Zoo@MD
Visited in August 2022. There was always a debate about what to have for dinner on holidays, but in response to the constant request from that family member who had been saying they wanted to eat grilled seafood, we headed to "Isomaru Suisan Tennoji Nishiguchi Ekimae Store" in Juso. It is a well-known 24-hour seafood izakaya chain with 121 stores mainly in Kanto and Kinki regions as of August 2022. This chain is also known for the "Azamaru Suisan" and "Okemaru Suisan" which won the Gal Trend Word of the Year award in 2018 (laughs). I only remember using Isomaru Suisan for lunch, and I only remember that the seafood bowl was not that great (^_^;) so this was my first time using the izakaya. It was a Friday night, but we were able to enter without a reservation. Our order included: - Mixed live shellfish in large size - Crab miso shell grilled - Potato pot salad - Soft-boiled egg tempura with salmon roe and grated daikon - Squid and mushroom cotton grilled - Butter soy sauce (for grilled shellfish) - Hoppy white set (one refill) - Oolong tea (for family member) After ordering, a mature male staff member came and started heating up the sazae, clams, and crab miso shell on the stove. Huh (・_・)? I wondered if we had to do it ourselves, but the staff managed everything for us. Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy our meal leisurely without worrying about the cooking. ■ Mixed live shellfish The contents were 2 sazae, clams, scallops, and scallops each. The combination of the bitter taste of the sazae liver and the savory soy sauce flavor was fantastic!! Clams, scallops, and scallops all have delicious soup left in the shell, which is amazing, right? Scallops with the optional butter soy sauce topping were a great choice! ■ Crab miso shell grilled This was incredibly delicious without any unpleasant smell, and the crispy aroma from grilling was amazing!! I didn't remember crab miso being this delicious. I almost went for seconds, but even one shell per person would be totally fine. Surprisingly, not only seafood but also izakaya menu items were delicious without any mistakes. ■ Potato pot salad A salad where you mix marinated egg, thick-cut bacon, and tenkasu to make a potato salad. The strong mayonnaise flavor and the savory taste of the potato salad itself were quite delicious!! ■ Soft-boiled egg tempura with salmon roe and grated daikon It's literally egg tempura with broth poured over it, and the bonito flakes in the broth are well-flavored and delicious. The refreshing grated daikon and salmon roe on the side make you feel like you could eat endlessly (laughs). I underestimated it as a chain store, but it's quite delicious, and the service is not bad. The secret to their long-term operation must be in these aspects. It was delicious and had a casual feel being a chain store! I will come again! Thank you very much.