It’s been about half a year since my last visit to this restaurant. In the middle of the night, around 3 o’clock the previous day, I imagined myself eating hara-mi while holding a bowl of rice that had that sauce on it. That image kept repeating in my mind, so I went and talked to my mother who was still asleep. She said she really wanted to try the tandoori food. So, I immediately made a reservation online and went there! The advantage of making a reservation online is that you can book without having to worry about time or location restrictions.
Upon entering, there were decorations that were typical of summer.
This time, it was possible to make a reservation even in the early morning. Of course, making a reservation through the website is a great convenience. Moreover, when using the website to book a private room, there was no charge! Even though the tables are relatively ordinary, it's really comfortable. It's especially nice that we could get a private room for free at this time. When I requested a private room, it was the same room as last time.
On this day, the restaurant’s lunch napkins were adorned with cherry blossoms and warblers. It felt like spring was longing for me. My drink was black oolong tea. I chose a larger, cup-like size of it and decided to divide it into several portions.
Today's recommended menu: a seasonal delicacy - winter melon kimchi in water
Water kimchi is really refreshing, isn’t it? However, the water kimchi I imagined had much more liquid content. It was refreshing and delicious, so it felt like you could just scoop it up with a spoon and drink it. So, there wasn’t as much water as I thought! Also, since I usually eat pickled vegetables that are already soft after being processed, the crisp texture of this pickled vegetable was quite refreshing—it resembled a kuketki in a way.
Black beef yukke
There is salt and sauce available, but I prefer the sauce option! Utsukushii is my favorite dish, but in Japan, every restaurant serves it in very small portions, which doesn't feel satisfying enough.
Mampuku Salad
It is said that the dressing is made from garlic sauce that has been left to macerate for three months, along with plenty of chopped green onions. It's really appreciated that they prepare portions for each person and bring them out!
2 person servings of garlic tofu salted
This ginger-tan salt is extremely strong in its salt and pepper flavor, so there’s no need to add anything else! It makes rice taste even better. The ginger is also finely chopped, so it doesn’t fall off the tan salt or become too spicy. Truly, this is a true specialty of this restaurant! I remember the first time I tasted ginger-tan salt—it seems like it was part of the same chain of restaurants that this place belongs to now.
カルビ一人前
Ah, the rice keeps moving! I’m trying to lose weight, but I really need some small-sized rice, so I had to order it.
And the laughter that I had dreamed of—a full portion of harami. It’s not as fatty as kalbi, and it’s extremely tender. It perfectly matched my mood on that day.
I remember the first time I tasted Manpuku’s food… there was also Bibin Mee! They said it was extremely spicy, but I still decided to try it. How delicious it was! But when I visited Manpuku in Roppongi for the first time in over 20 years, Bibin Mee wasn’t on the menu at all. It was quite a shock. However, this time, I found Bibin Mee on the menu! I was really eager to try it… but after eating the meat, I just wanted to have cold noodles instead. So, each of us ordered a regular size of cold noodles. It seems that the menu has changed quite a bit. Last year, it was called “Cold Noodles with Japanese Sauce”, but now it simply reads “Cold Noodles”. The noodles are firm and chewy, just the type I like. The soup has a mild flavor. Here, in addition to vinegar, they also bring over kimchi-like sauce, so you can adjust the amount according to your preference. That’s quite nice!
Previously, when I made a reservation, I was given oiran (a type of Japanese food served in a small paper bag). When we were leaving this time, there were paper bags lined up at the exit, so I kind of hoped for it. But it seemed that it wasn’t meant for us. Laughing.
After a long time, grilled meat again… it's really great!
