Restaurant Details:

Milamodo Restaurant
30 Farnham Gate Road (Farnham Gate and Dunbrack)
Hours: Mon-Wed 11:30am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-9:00pm
Thursday & Friday: 11:30am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-10:00pm
Saturday: Noon-3:00pm, 4:30pm-10:00pm
Closed on Sundays
Website: http://www.milamodo.com/

I have always had a fascination with Japan, and even studied Japanese for a few years as a teenager and university student. But a few bad experiences will poorly prepared Japanese food left a bad taste in my mouth. In fact, I pretty much focused my Japanese-language learning on finding out how to find Americanized food, namely the nearest McDonald’s. Well, my opinion of Japanese food has dramatically improved, thanks to the delicious and succulent offerings of Milamodo Restaurant.

I had heard nothing but positive reviews of Milamodo from colleagues. So, when my uncle – who is celebrating a birthday today – wanted to do Japanese for lunch I recommended checking out Milamodo. My mother also came, and for both her and I, it was our debut into the exotic tastes of Japan. It was a delight for all three of us.

I think the coolest part of Milamodo is that it feels like you are stepping from Halifax, into Tokyo. Traditional Japanese décor makes the restaurant atmosphere unforgettable. We were lucky to be offered seating in a closed room, partitioned off from the rest of the dining room with traditional Japanese paper curtains. The service was impeccable. Our waitress was quick, friendly, and helpful when it comes to recommending new foods to curious diners.

We all placed or orders and agreed to let each other pick off the various plates, so that we could try as much new food as possible. The first plate was gyoza, Japanese dumplings that are fried. At the suggestion of our server, we opted for the pork-filled gyoza. A delicious starter, gyoza are also easy to handle with chopsticks – however, if you can’t quite muster the art of eating with chopsticks more familiar utensils are available on request.

When it came time for lunch we had four delicious plates of Zen brought out to tickle our taste buds. Starting with the birthday boy, my Uncle had the Bento Box #2. This is a huge offering, offering a balanced and nutritious lunch. A garden salad served with a Japanese ginger-inspired dressing, serving of rice garnished with thinly sliced beef in a teriyaki sauce, three sushi rolls, two nigiri sushi, a huge deep-fried shrimp, picked ginger, and wasabi make this Bento Box a satisfying selection.  My mother ordered the Tempura Dinner, with deep-fried shrimp, crudités, side garden salad with the same, amazing ginger dressing, and side rice. I couldn’t resist sinking my teeth into the jumbo fish. These tiger-sized shrimp will make you purr with delight. Japanese panko, a crunchy Japanese breadcrumb coating, makes these deep-fried delights even more delightful! For me, an appetizer of yakitori consisted of tender chicken finished in a peppery sauce and white sesame seeds for added crunch. I also couldn’t resist getting a bowl of edamame, blanched green soybeans served in the pod, and garnished in a dusting of snowy sea salt. So simple, so crunchy, and ultimately, so delicious.  

To accompany your meal, Milamodo is a licensed restaurant with an assortment of beverages to enhance your meal. The light, amber, goodness of Sapporo is probably one of Japan’s most well-known exported beers. The waitress informed us that it will soon be available on the tap. Non-alcoholic beverages, of course, are also available.

From sushi, to more unique selections, Miramodo is home to some of the most delicious Japanese cuisine in Halifax and is a restaurant I look forward to visiting again very soon. It’s so good that when the bill comes you’ll hate to say sayonara.