118
FR
ED
E
C RI
K
JAP AN E S E S OU L F O O D:
ST
KI
IZNA DONBURI HOUSE
N G ST E S
CO
KITCHENER
TT
ST
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR JONATHON BARRABALL If I were trapped in one city and had to eat
opened Izna Donburi House is putting
one nation’s cuisine for the rest of my life,
Donburi (or ‘Don’) in the spotlight, alongside
I would not mind eating Japanese. I adore
a number of other traditional comfort
Japanese food. I love it.
foods such as gyoza (Japanese dumplings
-Anthony Bourdain Has it ever occurred to you that there is more to Japanese food than the refined and delicate flavours of sushi or sashimi? Does simple, soul-satisfying comfort food come to mind (ever?) when you decide to go out to eat at a Japanese restaurant? Who knew there was such a thing as hearty, home-style Japanese cooking? Donburi, a dish consisting of meat, fish, or vegetables simmered in sauces and served atop a heaping bowl of rice is what you would most often find on the table of a Japanese home, and recently
or potstickers) or ramen and udon (hearty Japanese wheat noodle soups). Long wooden tables under a canopy of dimly lit red lanterns invite you in to the warm space of Izna, where the wood panel walls are smattered with colourful art, a sort of East meets West. Here Japanese calligraphy and Banksy prints hang side by each. The open style kitchen, a reflection of chef and owner Chris Lee’s years of experience in teppanyaki restaurants, provides its own form of entertainment. At the same time it’s easy to get lost in conversation at the central
