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 noodle soup 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 1920s.

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 *