“Can’t blame her can you?” Brooke’s gaze fell to the floor. She quickly changed the subject. “Areyou hungry?”
“Starving,” I replied.
“Okay, follow me. I know justthe place.”
We arrived outside a restaurant without neon lights and bright colours. It had exposed brick on the outside, traditional red tapestry on the inside, and basic wooden tables and chairs. The front looked familiar. When I clocked the name and examined the menu it was Izakaya Masaka—the place I’d written in the noteson my phone.
“I saw this place on the way in.” The waiter guided us to a two-seater table inthe corner.
“You’ll love it. They do the best gyoza in the area, if you ask me. The teriyaki mayonnaise is unreal, and it’s entirely plant based.”
I spied the food on the table’s as we passed through; it looked unbelievable.
“Are youvegetarian?”
She nodded. “I decided to stop eating meat abouta year ago.”
“Really? How come?”
“I watched a video online...” I pulled the stool from underneath the table, gesturing for her to take a seat. She paused. It felt natural for me to be chivalrous with her, but I could see the confusionin her eyes.
“Thank you... So, I ended up down a rabbit hole researching the health benefits. When I read I was less likely to develop cancer and heart disease I was sold. Apparently, every vegetarian or vegan saves about two hundred animals a year, and I love animals.” She shrugged, as if making such a strong life choice wasn’ta big deal.
“I can’t imagine it’s easy to be vegetarian over here? Doesn’t everything involve fish or meat?” It might have been stereotypical of me to assume, but I recalled Beth attempting a vegan diet a few years back and failing miserably.
She gestured towards the vegan menu infront of me.
“You just have to find the right places. It’s not as popular as it is in England, but it’s becoming morenormalised.”
She pointed towards a section on the menu. “Kaarage fried chicken is still your favourite Japanese dish, right?”
Sheremembered.
“Yes...”
There was nothing quite like the ultra-crispy chicken with a soy sauce marinade. My mouth watered at the thought of the salty goodness.
“This place does the vegan version, before you turn your nose up, it’s unbelievable. Trust me.”
She must’ve noticed the dazed lookon my face.
“You look surprised.” Brooke paused. “You didn’t think I’d remember your favourite foods?”she scoffed.
I smirked. “I didn’t expect you to.”
“I remember everything about you, Holly.” She fiddled with the edges of the laminated menu. “I’d never forget.”
The air around us shifted. My hair stood on end. I believed her because I remembered everything about her too. Brook averted her gaze; she broke the tension just as the waiter came to takeour orders.
Brooke ordered two lots of the mock kaarage, one with sweet and sour glaze and another with teriyaki mayonnaise, and two lemonsour drinks.
“Lemon sour?” I scrunched my face atthe thought.
“It’s really nice. The lemon isn’t overpowering; don’t worry. I know you hate things that are too citrusy.” There shegoes again.
The loud atmosphere of Chaos Kitchen could be felt through the open doorway. Inside, tucked away in the corner, it felt more intimate. The soft sound of traditional Japanese music peacefully echoed around us.
“It’s nice here,” I said.
