Passing Kakinomi one evening on my way to another place in the area, I was enchanted by the warm light and cozy atmosphere spilling out onto the street. It didn’t take long to convince two friends to come along and give it a try.
dining area @Kakinomi
While waiting for my friends, I immediately noticed that the high tables on the left side of the restaurant were really uncomfortable. The stools have no back support and the tables have no footrest. This is not the kind of furniture that invites you to linger. But then, nobody seems to linger anyway, as the restaurant closes at 10pm and most people leave well before that.
Both of my friends ordered rolls and, while they looked great, the tempura roll was not great at all. I tried one piece and found the rice too mushy and bland, with far too much of it. The filling got lost in all that rice and lacked the seasoning needed to lift the otherwise bland combination. My friend ended up picking out the filling and leaving the rest.
roll with tempura @Kakinomi
The salmon roll got better remarks, although my other friend wasn’t particularly impressed with it either. At least she finished the whole thing.
salmon roll @Kakinomi
I, on the other hand, decided to have something warm and ordered a chicken katsu curry, the Japanese version of chicken curry. What arrived, though, was more of a pumpkin stew with a chicken cutlet on the side. Japanese curry is less like a traditional curry and more like a stew, but this resembled nothing I had eaten in Japan. I enjoyed the breaded chicken, which had a nice flavour and a hint of spice. The huge bowl of curry, however, was rather bland, as was the red rice served alongside it. Compared to the katsu curry I had at Ichi go ichi e – Isshin Ya, this was simply not a Japanese curry.
katsu curry @Kakinomi
The service was friendly, and the staff even asked for feedback on how they could improve the quality of their kitchen. But I honestly didn’t know where to start, and I, for one, will not be back. As nice and cozy as the place looks, the seating was really uncomfortable and the food simply wasn’t good. Yours, Pollybert
Kakinomi by Asian Cuisine
1050 Wien, Pilgramgasse 5
Tel: +43 676 7836661
Mon-Fri: 11:30-15:00, 17:00-22:00; Sun: 11:30-22:00
https://www.instagram.com/kakinomi_vienna/?hl=en
