Thursday, October 21, 2010

En Japanese Tapas--Santa Clara, CA

I ate lunch yesterday with Jenny at En Japanese Tapas in Santa Clara. Ravenous and looking to fill up with fat, I went with the braised pork belly with udon and two Japanese tapas dishes--both of them featuring skewers: bacon wrapped quail egg and grilled tongue.

The braised pork belly (above) was delicious and will make me come back again. In the soup were three big fatty chunks of belly. The broth was rich, hot and served in an enormous bowl. Along with the soup came a rice ball with pickled plum and ginger. Instead of the plum, I could have ordered salmon roe, as I will next time.

The bacon wrapped quail egg (below) was crisp and soft in one bite and I can't think of a more delectable little breakfast ball.

The grilled tongue was a slight disappointment. The flame-broiled flavor stood out, but the meat was overdone and chewy. The tongue cooled quickly, so one should get to the skewers right away.

Jenny had the mini udon with yellow tail (below). There were no complaints from her (except for the chewiness of the tongue), but since she'd have to come down from Mountain View to get here, I have a feeling my next trip back will be alone.

Worthy of note: the place didn't fill up during the lunch hour, so you can come in whenever you like. Also, they take American Express.

En Japanese Tapas
3450 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95051-2808
(408) 246-0011