cookingwiththehamster
- Feb 26, 2020

Shiro Poporoya

Everyone knows about Poporoya sushi bar and food but perhaps not many have been to the restaurant in the opposite side of the street, Shiro.

Founded in 1987, this restaurant is owned by the famous chef Hirazawa Minoru, called Shiro, the first to have brought the culture of sushi to Milan as well as a founding member and president of the Italian Japanese Restaurant Association.

In 2009 the restaurant won the first edition of the Milano Productive Award organized by the Milan Chamber of Commerce.

If the famous sushi bar has "bar hours" and is always rowdy and hyper crowded, the restaurant is instead quiet and tidy: the minimal design and the room with tatami and zaisu make this place the ideal place for a quick lunch or a dinner for two or in company of friends. I personally ate there every time there was too much crowds at Poporoya and I wasn't going to wait for my turn standing on the sidewalk. Here the price is higher and the quality is not far superior, but you can sit comfortably and enjoy the preparation of your dish directly at the sushi counter.

The kindness of the wait staff (exclusively Japanese) is certainly an additional note of merit.

The lunch menu includes a fixed price set that includes two small appetizers, rice, miso soup, fruit and coffee. So perfect for a business lunch break if you are in the area.

In the evening, however, the menu is much more varied and surprises with some traditional dishes that you will hardly find in other restaurants: personally I was pleasantly surprised to find the saba oshi sushi, or the traditional pressed sushi with seared mackerel on the surface. A delight! And also the tara kinoko ankake (cod with mushrooms) and the hosomaki with Japanese pumpkin or natto.

Here the specialty is obviously raw fish, so there is no lack of a la carte nigiri, sashimi, different types of cirashi, uramaki and temaki.

There are, however, hot dishes that include soba, okonomiyaki, udon, shoyu ramen, rice bowls with meat and unadon.

To my great regret I found that some very interesting preparations are "out of production" such as sukiyaki and toro nigiri.

Shiro recovers with desserts, all really well made and very good. I greatly enjoyed the matcha tea tiramisu but especially the dango.

To drink Italian wines, sake (also with fruit) and umeshu.