Hiroshima, Japan｜Nikoichi Mart

Trendy little spot with an extensive and large menu, be warned though, there is no English. The demi glace omurice was delicious and the nicoichi plate had a lovely variety with particularly tasty chicken karaage. Service was great, food arrived incredibly quickly and watching the chef work in the back was interesting.

Not a health food stop but fried-cake has a long history in Hiroshima and is usually only found in Kure, so this is a rare chance to get this retro comfort food favorite. This shop has been open for about 13 years and the friendly female shopkeeper has been interviewed by many Japanese tv talents (celebrities) which is well-documented on the walls of the shop. She told me it was a vegetable shop before it was a fried cake shop and may change a bit later this year (2020) when the station remodel is finished and new shops open around it. At the moment, there's not much passing trade. The fried cakes are really tasty 😋 and the owner says the recipe includes coconut milk as a key ingredient. May be suitable for vegetarians but not vegans since there's egg in the batter. The sweet azuki bean paste inside the fried cake is nice + tasty. They also have a local Setouchi lemon version too. If you have a bit of time, get the 2 fried cakes with a cup of coffee set and eat it in the tiny shop for 300 yen. Closed on weekends, national holidays and Mondays. Also, as big Carp baseball fans, the shop is closed on game days when they can be found selling their original chicken skin snacks (they call it chicken-senbei) and tempura and other drinking snacks at the stadium.

Fantastic Burger! Worth the trip up from downtown. A+