Sticky Foods Matsuri Part 1 (Nebari-ya)
If you do a search of Two. Ate. you can find a few postings about natto (納豆, fermented soy beans). Lots of people think natto is disgusting if only for the smell but actually, natto is very good for you. And depending on how you serve it, it's really delicious. BUT, there are a whole class of foods here in Japan classified as neba-neba (ねばねば) or sticky foods.
Sticky natto... (photo by wjc)
Natto, when mixed up, becomes very sticky and threads of protein resemble the gossamer threads of a spider web. Mountain potato (山芋, yama imo), taro (里芋, sato imo), okra and tororo imo (とろろ芋) are other examples of typical neba-neba foods.
Our friends Soma-san and Kazumi *love* neba-neba type foods. And so do I. So much so that we built ourselves a mini-festival (matsuri)...
...our adventure started near the Hatagaya Station, between Shibuya and Shinjuku, on Rokugo-Dori. The first restaurant called Nebari-ya (ねばり屋) specializes in rice dishes topped with natto or natto donburi. They have 10-12 types from simple (rice and natto), to traditional (rice, ground cooked fish or chicken with natto), to spicy (rice with kimchee and natto). This is simple, satisfying food. You season your natto then pile it on top of your rice then devour. The combination of the hot rice and fragrant natto with the other toppings make delicious combinations that are light but filling.
Ground chicken with mustard leaf natto donburi...the meat mixture is cooked with a bit of sesame oil which gives it a complex taste. (photo by wjc)
Simple ground chicken natto donburi...(photo by wjc)
Super neba-neba dinner...grated sato imo with maguro (tuna) and natto donburi. This combination has so many textures going on at once and the flavors are amazing. (photo by wjc)
Nebari-ya does an excellent job of presenting natto...so much so that even people who dislike (or claim to dislike) natto could easily be swayed. Another restaurant worth considering especially for those who are looking for something totally unique in Japanese cuisine.
A little natto, sir? (photo by wjc)
Nebari-ya is just south of the Hatagaya Station on the Keio Train line. From the station, cross the street and look up for the Rokugo-Dori Shopping Area sign. Nabari-ya is almost at the end of Rokugo-dori on the left side. It's a basement restaurant so you'll need to look for the sign in the picture above...it is also directly across the street from Hashiya.