enmusu - Onigiri Specialty Shop - 笑ん結

Heartful Food

This rice ball specialty store resides on the westside of Niigata’s rebuilt station. It’s at the entrance to a corridor of freshly added stores and restaurants. The staff are always enthusiastic but not over zealous in their interactions always at the ready to offer you a wooden tray for you to collect your rice balls before bringing them to the register for payment. They also don’t mind if you have questions, and will help connect your personal hunger to a fulfilling rice ball. And it’s these small touches that set this store apart from other locations vending similar products. The selection will have something for everyone. Of course, there are traditional rice balls such as spicy miso (my favorite), lightly salted, and salmon, but the store also dabbles in more adventurous offerings such as keema curry, clam salad with cod roe, and pulled pork. I love that they offer customers an option of brown rice for those that are worried about glycemic impact, and the chewy, earthy texture of their brown rice rice balls only improves their flavor. They also have small deli items such as broiled fish and veggies, croquettes, and ohagi (a Japanese sweet consisting of glutinous rice covered in sweetened Azuki bean paste) which all seem to fit with the down home aesthetic cultivated by the store overall. I got the spicy miso, and the tangy, spicy flavor means that it disappears quickly after I start eating it, and a brown rice with seasonal greens from Niigata as the second. It was chewy, healthy, and amazingly delicious. They’re all natural, so you should eat them within the day you buy them for maximum flavor and texture. The store has also started a dine-in special, another one of their special touches, with soup, an onigiri, and a side order. There is a small eat-in area, but be prepared to stand and eat, no chairs are available. Love this place, and looking forward to my next adventure in Niigata station and my next rice ball.