A few months ago, I went to Sushi Taro to order carryout on my way home. The restaurant was packed as usual (I had to wait 45 min for my food). They actually had Natto as an appetizer, so I ordered it along with some sushi.
When I went to pick up my food, the Japanese barman who swiped my credit card was amazed that I had ordered the Natto. I guess it is not a popular appetizer at all with the local clientele.
The slimy stringy consistency is really not pretty to look at when you mix it up—I think that is probably a major put off for most people who have never had it. But looks are always deceiving enough. I can see how the reputation and look of a food can give prejudices any pure impressions of taste.
To me, it still tasted the same as when I had the temaki version. I didn’t really find that it smelled bad…and I did NOT find that it smelled anything like “feet.”
Tasting it solo (without rice or nori), it still was not bad. Oddly enough, I found it more towards remarkably bland. And it definitely needed quite a bit of saltiness (more soy next time).
Sushi Taro serves the Natto with chopped scallions, daikon (I think), and karashi mustard (similar to dijon with a wasabi flavor), which adds an interesting punch to the blandness of the beans. If it was salty and I had some rice to mix with it, I probably would have loved it. I will try that next time.
The little portion they serve you fills you pretty quickly. I could hardly touch my sushi after that…
That being said, I will definitely try it again…
