An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves a variety of small, typically inexpensive, dishes and alcoholic drinks. It’s an international fast-growing concept and SHIN brings it to Rotterdam.
Izakaya are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a British or Irish pub or a Spanish tapas bar. The word Izakaya originally comes from a combination of Iru (‘stay’) and Sakaya (‘sake bar). At SHIN guests determine the number of dishes and thus the duration of their stay. The restaurant has approximately 60 seats. SHIN is located at Rodezand 23-25 and will be open weekdays from 12 PM to 9 PM and weekends from 12 PM to 10
PM.
In order to guarantee a high quality of the menu, there is a Japanese chef. This chef has worked for a specialized Japanese restaurant group for over 9 years. This group currently runs 10 different Izakaya-style restaurants in Shizuoka and Tokyo. The ultimate goal is to grow into a similar group in the Netherlands.
Known for Ajisan
The initiators already manage the Japanese Ramen restaurant Ajisan on the Coolsingel. Tony has experienced that not many Dutch people are familiar with the diversity that Japanese cuisine has to offer. ”There are a lot of Japanese dishes that we miss in the Netherlands. That is why we at SHIN put all our favorite dishes and drinks on the menu.”
The base of all dishes is dashi. Daily made broth from dried bonito tuna and seaweed sheets. The menu includes crispy chicken, udon noodles and real wagyu from Japan. It is important to the restaurant owners everyone is able to eat at SHIN. That’s why they also offer vegetarian dishes. Tony: βThink of korokΓ©, a kind of croquette with oyster mushroom and shiitake.β Everything on the menu can be ordered throughout the day and is meant to be shared.
Matcha and Japanese cocktails and whiskeys
Just like the food, cocktails are also available during the whole day. The classic recipes get a Japanese twist like the MojiTokyo. With Japanese sake for an extra taste sensation. The drinks menu also features many Japanese whiskeys in different varieties. Such as the popular Hibiki whiskey but also local whiskeys made with
water from the Fuji Mountain area. Matcha lovers can indulge themselves by ordering real Japanese matcha from the town of Shizuoka. Made by a company of tea farmers who have been in business for more than 100 years.
The menu features a variety of matcha dishes and drinks. From various matcha desserts, such as the Matcha Parfait, a popular dessert in Japanese cafes, and homemade matcha ice cream to (warm) drinks with matcha, such as the matcha latte. You can order the matcha at different levels, both for the drinks and the desserts. The higher the level, the stronger and purer the matcha.
SHIN uses Japanese style in a monumental building
The modern, minimalist interior of SHIN is by the design of Studio Sander Wassink in collaboration with Japanese interior designer Yoriko Ishizawa. The concrete construction of the monumental building has been preserved. This way the original design remains visible. In addition, the solid wooden furniture, such as the benches and tables, is in a Japanese style. The furniture is made without screws or nails but by means of dovetail joints!
Various details in the restaurant boast the colours red and grass-green. The red is inspired by the shu-iro temple, which keeps the evil spirits away. The green represents the colour of the matcha. In addition, the name and logo have been carefully considered. The name SHIN can be interpreted in 92 ways, in which they ultimately chose the meaning “renewal”, “heart” and “trust”, the core values of SHIN. One of the Japanese characters for this resembles a smiley face, which is the restaurant’s eventual cheerful logo.
