Earlier this month, I wrote about Japanese curry and its geographically back-and-forth inception. From Modan to Marufuji Japanese Market, Japanese food is gaining ground in our region. Part of that explosion is the recent debut of Izakaya Nana, which serves not only curry but other Japanese-Western fusion dishes, as well as its fair share of unique creations.
The sequel to a Flushing, Queens, location of the same name, the restaurant is an almost-theme-park-perfect representation of a Tokyo street. In fact, a YouTube video of a walk leading up to the Shibuya neighborhood plays on a screen at the front of the restaurant, demonstrating the similarity between Izakaya Nana’s urban-styled interior and the real city.
Izakaya Nana’s Menu
The menu during the soft opening is abbreviated. In a few weeks, diners will be able to order from a yakitori menu and will have more sushi and dessert options. But I had more than enough choices.
My server told me that the must-try was the mentaiko cream udon bowl. Fun sushi dishes like sushi tacos and Crazy Nana roll, which features shrimp tempura, spicy lobster, and fried soft-shell crab, were priced too high for the day’s budget. So were the sizzling wagyu, foie gras, uni bowl and Ramen Nana with lobster and wagyu. I’ll consider returning for such unusual indulgences.
Instead, I started with the Bun Nana, a pair of pillowy bao filled with yielding pork belly and crunchy pickles. At $7.99, it was a steal, but not as much as the $8.99 crispy chile wings. The five oversized flats and drumettes crunched impressively despite their sweet, sour, and spicy coating of mango-based glaze.
Curry for the Win
Speaking of Japanese curry, I tried Nana’s in the form of a tornado omurice. The restaurant’s gravy leans sweet with little spice to speak of, but it still made it hard to put down the swirled omelet that covered a chunky portion of chicken fried rice. That dish was my favorite of the day, and return trips will likely feature the katsu curry, too.
And that udon? A beautiful fusion of a sauce, which combines the European-style satisfaction of a creamy pasta dish with pollock roe. It was even better with a dusting of the chile powder, togarashi. Those who adhere to the old-fashioned rule of never mixing seafood and dairy need not apply. But those who don’t will be thoroughly satisfied, even if the noodles themselves could have been a touch more al dente.
I finished with a cute $3.99 taiyaki. The fish-shaped pastry was fried crisp and greasy, which is unusual, but did little to diminish my enjoyment of the sweet red bean paste inside.
When I moved to Virginia five years ago, there were shockingly few Japanese restaurants worth any notice. Now businesses like Izakaya Nana give me something to recommend when the craving strikes.
13882 Metrotech Dr., Chantilly
Feature image by Alice Levitt
