The Salmon Katsu at Nichinan restaurant in Portsmouth is a Panko-breaded filet served with sushi rice, edamame, seaweed salad, and a sweet and savory Katsu sauce.
The Salmon Katsu at Nichinan restaurant in Portsmouth is a Panko-breaded filet served with sushi rice, edamame, seaweed salad, and a sweet and savory Katsu sauce.
NICHINAN RESTAURANT, named for Portsmouth’s sister city in Japan, is in the heart of downtown, nestled alongside Hotel Thaxter with the John Paul Jones House next door and the Discover Portsmouth Center across the street.
It opened last December, but we saved a visit until a special occasion — celebrating our wedding anniversary. It was also a sentimental destination because of a 2007 visit to Nichinan City which involved meeting some wonderful people and eating a lot of great sushi.
The restaurant did not disappoint. From our first bite of salmon mousse perched atop a puffed rice cracker to dessert, we were impressed by the subtle flavors and beautiful presentation.
The restaurant and hotel are owned by Jay and Amanda McSharry, whose hospitality business in Portsmouth includes Vida Cantina, Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe, The Franklin, Moxy, Street, White Heron Tea & Coffee and Liars Bench Beer Company as well as the Sailmaker’s House Inn.
While waiting to be seated, we explored the “parlor” of the 15-room Hotel Thaxter, named for Isles of Shoals poet Celia Thaxter and filled with seascapes by local artists.
Most of the restaurant’s 50 seats were filled; we snagged a spot by a restored mantlepiece with a hearth lit by candles. The black lacquer furniture and dark blue walls gave the room a restful vibe.
Our starting snack of a rice cracker and salmon mousse was petite but packed with flavor, highlighted by dengaku miso sauce, red tobiko caviar and scallion.
“A savory bite with great taste and texture,” my dining companion said. “I could eat a hundred of those.”
More substantial but just as ethereal was the Oshizushi Duo, seared rice cakes with generous portions of pressed sushi — in this case bluefin tuna and salmon, with avocado, cucumber and chili oil.
We washed down these treats with ice-cold Sapporo drafts. Nichinan cocktails were being served all around us, and have playful names such as Oh Mai, Suntory Sour, and Lotus Eater.
Our second sushi choice was the “Belly” Nigiri Duo of salmon belly (Sake Harasu) and tuna (Chutoro) enhanced with charred scallions and a fresh-chili condiment, Yuzu Kosho.
The sushi flavors were fresh and sweet, and we did our best to eat with chopsticks, though we were out of practice.
The service was unobtrusive and cordial, and our questions about the ingredients and preparation were answered knowledgeably and without pretension.
For the main dish, I considered the spicy crab fried rice, but stuck with the evening’s fish theme. Salmon Katsu was a Panko-breaded filet served with sushi rice, edamame, seaweed salad, and katsu sauce.
Nichinan’s Hirata Bun Trio includes (from the top) a roasted oyster mushroom, tempura fried halibut and pork belly.
The veggie component of this dish was a good contrast to the salmon and the sweet and savory sauce. My dining companion helped himself to a good portion, and offered to share his Hirata Bun Trio. By now our server had kindly brought us a knife and fork.
First up was the pork belly bun with chili paste, cabbage and Tsukemono (ginger pickled in sugar, salt and rice vinegar). Since pork belly is basically bacon, we were happy.
The tempura fried halibut was reminiscent of a fish taco, with the crunch of cucumber kimchi and a swirl of miso aioli.
The roasted oyster mushroom bun was enlivened by slaw and Kabayaki, a sweet, soy-based glaze.
The flavors were all complementary and yet individual. The Hirata buns, a steamed bread, were a bit too soft for our taste.
Somehow after all this we found room for dessert.
My Taiyaki (a fish-shaped waffle) was tender, topped with coffee pearls and shaved white chocolate. It sat upon Amaretto custard and a base coat of something that resembled strawberry jam. Believe me, this fish did not get away.
The steamed chocolate fondant cake was my dining partner’s selection. He did not love the texture (the operative word is “steamed”), but did love its accompaniments of sesame peanut crumble, Suntory whiskey ice cream and Anglaise sauce (vanilla custard sauce).
Nichinan’s food is special, but next time we won’t wait for a special occasion to visit.
Nichinan 15 Middle St., Portsmouth, 603-956-3036, nichinanrestaurant.com Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Pricing: Appetizers and small plates, $8-$48; sushi and sashimi, $15-$27; dessert, $6-$12.
