Nikubarudakara: soft NIKU but needs some oomph

Area:  about 300m southeast of Fushimi Station Exit 5 伏見駅
Restaurant:  Nikubarudakara  二クバルダカラ　
Website and map:  http://www.ajiwai-group.com/nikubar/access.html

Hours:  Lunch 11am-2:30pm (Mon-Fri only LO 2pm), Dinner 5-11:30pm (LO11pm)



I've always thought that if a Japanese restaurant had the word baru in it, this meant that it was a Spanish style restaurant.  The music at this restaurant sounded very Spain-like, and with the atmosphere of a summer patio bar (doors and windows open) and the large display of wine bottles, I suppose it could be a Spanish bar.  However, looking at the lunch menu and being called nikubaru (meat bar), it just seems like a steak restaurant.

There were a few lunches to choose from, a hamburger patty, grilled rump, or a beef tongue stew.  All came with a salad and soup, and a choice of rice or baguette.  The salad was a small salad dressed with a simple French dressing.  The soup was a consommé that tasted like it was made from a bouillon cube which is surprising considering this is a beef specialty place.  It may be that the saltiness came from the pieces of sausage floating around but it still tasted like the powdered stuff. The baguette was crispy and light.  I normally prefer my bread with more density and chewiness; this one reminded me of the tasteless, airy bread that Italians use to compliment their saucy pastas.  

The meat in the stew was indeed so soft that it could be pulled apart with just chopsticks.  The sauce was quite salty and almost tasted like canned sauce, lacking depth.

This restaurant has a lot of different locations around the city, but I'm not so sure I'd come back, for lunch at least.