The Japanese guriru (¡°grill¡± meaning a restaurant, not a cooking tool) is an interesting mix of new, borrowed and adapted ideas. Grill Aoi, a family-owned diner tucked away on a quiet side street between Gojo and Shijo, has no shortage of such ideas.
Aoi is often described as a ²â¨²õ³ó³Ü°ì³Ü (Western food) joint, but that¡¯s a bit of a misnomer. Yes, the bulk of the menu is Western-themed: steaks, hamburgers, croquettes, potato salad, fries and fried shrimp. But, as with nearly all guriru the Japanese influence is always felt whether it¡¯s with the actual dishes (miso soup, sashimi) or the way foods are cooked. The shabu-shabu course, for example, features boiling konbu (kelp) broth to dip your thick slices of high-grade beef in.
Aoi is also unabashedly kitsch. The cooks sport flamboyant white chefs hats that make them look as if they stepped out of a casting call for the Pixar film ¡°Ratatouille¡°; smoking is also allowed, which some may find more retrograde than retro chic.
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