Hinata Japanese Restaurant,Argeles

jeannot · Post by **jeannot** » Wed 07 Mar 2012 22:09

I don't profess to being a sushi expert, in fact i was quite dubious 2 years ago about eating raw fish,but this place is good.
Have since tried the Japanese in the Place de la République in Perpignan and a Japanese back in Britain, i find Hinata particuarly good value for money.I have now eaten there 7 or 8 times, generally being unadventurous by taking the "Menu Découverte"for 15 euros.This menu varies slightly each time depending on which fresh fish he has in stock. My wife tends to be more daring choosing dishes à la carte with advice from the chef,we discover new tastes and products each time and are rarely disappointed.
Having eaten several times in this restaurant,we have made acquaintance with the chef/owner, a charming Japanese man who once you get to know him enjoys explaining his dishes and just about any other subject you might mention. I for one have confidence in his quest for fresh products,obviously important for sushi.
One minor negative point is the deco and with such a small restaurant when you leave your clothes smell of the deep fat fryer.They do however have a terrace for the summer months and are situated just a few doors down from the George and Dragon Pub in Argeles beach. Open all year round I have noticed a continually growing amount of customers in the out of season period, a sure sign of quality.

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Wed 07 Mar 2012 23:09

Do they just do Sushi, or is there a teppanyaki?

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 07:19

Thanks Jeannot for that very enlightening post. I live on the complete opposite side of Argeles and had no idea this restaurant existed. Would love to give it a go but not sure hubby would be persuaded!

jeannot · Post by **jeannot** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 07:51

Dug out on old take away menu from the cupboard,an apparent wide variety on offer but no mention of teppanyaki. Having googled teppanyaki i now no what it is at least.
I must admit i haven't seen other tables eating this style of cuisine in his restaurant.On my next visit i will ask.I have no doubt however in the chefs authentical qualities.

Sue,try to persuade hubby.I'm sure they're used to dealing with first timers.The presentation of the food is top,tasty and very reasonably priced. We have introduced other first timers and they haven't been disappointed.

Post by **Kate** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 08:25

We tried the Japanese in the Megacastillet complex last week. It was OK, but not raveworthy, very small portions compared to what we have had in the past in England (a long time ago - portion sizes might have changed with the crise), so will look forward to trying this one out. Thanks for that.

opas · Post by **opas** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 08:34

Sue if you cannot persuade hubby, I am sure my youngest and myself could be persuaded to join you........we would love the experience.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 08:36

Will bear that in mind although he has just said he may try it for my birthday at end of month. You could join us if you wished.

russell · Post by **russell** » Thu 08 Mar 2012 11:44

Domo arigato gosaimashita Jeannot.

We'll definately try it.

Russell.

russell · Post by **russell** » Fri 23 Mar 2012 15:53

Tried it today with some friends who have spent much time in Japan. Had the Menu Decouverte at 15 euro. It was very good and apparently very authentic. The raw fish was the best I've tasted.

Oh, and it's not just sushi there is a wide range of dishes on the menu.

Russell.

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sat 24 Mar 2012 10:25

surely raw fish can NEVER be safe.

You might get lucky a hundred times but the microbes or whatever they are
only need to get lucky once.

blackduff · Post by **blackduff** » Sat 24 Mar 2012 13:35

rhys wrote:surely raw fish can NEVER be safe.

You might get lucky a hundred times but the microbes or whatever they are
only need to get lucky once.

I think that cooked fish has the same limitations too.

Blackduff

Allan · Post by **Allan** » Sat 24 Mar 2012 13:56

rhys wrote:surely raw fish can NEVER be safe.

You might get lucky a hundred times but the microbes or whatever they are
only need to get lucky once.

The japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world so raw fish clearly doesn't do them too much harm.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Sat 24 Mar 2012 14:41

No worse I suppose than homemade mayo made with raw eggs or carpaccio of beef.

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sun 25 Mar 2012 12:43

The risk cannot be compared with that of eating cooked fish : the cooking process kills off a lot of bad stuff. [ Or stuff which is bad for humans who have evolved over thousands of years to eat cooked meats and fish, rather than raw ].

For this reason there are well founded public health regulations requiring restaurants to separate absolutely preparation areas for raw meat / fish from other food prep areas.

The point is, on an occasional basis one reads of news items in Japan where sushi has caused serious illness and death.

It may well be that the risk of being the victim of a bad sushi event is statistically low - but it is a risk of catastrophe, rather than just a risk of
'ordinary' food poisoning - which of course is itself very unpleasant, but rarely life - threatening.

I suppose we all take risks - driving around in cars being the most obvious -
but to each his / her risk level, I suppose.

I would be interested to learn, from those who enjoy sushi, just what it is about the taste of raw fish which is so special - is there anything it can be compared to?

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Sun 25 Mar 2012 20:44

I think the interest in sushi is the freshness and the combination of subtle raw fish and steamed rice with the completely contrasting soy, pickled ginger and wasabi.

There is also the art of the dish. It looks fantastic and very distinctive.

I've never had food poisoning from sushi but I have had food poisoning from cooked fish and seafood. Also from chicken and cheese and ham.

I think the thing about sushi is that if the fish is off, you can tell quite quickly.

blackduff · Post by **blackduff** » Sun 25 Mar 2012 22:15

Scandinavian herring is not cooked, to a great extent. Some is kept with pickling but others are put into tomato, some in mustard, and a few items too. You can even find them packaged with Sherry. I never had a problem eating the herring in Sweden for the ten years I lived there.

In Holland, the Dutch eat the roll mops by the forkfull. And, they're keep eating more and more.

A bit from the fish question, how about using raw beef with a fresh egg or two. Steak Tartare will see if you can handle the raw beef and have some raw eggs to keep this together. I haven't had this~yet but I will some day.

The Mexican Ceviche has never hit a flame but there's vinegar some times and lemon/lime juice too. I know that a lot of Japanese do put some lemon juice on the fish too.

I think it's great to get a chance to have these recipes and see what the other parts of the world eat for daily fare. Have you seen the TV advert with a mom and her daughter buying some "bugs" but the daughter wouldn't eat the bugs until the vendor sprinkles some peppers. Maybe the bugs are my limit.

Blackduff

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Mon 26 Mar 2012 07:47

There are, of course Blackduff, oysters too, which most people eat raw.

blackduff · Post by **blackduff** » Mon 26 Mar 2012 11:27

Sue wrote:There are, of course Blackduff, oysters too, which most people eat raw.

Miammmm!!!!

Blackduff

russell · Post by **russell** » Tue 27 Mar 2012 21:56

rhys wrote:The point is, on an occasional basis one reads of news items in Japan where sushi has caused serious illness and death.

It may well be that the risk of being the victim of a bad sushi event is statistically low - but it is a risk of catastrophe, rather than just a risk of
'ordinary' food poisoning - which of course is itself very unpleasant, but rarely life - threatening.

I think you are confusing sushi with "Fugu Fish", otherwise known as Puffer Fish, which contains some very poisonous parts. It is eaten both raw and cooked. The chefs who prepare it undergo very strict training in the preparation, removing the poisonous parts while avoiding contaminating the good parts. Most cases of poisoning occur from home prepared fish, especially the liver.

You are far more likely to get food poisoning from salads than from sushi.

If you want to try Japanese food without raw fish there are many other dishes on offer.

Russell.

blackduff · Post by **blackduff** » Sat 14 Apr 2012 09:10

Allo, Allo
There's a good report about eating sushi, amongst other dishes.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/tuna-product-l ... 02111.html

Hmmmm!

Blackduff

monsans · Post by **monsans** » Sat 14 Apr 2012 09:59

Don't be so mean and such a kill-joy. The States is not Argeles.

blackduff · Post by **blackduff** » Sat 14 Apr 2012 10:43

monsans wrote:Don't be so mean and such a kill-joy. The States is not Argeles.

While I agree that we don't have the same problem, you are wrong about the US is not Argeles. Trader Joes , which might have this fish problem in the US is now Aldi and sold within Argeles. I buy a lot of Trader Joes at Aldi, so this tracks back to the States.

If you read this whole post, I'm a pro-eater of the sushi, etc.. I eat a lot of raw fish, in various manners. But I still read reports about the sickness which can happen from eating the raw fish. The OP will be happy to read this report too. That's why I posted the news report.

Blackduff

russell · Post by **russell** » Sun 15 Apr 2012 18:02

From the report, "It was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA when it was sold to grocery stores and restaurants and is scraped off the fish bones and looks like a ground product."

I don't think that sounds too appetising!

Don't eat melon or lettuce either http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16854176

There are about 4000 deaths on the road each year in France but I still drive and I will continue to eat sushi.

Russell

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Mon 16 Apr 2012 10:34

I'm pretty certain that too much fat, oil and sugar will kill more people than sushi.

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