Best Japanese Treat in The Hague, SET Genki Tei
A colleague from home country happened to be in town for a conference plus workshop. Being a good host, I offered to bring her for a food hunt around The Hague. Perhaps gotten tired with sandwiches, cold cuts, cheeses, croquettes, pancakes etc for the past few days from the workshop, she specifically requested for Asian food. Plus an additional request for something light but can fill the stomach at the same time.
I know exactly where to bring her for a good treat, it is non other than my favorite SET Genki Tei Japanese Restaurant! Instead of ordering the usual bento lunch sets, we went for the Ala-carte sushi and assorted Japanese side dishes, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and Gyoza (meat dumpling).
We enjoyed the tamago roll (egg roll) wrapped in seaweed as the complimentary appetizer. The green edamame provided a contrasting texture in the egg roll. They were indeed beautifully wrapped and just looked like a sushi ... but without the rice.
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| Tamago wrapped in seaweed |
The sushi platter we ordered consists of 3 types of sushi - the scallop sushi, shrimp sushi and Unagi eel sushi. Oh boy, the scallop was fresh and instantly melt in my mouth. I do believe the scallop had been lightly torched instead of being grilled since it was moist and juicy. Kudos to the chef for a well executed dish. The scallop went well with the Ikura (salmon roe) too. Salty roe paired with sweet scallop is simply perfection!
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| Scallop sushi |
The shrimp sushi was equally good as well. Instead of Ikura, the shrimp sushi was topped with Tobiko (flying fish roe) which are smaller in size. It has different texture as compare to Ikura which are slightly more fishy in taste. I especially like the sushi rice as there were avocado cubes in it. Thumbs up!
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| Shrimp sushi |
Being a big fan of Unagi (grilled eel), this Unagi sushi really made my day. Usually the Unagi bento sets are quite expensive, so I was pleased to at least get a bite of the Unagi I craved. How I wish the unagi slice could be a bit thicker. I do appreciate the small details by the Chef, check out the the sesame seed sprinkled on top of the eel. I do not recall having something like this back home as the Unagi usually served plain, just with the teriyaki sauce smear on top.
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| Unagi (eel) sushi |
Chicken karaage is also my all time favorite. Perfect side dish for ramen. Don't they look appetizing?
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| Chicken karaage |
Fried fish cake was one of the dish from the fried dish platter. This was my least favorite as it was merely the processed/frozen fishcake you can get from the Asian grocers, which were coated in batter and deep-fried.
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| Fried fish cake |
These fried shrimps were good. Well coated breadcrumb batter and well controlled frying temperature helped to "lock down" the freshness and juiciness of the shrimps.
The Okonomiyaki is another highly recommended dish. I have tried it for several times but still not bored with it. Check out my earlier post. Perhaps it is the tasty bonito flakes that tempted me to keep coming back for the okonomiyaki. Check out how generous the bonite flakes on it, simply irresistible.
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| Okonomiyaki |
We ended the hearty meal with pan fried gyoza (meat dumpling). Yes, they tasted as good as they looked, crispy on the outside and juicy inside.
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| Gyoza |
Some quick burps and big smile after the meal signified how satisfied my colleague was with today's Japanese' treat in Genki Tei. I know I scored ... opps, it should be Genki Tei scored!
Address: Schoolstraat 4, 2511 AX Den Haag, Netherlands
