On the outside, K's Diner seems to be suffering from a slight identity crisis. First, on one of the lighted signs outside, I read a long paragraph banging on in English about how and why Japanese food is the best in the world. Then I read the menus standing at the entrance, and found the food on offer to be overwhelmingly European, with only a handful of Asian dishes, not all of them Japanese. Undaunted, I went in for my dinner, and it turned out to be a very good choice.
The name also seems a bit off, because the interior doesn't fit my image of a 'diner' at all. It's very smart, airy and minimal, with rough, mostly bare walls, and barriers and divides of dark wood horizontal slats. There's a little area in front of the open kitchen with couches at larger tables, and another area towards the rear can be screened off to be semi-private. Despite this, the atmosphere was relaxed and breezy, due in part to the friendly staff and the soundtrack of white funk and 80s AOR and pop, like David Bowie and The Eurythmics.
I was brought a little plate of appetizers, a tiny square of omelet, an olive, a small piece of bacon, a shot glass of cold seafood chowder; they were all tasty - the bacon particularly was tender and juicy - and whet my appetite for the nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) I'd ordered. This was much milder than I'm used to, but the chopped fresh tomato mixed nicely with the soft, fragrant rice, and the prawns were plump and succulent. (They'd also had their heads and tails removed to leave only the edible parts, which earnt the chef some bonus points with me.)
Wondering about whether or not to have dessert, I was told that the 'mousse of the day' was raspberry, I decided to indulge. This was beautifully presented, with a slice of orange, a scattering of berries and a sprig of unidentified decorative greenery on top. Not too sweet and not too big, it was an ideal way to round off my meal.
The menus are in Japanese and French only, and appear to be seasonal, as they said 'Spring 2014' on the front page. They're also very extensive, with dishes grouped on the pages by category. There are salads (¥460-¥700, including Caprese and Caesar); cheese dishes (¥500-¥850, such as Swiss fondue and a bread and cheese plate); pizzas from ¥950-¥1080; a good range of fish and meat dishes; spaghetti dishes (¥820-¥1080, including seafood/tomato and anchovy/spring cabbage); rice dishes from ¥480 to ¥1120, among them ochazuke (Japanese rice in tea consommé) and beef and tomato doria. If you're there for lunch, there are sets available for ¥1000, ¥1300 or ¥1500.
If you're not full after that, then desserts (¥380 to ¥650) include tiramisu, creme brulée and chocolate cake. The drinks menu is even longer, everything priced from roughly ¥400 to ¥600, including beer and wines, Chinese liqueur and twelve varieties of umeshu plum liqueur (such as honey, Okinawan shikuwasa citrus, and darjeeling), cocktails and a full-page wine list.
If you're in Mishima and would like tasty, inexpensive food in stylish surroundings, then K's Diner is a fine choice.
