Lunch the other day. After finishing work in the morning, I wandered around the area near the north exit of Shin-Koiwa Station. Feeling like having some fish, I decided to visit this place with a somewhat unimpressive facade that turned out to be a seafood izakaya. The warm smile from the elderly gentleman serving me had a healing effect. I wondered if he was the owner. I ordered the sashimi set meal for 1,100 yen (tax included). The restaurant had table seating and a raised tatami area. The walls were adorned with caricatures of comedians and celebrities who were popular some time ago, giving the place a nostalgic feel. The set meal was decent, with portions of tuna, sea bream, sweet shrimp, scallop, and yellowtail, along with rice, miso soup with fried tofu and vegetables, and pickles. Everything was quite average and ordinary. It was a bit disappointing that the rice was a bit cold. The lunch set with three kinds of sashimi that was served to the two young white-collar workers at the next table seemed more substantial. Maybe it's just my imagination. It seems that separating the dishes would make it more expensive by over 300 yen... how stingy. A traditional, down-to-earth izakaya that you would be happy to have in your neighborhood. I don't plan on visiting again, but strangely, I felt a bit warm and fuzzy as I left the restaurant. It's a lovable place in its own way.

When I exited Shin-Koiwa Station North Exit and walked straight about 150m, I saw a service lunch sign in front of Tokyo Seieidai. The restaurant is about 15m to the right. It is a long and narrow establishment with a sunken kotatsu-style seating area on the left and table seating on the right. The lunch menu includes a service lunch for 500 yen, as well as options like a two-color bowl with bream and negitoro, today's grilled fish set, grilled miso marinated sea bream (with grated yam), pork and leek stir-fry set, mackerel tempura (with grated ponzu), pork cutlet simmered set, and beef tripe and sashimi platter for 750 yen each. The tuna dipping bowl is 700 yen, and rice refills are free. It's recommended to go for the one-coin options. After 12:00, customers started coming in one after another, and smoke filled the air due to the high smoking rate. I arrived in about 5 minutes and received three pieces of bream and negitoro with egg, and the rice was just plain white rice. For a one-coin price, it's definitely acceptable. There were illustrations of Sugi-chan, Kintaro, and Sawamohare for some reason, with phrases like "You can't just drink, Sugi-chan!" and "How about a sour?" It's a unique place with a lively atmosphere.

In Shin-Koiwa, there is an old izakaya that I had seen but never entered due to its unassuming exterior. Recently, I noticed renovations being done and decided that I would try it out when I had the chance. I arrived after 10 PM and there were only two groups of customers in the restaurant. The staff informed me that last orders were coming up, but since I was alone and not planning to stay long, I took a seat at a table. The interior was a typical neighborhood izakaya, nothing too intimidating for a first-timer. I ordered a draft beer for 550 yen and the daily special "Spicy Miso Stew with Beef Tripe and Tofu" for 650 yen. While enjoying the beer and appetizer, a bubbling hot pot was brought to my table. I realized that I had just eaten a spicy hot pot in Korea the day before, so I regretted my choice a bit. However, when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was, even better than the Korean hot pot (laughs). It made me appreciate Japanese cuisine even more. The portion was generous, and I was satisfied with just this dish. The total bill came to 1,500 yen, with the appetizer costing 300 yen. I would like to try other dishes next time. Recommended dish: "Spicy Miso Stew with Beef Tripe and Tofu for 650 yen".