Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer

Left: Seafood is revered in Japan. Cocoro offers this basket of fried spicy shrimp.   Right: Fresh raw tuna marinated - that is, Japanese citrus flavoured ready and waiting to be had. - photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Restaurant: Restaurant Cocoro

Cuisine: Japanese dishes

Location: Mayfair Hotel, 4 West King's House Close, St. Andrew.

Opening hours: Noon to 10:00 p.m.

Reservations: 929-0970

Cocoro, which officially opened on August 6, stretches across one of the porches of the Mayfair Hotel, situated in a quiet residential suburb of the Corporate Area.

The secluded old world ambience of the hotel provides the perfect setting as patrons are served Japanese delicacies, such as, fried shrimp curry, one-pot meals cooked in a nape (a traditional Japanese clay pot used for preparing one-pot stews or meals), spicy cooked squid, steamed crab paste dumplings, pork loin with vegetables and tofu, and seaweed soup.

Tomohisa Natsume, a Japanese, is the owner/chef of Cocoro. He was an executive chef of another Japanese restaurant in Kingston, after migrating to Jamaica in January 2005 for the post.

Not fluent in English, Mr. Natsume enlisted his friend, Takahiro Sawada, who is better at the language, to guide Food through his restaurant.

Good food

The shape of the restaurant resembles that of a rectangular ballroom and features two- to six-seater tables. The one-sided open area of the restaurant will have diners being naturally cool. Shiny silverware are also provided alongside chopsticks for those who are not adept at using the culture's traditional utensils.

Surprisingly, it is pointless to search for sushi on the menu at Cocoro. "We decided not to have sushi as other Japanese restaurants in Jamaica offer that," noted Mr. Sawada.

Still, Mr. Natsume is warming souls with his tasty meals.

"The food is actually good," said Lorraine Taylor, who visited the restaurant on Tuesday.

Mr. Sawada said that special emphasis is placed on herbs and spices used to season the delicious dishes. "All the spices are imported out of Japan," said Sawada.

Reasonable prices

Cocoro will additionally score high points with diners as prices are reasonable. The appetisers range from $200 to $750, curry dishes $600 to $880, one-pot dishes $700 to $960, a children's special of chicken curry, white rice, crab cream croquette and fruits for $490, and Japanese wines $350 to $1,200. "I was also more surprised by their prices. It is cheaper there than at other restaurants in Kingston," added Miss Taylor.

Fouad Marzouca, owner of the Mayfair Hotel (that has a pool popular with swimmers), is also pleased by the scrumptious meals offered at Cocoro. "I am not an expert in Japanese food but everything I have tasted so far, tastes good," said Mr. Marzouca.

Quoting the restaurant's tag line - "Heart-warming, home-style Japanese cuisine" - Cocoro offers just that.

"Anyone who wants to try Japanese traditional food, which is not found at any other restaurant in Jamaica, especially the Japanese curry, should come to Cocoro," Mr. Sawada invited.