Halo Kitchen & Bistro 光輪

Some would argue that going on a cruise is not the best way to see Japan.  Well, I will partially agree with that since going on a cruise is never a great way to experience places since most ports only get a day.  When I say "a day", that would mean something like 8 hours, if you are lucky.  I've been on some cruises where there are overnight stays and that helps a bit, but generally, you would be best served doing a land vacation where you can be at a location for at least 5 days to get the full experience.  However, on the flipside, for smaller towns, a day is more than enough for a visit.  That brings us to Shimizu, our first port on our 12-day Japanese cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium.  We didn't end up doing very much here since the fish market was closed (on a Wednesday).  We did wander around and the people were very nice.  It was also cloudy and we only got a brief outline of Mt. Fuji.  For lunch, we ended up at "Halo" Kitchen & Bistro for some Yoshoku cuisine (Japanese version of Western dishes).  This place has been around since 1972 and is very reasonably-priced.  After we sat down, the place was packed!

For myself, I had to go for their Halo Lunch that consisted of a pork katsu, spaghetti and fish with a bowl of rice, cream soup, salad and coffee (at the end).  This was only 900 yen (approx. $8.00cad)!   The small cutlet featured an airy and crisy panko coating that was beautifully fried.  The pork itself was nicely marbled and super light.  It was moist and buttery tender.  As for the small piece of fish, it was seared just enough that it was cooked through, but was also flaky and buttery soft.

My son went for the Hamburg Steak which was covered in a delicious and rich gravy.  It was so flavourful and full of umami with just a slight tang at the end.  The hamburger steak itself was plump and evenly seared on the outside.  As for the inside, the meat was fluffy and tender with it taking on the sauce very well.  When eaten with the rice, it was a delicious bite.  The side of cream soup was slightly viscous and had lots of natural milk flavour with some saltiness.

My daughter had another classic Yoshoku dish in the Curry Doria.  Originally conceived in the Hotel New Grand in Yohohama, this featured rice topped with curry and cheeses (usually parmesan and gruyere) with some type of meat.  It was chicken in this case.  We found the version here to be flavourful with a rich curry that had depth from the spices, but it wasn't spicy.  Rather, it had a good balance of sweet and savoury with plenty of cheesiness.

For Viv, she had the Curry Loin Katsu with the sauce served on the side.  This ensured that the katsu remained crispy.  It wasn't greasy and the panko coating was not dense.  Inside, the meat was also airy and light.  It was tender and succulent.  Served on a bed of chewy rice, it accepted the delicious curry sauce well.  At the end, we were served a coffee and the kids were served juice.  I can't say enough how good of a deal this place is.  To top it off, the food is delicious.  Oh and the people are super nice.  A must try when you are in Shimizu!

The Good:
- Cheap!
- Delicious
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Well, if you arrive late, you won't get a seat