川井 潤
Most of the customers are young people, especially women and couples. Two middle-aged men walked into the restaurant. One of them was a senior in the TV production industry, with a tough look and a regular at this restaurant. The restaurant specializes in game meat, offering two types of deer (Ezo deer, Japanese deer), wild boar, pheasant, rabbit, true duck, as well as badger, bear, moon bear, wild boar, bulbul, and harako (which I can't eat). Today, unfortunately, that delicious badger is not available. But having such a variety of game meat on the menu is quite wild. Surprisingly, there are similar restaurants in Kanda, Nakameguro, and Fukuoka, all operated by the same company called "Yumeya." The menu includes a beginner-friendly dish called "Hitotoori" (tax included 1242 yen). The regular senior ordered me to try it first. For drinks, we had the "Great Chuhai" (450 yen), a special lemon shochu highball, and the senior had a "Kaku Highball" (tax included 500 yen). We started with the "Hitotoori" menu. First, the wild boar shoulder loin on the right, with rich fat and a firm texture. Then, the Ezo deer loin on the left, with tender meat and a strong umami flavor. Both were enjoyed with salt (specifically dried celery root and large salt grains). Wanting some vegetables, we had the Harpin cabbage, a Chinese-style pickled cabbage with garlic, chili pepper, and soy sauce, providing a nice accent between the meats. The wild boar shumai, three pieces per serving, was flavorful enough even without mustard, and I preferred wild boar to pork shumai. I ordered another glass of "Great Chuhai." Condiments for the next dishes arrived, including salt, mountain wasabi, and spicy miso. We had the pheasant thigh meat on the right and the duck loin on the left with mountain wasabi. The mountain wasabi's moderate spiciness complemented the game meat well. The duck loin had a soft texture, juicy, and full of umami and sweetness. The senior suggested going to another place, so we started preparing to leave when the Niigata-grown shiitake mushrooms we had ordered arrived at the table. We quickly sat back down and enjoyed the mushrooms, which were full of umami juice. After finishing, we paid around 3000 yen per person, which was quite affordable. The popular "hamburger (deer and wild boar meat) rice" served at various tables was tempting, but unfortunately, we had to pass on it this time due to running out of rice. We'll save that for next time.