We only dined at Naka once before it closed its doors in January. Maybe Seattle wasn’t ready for Naka’s fine dining kaiseki concept, offering 6, 10 and 15-course menu options. Nevertheless, we were pleased to hear that Chef Shota Nakajima reopened with a new concept in the same space as Adana. The food, the dining experience, and the service are still as high quality as before—with a more approachable and affordable menu. 

Chef Shota Nakajima transports Japanese comfort food with a fine dining point-of-view to Adana, merging his Japanese heritage and rigorous culinary training. The rotating menu offers nine choices (three options per course) for you to build-your-own 3-course menu for $37. The bar offers a la carte bites along with a robust collection of Japanese whiskey, sake, and Japanese-inspired cocktails. 

For our first course, we had the Kabocha Squash with shungiku greens finished with a sesame dressing and candied pecans. While I would’ve enjoyed it more if it had been served hot (or even warm), the bitterness of the greens combined with the crunch and sweetness of the pecans made it a tasty and interesting balanced dish. The Fried Tofu with Dungeness crab and enoki mushrooms in a savory dashi was light and flavorful and the warmth I was looking for in a stater.

We ordered the Braised Octopus and the Napa Cabbage for the second course. The octopus was cooked perfectly—tender, but not mushy—and topped with the unctuous braising liquid. Overall, the cabbage dish was satisfying, but the poached scallops didn’t add much to the dish and could have been left off. 

For our last course, the Braised Beef was a simple and clean dish with traditional flavors. The Mackerel was moist with crispy skin paired nicely with roasted shishito peppers. Altogether a nice dining experience with great service and delicious, simple food. Hopefully Adana will stick around longer. We’ll be back soon. 

Photos by Jennifer Liu. 

Adana        |      1449 E. Pine Street, Seattle      |      (206) 294 – 5230