ふらわ★
Tonight, I went to the charcoal-grilled yakitori and sake bar TONTON in Shinjuku. We decided to have a drink in Kabukicho for a change and chose this place without making a reservation. The interior of the restaurant was visible from outside, and the reasonable prices caught our attention, so we decided to give it a try. It's not uncommon in this area to have 24-hour service, so you can cheers anytime. They have both table and counter seats, and they can accommodate a 30-minute wait as well. I asked the staff if they had a semi-private room, and we were guided to the semi-private room on the second floor. They offer various courses, but since we decided to go without a reservation, we ordered a la carte. I like to call out to passing staff to place orders, like a Showa-era man, so I said, "Cheers, let's have a two-person cheers in Kabukicho tonight." Sapporo Black Label draft beer (medium) for 429 yen, I learned that the current market price for a medium draft beer is around 450 yen. The deliciousness that spreads throughout my body as soon as I take a sip, this is it, this is the first taste of draft beer. I wanted to choose sake, so I didn't opt for the all-you-can-drink plan but ordered a la carte. The appetizer was salted kombu cabbage. I prefer salt or miso on cabbage, so the salted kombu was perfect for me. The amount might be fine for young people, but a bit too much for us. I'll leave it aside and eat it slowly. Potato salad for 539 yen, a benchmark dish for izakayas, with different variations at each restaurant. It was served with a large spoon that seemed dedicated to this dish, packed tightly. The thinly sliced flight onion on top adds a subtle flavor. Lightly seasoned and delicious, we enjoyed it while waiting for the next dish. Octopus with ponzu sauce for 638 yen, recommended for summer, quite a large portion but we were pleased with the quick service. Ponzu sauce is common with chicken or pork, but not often seen with seafood (although I often have it at home). The ponzu sauce was more generous than I expected, and it was very tasty. Assorted sashimi for 1,089 yen, the sashimi varies depending on the day, tonight it was tuna, octopus, and salmon. I didn't expect octopus to be included, but it was delicious, so no problem. It's a bit too much for two people, but we managed to get a bit more by asking nicely, just between us. Masumi sake for 869 yen, I accidentally ordered another beer, but still, I chose sake to go with the sashimi. With various well-known breweries available, I chose a sake from Nagano tonight. The taste has improved even more since they switched to using only 7th-generation yeast for brewing, and Masumi is even more delicious now. We'll continue to enjoy it. Assorted raw meat for 1,078 yen, following the sashimi, the raw meat consisted of heart, pork liver, and tongue. Although it's cooked at low temperatures due to current circumstances, safety comes first. I'll enjoy the liver with sesame oil, which is a classic pairing. I don't usually put much green onion on it, but when I tried it, it was delicious. I've always wanted to try shaking salt on the tongue, so I did. Shake it lightly, and when you see the moisture rising to the surface, eat it quickly. Delicious, delicious. Yamazaki highball for 935 yen, I wanted to have a highball with the fried food, so I chose Yamazaki. I was happy with the low amount of ice, and it seems like I'll finish it in no time. Fried chicken cartilage for 575 yen, chicken cartilage is often grilled, so fried chicken cartilage is rare. I was expecting a few pieces, but the portion was substantial, I wonder if we can finish it. Squeezing plenty of lemon on it, it had a light curry flavor, which was delicious. The combination with the highball was unbelievably good. Skewer assortment (7 pieces) for 748 yen, I have a bad habit of only choosing my favorite cuts when ordering a la carte, so I went with the chef's choice this time. I don't know how the combinations are decided, but tonight it was tongue, kashira, pork belly, belly, teppo, liver, and beans. All the skewers were delicious, but the kashira and belly with mustard were exceptional. There are ashtrays at each table, so smoking is allowed throughout, but we didn't feel the purple smoke from the floor tonight. Delicious food, delicious sake, let's enjoy them together.