くのっちょ
"Revisited in November 2020" The first review of the new year is from one of my favorite restaurants, previously introduced, the "MUTEKIROU" from "Miyakoshiya" in Muroran. Perhaps it would be written as "霧笛楼" in kanji. It's not close to my home, so I don't visit often, but it's one of my favorite places to relax. The location is near the tip of the Muroran Peninsula, close to Etomo Cape, and not far from the cape's observatory. The restaurant itself is located on a hill above the south breakwater, offering a view of Muroran Port on the right and Funka Bay on the left, making it one of the best views. In some reviews of this restaurant found online, it says, "You can overlook the Pacific Ocean," but it's actually not the open ocean but Funka Bay (Utouwan Bay), so please be aware. This time, on a weekday afternoon during the pandemic, there weren't many tourists around, so it felt a bit lonely with only one customer before me and one after me. The customer before me sat on the window side on the left, so I took a seat on the empty window side on the right, overlooking the Shiratori Ohashi bridge at the entrance of Muroran Port. I ordered the "French Blend" and "Pumpkin Tart" cake set, which allows you to choose your favorite drink from five types and your favorite cake from three types. As mentioned in a previous review, this restaurant is a franchise of Miyakoshiya, owned by the famous Muroran yakitori restaurant "Ippin." In fact, this "MUTEKIROU" is listed on Ippin's official website under the "Group Stores" section. This store apparently opened as a Japanese-style restaurant initially, but it changed to a cafe in 2015. The building consists of two connected buildings with a covered walkway, but currently, only the right side is operated as a cafe. I wonder if the left building is used as the owner's vacation home; if so, it's quite enviable. If you have the chance to visit Muroran, why not stop by this place?