Japanese restaurant on Tērbatas Street in Riga: Vietnamese touches and mixed impressions
A review in the Saturday supplement of the Latvian newspaper Diena covers Derbruder, a Japanese restaurant at Tērbatas iela 45 in Riga, which blends traditional Japanese flavours with Vietnamese accents. Some dishes met expectations, while others fell short.
A Japanese restaurant called Derbruder operates at Tērbatas iela 45 in Riga, in a space that previously housed another Japanese eatery. In the restaurant column of the Saturday supplement of the Latvian newspaper Diena, it is described as offering traditional Japanese flavours with Vietnamese accents.
What worked and what did not
According to the review, some dishes lived up to expectations, while others, such as the salmon miso, promised more than they delivered. The most inspiring item turned out to be the sea buckthorn sorbet, though the reviewers note that this ingredient is probably a Latvian product.
Dishes tried and their prices:
- tuna ceviche: 9.66;
- arancini: 7.35;
- salmon miso: 4.55;
- sea buckthorn sorbet: 5.00.
Ratings
The interior and the food each received four stars, while service and atmosphere were given five. The overall verdict: a few dishes were enjoyable, and from a few others more had been hoped for.
Opening hours
The restaurant is open from 12:00 to 21:00, and until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Link to nature conservation
The column opens with a profile of ornithologist Māris Strazds and his research into the effects of herbicides and insecticides in Latvia. He has pointed to frog declines linked to Roundup and to the black stork suffering from DDT, which, according to his studies in the early 2000s, was still being used illegally in Latvia. The reviewers connect this with the urge to choose cuisine from distant countries, even though little is known about the situation in those places or about possible chemical residues in food.
