Today was a day for walking in Shonan.
Here we come to this Japanese-style restaurant.
The location is a corner of an oden stall in the area of Hongtancho, Hirazuka City.
Nakamato Hitachuji StoreThe alley on the left-hand side serves as the entrance to the Oden stall, located at the very back of it.
By the way, there is no oden stall at Oden Yokodeng.
Was there once a place where oden shops lined up along the streets?
It opened on May 13, 2019, in a place that isn’t particularly noticeable.
This type of Japanese restaurant is my favorite genre of establishments.
Since it usually operates only at night, I didn’t have much chance to visit.
However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, lunch takeaway services also began to operate.
As a restaurant, it must be a very challenging task, but there's no other option but to seize this opportunity and make a lunch visit.
According to the official Instagram post, even for lunch, there are circumstances that prevent us from being able to prepare properly.
For safety's sake, we will make an advance phone reservation before visiting.
The opening time is 11:30, but five minutes before that time, we were already ready to welcome our customers.
Such a restaurant is truly trustworthy, huh (＾＾)
First, disinfect your fingers before crossing the warm screen into the store.
Upon entering, there are three counters on the front. To the left, there is one four-seater table. Further to the left, there is another two-seater table.
Since it's just after opening hours, of course, there are no customers yet.
I was guided to the right-hand side of the counter.
The restaurant is run by a couple, Mr. and Ms. Ban.
The building itself has an ancient charm, evoking a sense of history.
The interior of the restaurant seems to have undergone a complete renovation three years ago.
A restaurant with a refreshing and clean atmosphere, typical of a kaiseki cuisine establishment.
The background music is jazz. Nowadays, even Japanese-style restaurants are popular for jazz and classical music.
Lunch is,
・天妇罗御膳 2500円
It's just that, since the order was already approved during the phone reservation,
We will commence the preparations immediately.
Upon being asked for hot tea and cold tea,
I thought it would be okay to order a cold drink from time to time, so I asked for a cold tea.
A cold green tea was served in a thin glass.
The use of thin-rimmed glasses is also nice, and the tea itself is delicious.
At this point, expectations are already rising. (＾＾)
The contents of the tempura meal received on this day are as follows:
・Prep sauce set of 3 items
Strange enough, three dishes appeared at the same time in the appetizer section.
The dishes included were soy sauce rolled eggs, stewed sweet potatoes, and pickled chard.
この出汁巻き玉子は、甘さ控えめの出汁がたっぷりと含まれているドストライク製品です。
And there, it is also served with a small amount of yuzu-sauce-soaked daikon.
The freshly cooked stocked omelette exudes a juice-like flavor.
Ah, I'm really confused. This is really delicious.
小芋も、あっさりとした出汁で炊き、ネギを添えて提供します。
このレストランの一品は、ポン酢と白ゴマを振りかけて提供されます。食物繊維が豊富です。
クフーっ・・・
Why is Kanagawa a prohibition state? (T▽T)ノ＿彡☆bang bang!
Just this amount can make you drink about 2 koku of sake...
The main tempura and rice are ready, with the soy sauce and salt set up properly.
・土鍋ご飯
令人惊讶的是，他出现了用刚煮好的土锅做的米饭。
When removing the lid of the earthen pot, the steam comes out forcefully!
Is that really possible?
Please serve it lightly in a tea bowl.
It seems to be a one-koku-sized pot of rice. But even so, it can still be cooked to such a fluffy texture?
It’s a bit firm, but just the right consistency for my preferences. It’s freshly cooked, hot, and has a fresh, juicy texture.
This is delicious. There's no reason it wouldn't be good.
The rice placed in the earthenware pot is for my exclusive use, so I can get more if I need it.
Finally, they allowed a little extra for refills, and the remaining rice was turned into onigiri.
They gave me as a souvenir. (Surprised.) This is a treatment comparable to that of a proper kaiseki restaurant.
They wrapped the onigiri with seaweed and added some plum. I received it with great care during my evening meal. (＾＾)
・Miso Soup
This is a miso soup made with wheat and wakame seaweed.
This also comes hot from the stove, with the broth fully infused, making it delicious.
・フローラルなアイテム
This dish consists of pickled cucumbers and konjac dumplings.
The pickling method of the cucumber was very to my liking (＾＾)
Well, the fried tempura is served one by one on the plates prepared by Oribe, right in front of me.
・Carrot shrimp with sweet chili sauce
Heavenly soup and salt were prepared, and on the plate was a lemon.
The shrimp was served simply with salt, while the sweet chili sauce was prepared using both salt and soy sauce.
The shrimp are small in size, but even at this size, you can still sense the rich umami flavor. (＾＾)
Among them, these are premium lobsters. At this price, one would normally not be able to afford them.
・Shiitake Mushrooms and Eggplant Tempura
Shiitake mushrooms are usually cooked with salt, while eggplants are typically cooked in a soy sauce-based dish.
Especially the eggplant is extremely hot, so hot that it can burn your tongue.
Even I, who am the complete opposite of a cat tongue user, had to be careful while eating.
The juice produced from shiitake mushrooms and eggplants is simply delicious.
・Narae-ken’s Tempura
Shak-shak texture. I ate it with salt.
・Fried tofu with pumpkin and taro
The fried dishes included three-leaf greens and onions, I think?
The pumpkin was extremely flavorful. It had a sticky sweetness reminiscent of a dessert.
The Satsuma taro has a chewy texture. It can be enjoyed with both soy sauce and salt, making the most of both ingredients.
・Carapace shrimp and sweet salmon tempura
竟然有两条龙虾！而且还有高级鱼类甘鯛！
These were served mainly with salt. The scales of the sweet salmon were crispy and unbearable.
This item costs 2500 yen. Payment will be made via Touchless PayPay.
Ah, I hope you were satisfied... For just this amount of content, 2500 yen is quite reasonable, isn't it? (＾＾;)
Undoubtedly, it is nothing but 100% service.
After finishing eating, I drank the additional cold green tea.
The host and I have been chatting and laughing for a while.
All dishes were to my liking, and I realized that from the conversation.
The husband works at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. He wants to open a restaurant in his hometown of Hitachi, where he was born and raised.
This restaurant opened independently in this region. Although I didn't have the opportunity to study or practice under any particular chef in Kyoto,
The owner himself loves Kyoto, and it seems that he aims to create dishes that reflect that love for Kyoto.
Therefore, it seems that it also fits my preferences as someone who loves Kyoto. I can’t help but feel satisfied.
Kyoto is a place I like, but my husband himself has not had the experience of visiting Kyoto very often.
It seems that they always imagine and long for it.
Therefore, she seemed to be extremely interested in my information about Kyoto.
A restaurant with such strong capabilities, if it has been in operation for over three years,
If it's in Tokyo, it should score at least 3.5 points. But here, it only scored 3.09 points.
Even so, it has been possible to reach such a level because there are just three reviews of this place.
I believe that it has received decent reviews. (＾＾)
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this restaurant has not been able to operate normally for over a year.
In contrast, there was not a single complaint from his wife; instead, her husband worked hard with a positive attitude.
When listening to stories about Kyoto, the husband's eyes seemed like those of a boy (＾＾)
Still very young, your husband.
Undoubtedly, this restaurant will become a representative example of Japanese cuisine in Hirazuka.
Perhaps it's already the case just because I don't know about it?
Thank you for your hospitality! (As of September 2021, 3.09 points)
