Neo-Tokyo inspired Japanese restaurant Mikaku, in Glasgow’s Queen St, is introducing its first new menu in five years this weekend, following a star-studded launch party.
With executive chef Joe Grant cooking up a firestorm at the newly-installed robata grill, celebrities including pop star Gabriella Cilmi, Still Game actors Sanjeev Kohli and Jane McCarry, and BBC Glow Up’s On-May Yeung, enjoyed the new Japanese street food selection, plus a host of Mikaku’s signature drinks and cocktails.
The new menu features Sandos – traditional milk bread sandwiches, packed with crispy deep-fried fillings and slaws, including chicken katsu, pork katsu, ebi menchi (minced prawn), beef menchi (minced beef), and field mushroom.
Also on the new menu are homemade Tsukemono – Japanese pickles – which are an important part of the Japanese diet. Tsukemono will feature on the menu in the new Tsukemono Don, a rice dish topped with a selection of pickles and served with a vegetable broth, and as a side dish.
A range of new Donburi dishes have been added. These Japanese rice bowls include chashu don with slices of pork belly, ebi don with a minced prawn patty and yuzu mayo, beef gyudon featuring thinly sliced beef and a crispy fried egg, and tomago don that sees a japanese omelette served over sticky rice.
Mikaku has also kept many of the favourites that customers have come to know and love, including their famous half portions of Ramen available exclusively at the Queen Street restaurant, and maintained their lunch offer for just £7.95, Monday to Friday.
Grant said: “It was great to see so many recognisable faces at the launch party for the new menu, and see everyone enjoying a selection of the new dishes. It is always nice to see people enjoying the fruits of our labour!
“This new menu is an important milestone for Mikaku – it is the first new menu in five years and it is a large piece of the new roadmap in what has been a year of change.
“We’ve been building a great new team both in the kitchen and front of house, introducing loads of new events including our new monthly movie night, and regular Cocktails & Calligraphy classes, and the successful launch of our robata grill. There is still so much more to come!
He added: “I love to be inspired by Japanese flavours, culture and food scene and I’m proud to be bringing these to this new and elevated menu at Mikaku. It screams the very best in Japanese Street Food and I am looking forward to unleashing it on Saturday.”
‘Sweet About Me’ singer Cilmi commented after the event saying: “I had the best time at the launch of Mikaku’s new menu. The tomato and tofu salad was delicious, and the wagyu beef was the best I’ve ever had in my life. Also got to meet Isa & Navid from Still Game which was a highlight!”
