Shinya shokudō / 深夜食堂 II

The Second Installment

When people finish their day and hurry home, my day starts.

Pork miso soup combo. Beer, sake, shochu. That's all I have on my menu. But I can make whatever customers request as long as I have the ingredients for it. That's my policy. My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning. 

They call it 'Midnight Diner'. Do I even have customers? More than you would expect." (Master)

Customer requests and other dishes served by the Master:

Episode 1:1

~ Tan-men with fresh noodles

~ Tan-men without noodles (in essence, a hearty vegetable soup)

~ Pork and veggie soup combo

Episode 1:2

~ Pancakes

~ Fish-sausage corn dog

~ Deep fried fish-sausage

Episode 1:3

~ Tonteki (pork loin pan-fried in a light sauce and grated onion)

Episode 1:4

~ Omelette rice

~ Pickled eggplant 

Wisdom from Katagiri: "A life is like floating and being carried away by the Imjin River. Love has no border. Keep swimming to the end."

Episode 1:5

~ Egg tofu rice bowl

Episode 1:6

~ Sour plums

~ Tokoroten (jelly noodles made with agarophytes - a summer dessert suitable for vegans)

~ Plum wine

Episode 1:7

~ Hot pot for one

~ Rice porridge

~ Special plate full of meat

Episode 1:8

~ Sauteed yam

Episode 1:9

~ Ham cutlets (thin ham and thick batter)

~ Honeydew melon

Wisdom from a customer: If you glorify the past, you won't be happy with the present and the future, which are more important.

Episode 1:10

~ Sushi

~ Watermelon

Episode 2:1

~ Japanese chicken rice

Wisdom from a customer: Life is not like a game, you can't reset it.

Episode 2:2

~ Chicken cheese katsu (fried chicken breast with cheese)

Episode 2:3

~ Firefly squid dressed in vinegar and miso

~ Marinated squid 

~ Small pickled plums

~ Rice ball with plums 

~ Rice ball with cod roe

Episode 2:4

~ Fried chicken wings

Episode 2:5

~ Yakisoba sandwich (Japanese fried noodles in a hotdog bun)

Episode 2:6

~ Grilled salted salmon (wild salmon from the Sea of Okhotsk)

~ Mushrooms sauteed in butter

Episode 2:7

~ Kitsune udon (udon noodles served in hot dashi broth and topped with seasoned fried tofu)

Episode 2:8

~ Curry ramen (Japanese noodles in instant broth with curry on top)

~ Curry ramen with melted cheese

Comment from a customer: The rebelliousness of eating ramen and rice at night makes it taste better.

Episode 2:9

~ Fried fish, less rice

~ Sweet rolled omelette

~ Grilled aubergine with miso

Interesting fact: Chivalry movies are sword fighting action films which are based on Chinese novels of the 1920

Acting advice from Katagiri: Eunuchs in exchange for their career, they had to give up their masculine function. They're unfortunate and sad creatures. If you don't get that properly, your acting gets very shallow.

Episode 2:10

~ Macaroni gratin

~ Yaki udon (fried udon)

~ Stewed meat and potatoes

~ Shochu and oolong tea

~ Crab (Christmas Eve)

~ Soba (New Year's Eve)

~ Prawn tempura

"People finish their day and hurry home. But sometimes, they don't want to go straight back home. So they drop in somewhere else on the way home..." (Master).

* Information derived from the Japanese TV series 'Midnight Diner, Tokyo Stories' currently showing on Netflix *

* Food image from Midnight Diner Tribute artist: @food.comics *