The Weekly Eater

BY NADINE KAM

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KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM Masako Tanaka shows Bizen's spicy tofu steak topped with organic mushrooms and vegetables.

Experience beauty of
Japanese organic cooking

It's said that a watched pot does not boil, and the same theory applies to tofu. If you want to drop some pounds, try making a meal of hikiage yuba, the curd that forms as soy milk begins its transformation. The process unfolds right at your table at Bizen.

It's almost like fishing. You can wait and watch, scanning the surface for telltale ripples, and if your eyesight's true, you might pull up a short, thin ribbon of tofu skin. This is dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and green onions and devoured in a second, before you go back to scanning the surface. It's a dish that requires the patience of a Zen monk, and not surprisingly, it has been a temple staple.

Bizen's claim to fame is that it is an organic restaurant. Owner Masako Tanaka conceived the idea after becoming ill and setting on the path to culinary detox. In the process, she -- unintentionally, mind you -- shed 38 pounds from her size 6 frame so that she is now a model-slim size 1 or 2. More important, she discovered there are few restaurants offering health-conscious menus that agreed with her philosophy of food purity, so she opened her own. "Bizen" means "beautiful meal."

The room, like the menu, is small, humble and tasteful. Meals are served in serene earthenware, and drinks such as carrot juice ($2.75), apple juice ($1.50) and soy milk with kinako (roasted soy flour), vitamin E-filled black sesame seeds and maple syrup ($3.25) sit atop coasters hand-sewn from woven kimono silk.

Does this woman pay attention to details? Even the water and ice are triple-filtered to kill bacteria and remove as much chemicals as possible.

THERE ARE MANY dishes here that promise more pleasure than the plain make-it-yourself oboro tofu ($4.75), but having seen the process in a huge automated factory, I wanted to see a more intimate performance.

The soy milk is brought in a small ceramic double boiler. The heated milk begins to curdle, and the skin forms, allowing you to slowly pick and eat "until you get tired," Tanaka instructed. When you're ready, she returns to introduce a couple of tablespoons of nigari, or mineral-filled "sea water," into the mix. This is what causes the mix to solidify and form soft, flowery curds that look more like Chinese egg flower soup than the solid blocks we see in supermarkets.

This is not the last you'll see of tofu. There is a tofu-seaweed salad and tofu steak. However, this is not a vegetarian restaurant, so you will find chicken and fish on the menu, though these will be free-range and artificial hormone- and preservative-free.

Most of the dishes are served with gokoku-mai, a mixture of brown rice, black rice, mochi-awa, pearl barley and sesame seeds.

"ORGANIC" ISN'T synonymous with "austere," and for the most part, those who love Japanese cuisine will find there is been no sacrifice of flavor. You can still taste familiar soy sauce, miso and sugar, from brands that steer away from commercial chemicals.

If you like Japanese-style pasta, you might try the mirin-sweetened spaghetti ($11.25) tossed with shiitake, enoki and shimeji mushrooms and red pepper flakes. Maybe it's cultural, but I prefer pasta that's savory, and maybe Bizen will expand its menu to accommodate this preference.

I don't care much for chicken, either, which I consider dry even on a good day, and here, simple teriyaki ($12.75) and thin garlic-lemon sauce ($8.25) treatment can't mask the plain, skinless bird.

That leaves fish -- along with the tofu steak -- as the most popular entree, whether it takes the form of grilled snapper shioyaki ($14.50), salmon topped with crispy sliced almonds and a light lemon sauce ($12.95) or sodium-heavy poke dinner ($9.50).

Finish off the meal with hot zenzai ($3.25), organic azuki beans served with mochi made from organic brown sweet rice. Like I said before, it's no sacrifice at all.

BIZEN 2334 S. King St. at Stadium Mall, next to Club By Me, just before Hula Supply Center / 942-7003 Food 1/2 Service Ambience 1/2 Value Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays Cost: About $25 to $30 for two for dinner

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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:

	excellent;
	very good, exceeds expectations;
	average;
	below average.

To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com