あっとらんこ
At night, my friend tried to take me to a famous hot pot restaurant, but it was fully booked without a reservation. Not wanting to walk around in the cold, we ended up going to this nearby restaurant instead. According to my friend, it's an izakaya that focuses on fish dishes. The restaurant was quite lively, and as there were only two of us, we were seated at the counter. They provided a basket for our belongings and took our coats, which was very kind. The menu was extensive, ranging from fresh fish to meat to Italian dishes. We started with a beer (for my friend) and a Shandy Gaff (for me), which cost 450 yen and 550 yen respectively. The appetizers were two dishes - simmered squid and daikon and kimpira (although the menu listed it as 200 yen, we were charged 300 yen). We ordered the following items: sweet potato tempura (480 yen), pickled oysters (580 yen), pickled pork offal (390 yen), salt-grilled local chicken (680 yen), assorted sashimi (980 yen), sesame mackerel (780 yen), and a Cobb salad (680 yen). For drinks, we had two draft beers, one plum wine, one Shandy Gaff, and one juice. The total bill came to about 7500 yen. The highlights were the sweet potato tempura, pickled pork offal, and salt-grilled chicken. The chicken was tender and juicy. The pickled oysters were tasty but too small. The sashimi platter was disappointing for its price. The sesame mackerel was flavorful but also seemed overpriced. The Cobb salad didn't quite meet expectations. We later noticed hot pot options on the menu, which we would have liked to try. Overall, the restaurant seemed moderately priced for an izakaya. They offered a 1980 yen course meal and a 980 yen hot pot option, which could have made our meal more affordable. They also had a 500 yen all-you-can-drink option for two types of shochu. The restaurant's proximity to train stations and hotels, as well as its Kyushu-inspired dishes like sesame mackerel and pickled pork offal, could make it popular among travelers. For the record, I only had one Shandy Gaff and got tipsy, so I stopped drinking. If you can't handle alcohol well, it might be a good way to save some money.