TaKaRa

Where? Upper Abbey Street, Dublin 1.
What? Japenese sushi bar
Price Range? Less than €10, but with Sushi it really depends on your appetite. They have a great bento box for €8.99.
Emoji Rating? ☺️

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€8.99 for this Bento Box.

There's an inherent sense of order among the Japenese. Everything is so civilised, to the extent that they even apologise when the trains leave a few seconds early lest they inconvenience anyone. The culinary manifestation of this national trait is the Bento Box (see above) - a glorified lunch box, compartmentalised with each section having a distinct taste, aroma and spice.

Dublin has a fair share of sushi bars, Yamamori being among the best-known. However, it is seldom to see a Bento Box on offer in the city. TaKaRa (yes, the capitalisation of the name is actually like that) is a place where you can find one.

Let me explain what you see in the picture above. To the bottom left there is classic 'sticky' Japenese rice. Delish. 

On the top left there are two pieces of vegetarian sushi - nothing special. In the centre to accompany is a dash of ginger and the Japanese Marmite: Wasabi. Wasabi is an uninvited battering of the tastebuds.

The top right has some sort of chicken curry, which was rather spicy. This is based on the Irish barometer for spice: the packet of powdered chip shop curry sauce. There's one hell of a lot of chicken (we will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it is chicken as advertised), and it is accompanied by plenty of peppers, onions and courgettes. I wouldn't have thought courgettes were a Japenese thing, but hey, what do I know?!

On the bottom right there is some shrimp dipped in breadcrum on a bead of leaves with a creamy sauce. Again, I didn't think that the Japenese were wild about dairy, but it was a refreshing contrast to the dry squid.

All in all, a tasty meal. I passed a few burger joints and pizza places on my way to the sushi bar and the glutton in me was screaming out for a greasy, cheesy quarter pounder with fries and a thick milkshake. You know, one of the meals where you can feel your heart weaken with every bite. In hindsight I'm glad I resisted my urges. After the Japenese, I actually felt good!

Without a doubt I'll be back to TaKaRa, but I have two minor qualms. Firstly, the capitalisation of the name is quite literally nauseating. Secondly, I would prefer not to have to endure a 30 minute Taylor Swift homage over the speaker next time I visit. She's the musical equivalent to brown bread: fine for sustenance, but won't deliver if seeking enjoyment.