I signed up on the waitlist for every single slot and got lucky after a few weeks. They will email the entire waitlist for the particular day/time they have an opening, and the first person through wins! It helps if you have notifications on for new emails.
1 Like
So just an update on this - a waitlist slot opened up and I grabbed it - there were quite a few slots (Fri, Sat) I wonder if some of the later slots got cancelled in anticipation of a continued LA curfew as the slots that had opened were 4:30 or 5:00. Will report back on the meal!
4 Likes
Here’s the reveal of tonight’s Kaiseki Jubako, two tiered box presentation: 
Included was a menu as well as a guide to the items inside the boxes.
Upper tier detail:
Lower tier detail
And the three desserts:
Included on the side was also the miso soup:
Braised abalone with liver and truffle sauce. This was a revelation - I usually have abalone in Cantonese cooking and never really liked it, so I wasn’t expecting much. But the perfectly braised abalone with that liver sauce was tender umami heaven. Truffle was quite subtle. Yes, I licked that shell to get ALL the sauce. Hey - that’s a perk of takeout, you can do things you would never do at a restaurant 
Duck and firefly squid were good as well, but abalone definitely the highlight of this section.
American wagyu tataki was delicious, the daikon ponzu was a nice accompaniment to it texturally
Sashimi highlight was the toro
A bit disappointed in the tamago, but sushi nicely done:
Great way to start the lower tier with the vegetables takiawase. Snap peas were perfection, and eggplant was lightly marinated, I think. Wished the eggplant sesame sauce had a bit more punch:
Grilled kinki (fantastic flavor!) hidden under the garnish. Anyone know what it is? It had a bit of a sourness to it, I don’t recall having this herb (?) before. 
Finished with the lobster nanbanzuke (extremely tasty but it would have been really amazing if it was eaten fresh at the restaurant) and the lobster chawanmushi (loved the flavor and texture, but I should have warmed it up. We actually ate outside, so just ate everything as is)
Dessert!!! Matcha white chocolate cake - denser than I expected, but nice crumb and not too sweet. 
Excellent rendition of strawberry Daifuku, red bean was soooooo smooth. Fun fact … Costco in Taipei sells strawberry daifuku as a seasonal item in a pack of 12 for - get this - US$10!
No closeup of the passion fruit chocolate because it disappeared in my mouth before I had a chance to take a snapshot, but the passionfruit ganache was excellent, however, the outer shell was a bit too sweet for my liking.
All in all, an EXCELLENT meal. Ah, waitlist dreams do come true! Must be that FTC karma
17 Likes
Oh geez, no wonder I get crazy looks from other customers. #iamaheathenwhenitcomestofood 
Looks beautiful. n/naka keeps rockin’!
6 Likes
Taiwan Costco strawberry mochi is no joke, couldn’t even finish a pack with family it’s so big. They also have dessert strawberry custard in packs of six large containers.
2 Likes
n/naka x porridge + puffs
First up? A collaboration with Minh Phan of Porridge + Puffs. The $48 bento features eight seasonal dishes, including a fresh summer roll filled with shrimp tempura and crab salad and served with a numbing calamansi ponzu; sweet potato and kabocha salad with pickled mirepoix; calamari tempura with herb slaw and rose pickled onion; braised beef rice spaetzle with five-spice dashi and burnt onion; grilled pork meatball with leeks and lemongrass; smoked abalone porridge with nori oil; and tarragon gooseberry cake with passionfruit meringue.
8 Likes
How did I not see the vegan bento offering on their tock page before?! Is that new?
Ugh I follow them on Instagram but never saw that post…stupid algorithm 
I hope they continue this past August.
2 Likes
I snoozed and they sold out, of course (I’m on the waitlist 
). Sooo looking forward to peeps’ reports.
n/naka x porridge + puffs
really loved this n/naka x porridge + puffs ekiben bento collaboration. chef phan can really turn up the flavor yet still keep everything in balance.
and now @PorkyBelly’s power rankings, sponsored by @rlw:
1. shrimp tempura spring roll, numbing calamansi ponzu
i could eat 10 of these, the calamansi ponzu was a brilliant complement for the spring roll. and the nori and rice paper mashup really worked.
2. panko-fried calamari with makrut
expertly fried and i really liked the addition of the makrut to give this another dimension.
3. grilled pork meatballs with leeks + lemongrass
4. porridge - koda farms heirloom rice, dos pueblos ranch smoked abalone, nori oil, lacto-fermented verjus
the porridge reminded me of lumpy mashed potatoes, in a good way.
5. sweet potato + kabocha salad
this was surprisingly good, sweet, creamy, crunchy.
6. yuzu-grilled local kanpachi
7. tarragon gooseberry cake, passion fruit swiss meringue
just a hint of tarragon @TheCookie, and nicely balanced with the sweet meringue.
8. louat agar + elixir
play on vietnamese thach?
9. shiso-pickled egg
10. braised beef rice spaetzle, five spice dashi, burnt onion oil
shout out to the herb slaw and p+p pickles
as with any n/naka meal, a second bang is required, per protocol.
https://www.foodtalkcentral.com/t/kato-extended-tasting-menu/5737/109?u=porkybelly
19 Likes
Looks so good! Sorry to have missed it. I was on the waitlist and kept getting teasing emails from n/naka thru Tock saying “There may now be availability“ but when I clicked on it said “Sold Out”.
1 Like
next release is saturday at 10am, set your alarm.
3 Likes
don’t know how they consistently get these orders in. shrugs.
this collab looks soo good. love the rice paper nori combo with that spring roll and use of all these southeastasian herbs to the japanese fare.
last time i traded a loaf of homemade sourdough as thanks for the Hayato bento. Speaking of which, baking another loaf or 4 soon if you can get me one of these pp n/naka 
@PorkyBelly
btw, that jelly is not just agar, its has konjac as well… its soo good and refresshing.
4 Likes
Ahh did not know that, brilliant collaboration.
I should learn to bake. 
3 Likes
Thoughts on it compared to your other N/Naka bentos? I was slightly underwhelmed when I got the standard bento with sushi, but I have a major soft spot for Porridge + Puffs, so I really want to try and snag one of these.
1 Like