In more than a decade that it has been around, DanRan has obviously seen its menu evolve but throughout the changes it has managed to rank high as one of the best Japanese restaurant in town. The credit goes to Junko Naito, the owner and chef at DanRan. She first came to Kathmandu first as a student. Soon enough though, she noticed that there was no place in the capital where she could enjoy her native dishes. That gave birth to the idea of opening the restaurant. Further she didn't only want to cater to foreigners but local people as well. It was her chance to introduce the food she loved so much to the country she had come to love.
"Japanese food is not only about Sushi and tempura. We actually don't eat that everyday at home. Through this restaurant, I want to give my customers the taste of Japanese home style cooking. It's probably our specialty," says Naito.
So DanRan opens from 12 noon onwards for lunch and then they change their menus for dinner. There are several white boards in the restaurant that are packed with tons of options of variety of dishes. They incorporate several meat produces from pork to chicken and are accompanied with several small helpings of fresh and healthy vegetables or salads. Each is cooked with subtle yet distinct Japanese flavors so unlike the rich spices that we have become accustomed to with our Nepali and Indian cuisines.
DanRan is a welcome excuse to give our palate a different taste. At the moment, one of the most popular items in the menu is Teriyaki Chicken. In the first glance, the pan fried chicken's golden brown glaze itself helps justify its high demand. As it turns out, it tastes as succulent as it looks. Cooked with some soya sauce, sugar, and a special ingredient each bite is moist, mild, and meaty – just the perfect thing for lunch.
Further as per the tradition, one does not visit DanRan and not try their Sushi and sova set. This dish though not only reflects Japanese cuisine but it has also been inspired by a Nepalis ingredient. Naito explains how she loves to experiment with the local produces and collaborate it into her authentic Japanese dishes. The sova set in particular consists of self made buckwheat noodles which really help add interesting texture and flavor. Along with the zesty wasabi and pickles, the light and crispy tempuras as well as the sushi make up for a very healthy offering. It comes with complementary salad as well, a priority at DanRan as Naito claims she is very keen to promote healthy eating among her customers. One would certainly never walk out of DanRan feeling bloated or stuffed. Their style of cooking promotes balance of ingredients and flavors.
So it's not a wonder that the restaurant always has people lounging around their cool garden space, trying assortments of Sake, herbal teas or wine's in their café style sitting area or further inside the building enjoying the cozy Japanese style sitting area. DanRan is one of those places where you can go explore a different food culture and indulge your palate while you are at it.
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