saketoro don (¥630 plus tax). It consists of salmon sashimi that’s been chopped so fine it becomes almost like a paste consistency. I know that doesn’t sound appetizing but when you combine a bite of that with steamed white rice, a bit of seaweed and wasabi dashi soy sauce drizzled over, the combination is perfect! Since the salmon is minced it blends with the rice right when you take a bite and provides a nice texture. Even better, slicing through the runny onsen egg (egg cooked at low temperatures) with chopsticks makes the yolk ooze out and brings the already tasty combination up another notch! I always like to switch the miso soup for the asari or clam miso soup because the flavour of the clams adds another punch to the otherwise ordinary soup.

Tsukimi Sake Toro Don with Asari Jiru