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There’s a time-honored adage that if you go into a Chinese restaurant and see tables filled with Chinese men and women speaking perfect Mandarin, the food is bound to be good.
The same quip may hold true with Japanese fare. During a recent dinner at Shiroi Hana, 20 Japanese-American young people were sitting at one long table, tucking into sushi and sashimi, sipping sake and having a marvelous fun-filled evening.
“It’s a sign,” I said to my friends Kaitlyn and Tim.
Kaitlyn has little sense of adventure when it comes to sampling new dishes. Tim, however, always will try something for the first time. He has an open culinary mind.
Shiroi Hana opened in 1984. That’s pretty darn long in restaurant years. I slid onto a comfortable banquet, and we chatted about the menu. I liked the highly-polished wood tables set with chopsticks and paper napkins. Kaitlyn asked for flatware because she has trouble handling chopsticks.
Dinner began with edamame ($4) that arrived in their pods. They were piping hot but lacked salt. I showed my friends how to pull them out with their teeth. This was a first-time dish for them, and I was surprised they took a shine to edamame.
Next up were steamed shrimp shumai ($5), which were light and airy. We dipped them into the flavorful dipping sauce and easily polished them off.
Kaitlyn had never eaten an oyster. Tim has eaten them raw but never fried. I love them raw, I love them fried. We had to try them. Panko crumbs coated the plump juicy oysters ($9) that were quick fried to a golden, greaseless brown. The generous plate also contained long, slender threads of beets that added color, flavor and texture to this starter.
I was shocked to discover Kaitlyn has never tried sushi. There’s a time and place for everything. If I got my sister Sandy, the picky eater, to try sushi, I knew Kaitlyn would not turn up her nose. I instinctively knew to begin with something simple.
We poured soy sauce into little round dishes. Although I was hungry for eel, cucumber rolls ($4) were the place to start. Tim and I chuckled as Kaitlyn tried to cut her small roll with her fork.
“Just dip the whole thing in soy sauce and pop it into your mouth,” I said.
She got the hang of it and said she would give sushi another try.
A choice of soup or salad comes with dinner entrées. I love the ginger dressing made in Japanese restaurants, especially when it is spooned over iceberg lettuce, cucumber and carrots. My friends enjoyed the miso soup.
They played it safe with chicken teriyaki ($18), which needed salt and pepper. The chicken was simply grilled and was not a bit overcooked. A mound of perfectly steamed rice came with their dinner.
I love pork cutlets in Japanese restaurants. The chefs at Shiroi Hana took a succulent pork tenderloin ($16), coated it in panko bread crumbs and fried it as perfectly as they did the oysters. The dish, which came with rice, was sliced for easy eating. Half of my dinner was packed and toted home.
A few days later I lunched alone at Shiroi Hana. The place was filled with happy diners enjoying sushi, sashimi and special lunches.
My mixed tempura lunch ($10) arrived in a pretty box with individual compartments. The tempura was perfectly cooked. I received two jumbo shrimp along with sliced eggplant, sweet potato and summer squash. The batter lacked seasoning, so I sprinkled on some salt and pepper. There was a small salad (I asked for extra dressing), steamed pork gyoza and a California roll. I could not believe this delicious hot and cool lunch was only $10.
Shiroi Hana is a fine place before or after the theater or a concert at The Academy of Music or Kimmel Center. Service is first-rate; a group of friendly yet professional women take good care of you.
My only negative thought is that many of the dishes lacked seasoning. Still, the ingredients were immaculately fresh and you get value for your money here.
Two-and-a-half tips of the toque to Shiroi Hana. SPR
Shiroi Hana
222 S. 15th St.
215-735-4444
www.shiroihana.com
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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