During the COVID-19 pandemic, I visited Kuma-tando in Higashi-Ochiai when it was still open for lunch. Last year, while I was away from Higashi-Ochiai, the original store, Kuma-ya Honban Higashi-Ochiai, reopened as a restaurant focusing on motsu-beto, which was once very popular. It seems that the previous store only served dinner, but this new location also offers lunch services. I went there to try it out.
……しかし、この店は主に刺し身を提供する店なので、刺し身料理の味噌煮込み定食を注文したのに、まだ作っていないとは！？メニューには載っているのに？？仕方ないので、何が出せるのか尋ねると、マグロやチキン南蛮、鶏唐揚げ、とり天など…牛カルビはないのですか？！
…ですので、木村屋の秘伝料理！鶏唐揚げ定食を注文しました。飲み物は自動販売機で自由に選べるようです。
And, the chicken fried rice set is ready... But the wrapper is too stiff! I think the taste of the chicken itself is good, but this wrapper is really stiff. It was served with rice, takoyaki, and a thin pink-colored sauce... Maybe it was mixed with nori or tempura? But the flavor was absent...
It was lunchtime, but the restaurant was quiet, with only one customer in front of us and another one behind us. Apparently, there weren’t many employees either. Judging by my intuition, it seemed like it took some time for them to get ready to serve customers. I don’t know about evening hours, but it seems like daytime operation might be a better option.
