【総評】
Just over 10 minutes’ walk from the Otsu Station. It’s a specialty restaurant specializing in bird dishes, such as yakitori and lava plate grilled chicken. Located at the end of the arcade shopping street.
I had the impression that in Oita Prefecture, chicken is particularly delicious, as evidenced by the fried chicken in Nakatsu. And this place truly lives up to that impression!
Tataki, yakiniku, lava plate-yaki, and fried chicken were all delicious. The ingredients were truly outstanding, and each dish was a delight (^_^).
Personally, I found the batter to be extremely flavorful and intense. The fried chicken with its unique sweet-salty flavor and distinctive seasoning is truly addictive—a highly recommended dish.
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I used a ANA70th anniversary ticket (about 7,000 yen per way!) to make a trip to Oita Prefecture. Although Oita itself has been quite some time since my last visit, I still felt like I was back in Kyushu.
We arrived at Oita Station from the airport around 5 p.m., as dusk began to fall. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we immediately headed towards the dinner place (^_^)
The restaurant we chose was one that we had spotted during our preliminary research. It seemed to be a popular place, so we decided to make reservations before visiting.
The restaurant is located in a quiet area after passing through the arcade shopping street. The distinctive features are a vermilion curtain and large neon signs.
The interior of the restaurant consists of a counter with 5 seats and three areas where customers can sit below the counter. The appearance of the kitchen is unclear, but there was one female staff member responsible for the hall area.
The ceiling is covered with curtains, while the floor is made of khaki-colored linoleum. The lighting consists of lanterns and traditional Japanese-style fixtures. The background music played was J-pop songs like YOASOBI.
When I entered the restaurant, it was almost empty. However, soon after, the tables were fully occupied. Everyone seemed to be regular customers who had made reservations. It was a good thing that we had made these reservations (^_^;).
The menu features a wide variety of chicken dishes, including yakiniku, lava plate grilled chicken, shikeki, and fried chicken eggs (^_^)
The “刺し系” style of cooking has been discontinued for now, but I only did the “たたき” style of cooking. Since I really like raw meat, I’ll definitely keep that aspect intact.
The drinks here mainly consist of beer and shochu. There are also a variety of fruit wines and cocktails, which are quite abundant. It seems to be a selection that is tailored to match the bird dishes.
On the other hand, as a man, I’ll simply choose the Kaku High Ball (500 yen × 2). As for the dishes, I’ll have everything from the aforementioned skewers and yakisoba.
・お通し
Chicken soup and raw cabbage. The soup has a richly sweet taste typical of Kyushu. This is really interesting. And it's also delicious (^_^).
The cabbage was coated with a sauce with a citrus-like sour taste. It's delicious as a single dish, and it pairs well with the chicken meat too.
・タタキ 980円
The cut of the meat is unclear. It has been cut quite thinly. The parts that are cooked well and have a rare texture are roughly half-and-half. The texture is excellent, and it’s really delicious!
The ponzu-like dressing enhances the red meat's flavor, while tightly holding back the richness of the fat. I really want to have a bowl of this dish (T_T).
・串焼きおまかせ五本セット 850円
The order in which the dishes were served was as follows: tsukimi, ashizuri, oshio kaki, tro, and oshimaki. The servings were small, characteristic of Kyushu cuisine, and all the dishes were seasoned with salt.
The meat is larger in size, which makes it more satisfying to eat. This is my preference. But even skewers with just a little bit of meat on them are quite attractive. And they taste great!
To feel such a strong umami flavor in such small pieces of meat is truly amazing. The chicken from Otsumi is truly remarkable (^_^)
・熔岩プレート 1390円
We heat a plate made of rock salt, then place mango and asparagus on it for the final preparation. It has a strange texture, almost like something cooked.
I ordered satomi with a moderate heat, and it was extremely juicy and crisp. The way the salt seeped out from the rock salt was also quite nice!
モモは力強い歯触りで、旨味も非常に強いです。私の好みにはモモが最適ですが、この組み合わせで食べ比べできるのは嬉しいです(^_^)
・Tōyanae 1000円
The sauce dripped in, giving a rich and sweet-salty flavor. It took me by surprise, as I expected it to resemble the fried chicken from Nakatsu.
The skin of this fried egg is also very firm, resembling hormone-rich ingredients. This is my first time enjoying such fried eggs. The taste is similar to natto or Tokyo-style tempura (^_^)
Perhaps the fried chicken that is perfectly seasoned may not be suitable for those who prefer a less refined taste. However, I really enjoyed this original-style fried chicken.
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【Finally】
In Tokyo, it's quite difficult to find chicken with such excellent meat quality and original flavors. I ate only chicken, but I never get tired of it at all (^_^)
Personally, the sashimi is my favorite. The next best is the fried chicken or the melon seed on the lava plate. Well, all of them are delicious.
Today’s bill is 5570 yen. Thank you for your patronage.
