喘息男
I went to the popular referral-only restaurant "Ueda Shoten" in Sen'nichimae, which originally started in Shinonome. It's a really cool place. When I sat at the counter, they offered me a course menu. First, they served raw dishes: Ezo deer yukhoe, deer testicles, wild boar testicles marinated in salt and sesame oil. It took a bit of courage to eat them raw, but they had a smooth texture and no unpleasant smell. Next was the Harahari nabe-style moon bear dish, which had a slightly gamey taste. I was lucky to try bear meat. Then, they served a vegetable and game meat platter with wild boar belly, wild boar loin, wild boar neck, Japanese badger, Honshu deer loin, Honshu deer heart, and Ezo deer ribs. It was a generous portion, around 300 grams per person. Then, they started grilling: the Honshu deer heart was firm and delicious, the wild boar belly was sweet but seemed to lose some flavor from being frozen, the wild boar loin had some marbling but wasn't tough, and the wild boar neck was muscular and had a strong bounce. For a palate cleanser, there was zucchini and blue cheese carpaccio, and Japanese badger meatballs in the broth from the moon bear dish. They also served a deer loin poêlé with a French touch, seasoned with rock salt, fresh pepper, and ponzu jelly. It was almost rare. Lastly, they made a porridge with the broth from the moon bear dish, daikon radish, burdock root, and pickled melon. It was a unique experience to enjoy game meat that I don't usually get to try. They also offer mountain crow meat if you ask for it. My partner said they want to try it next time. The young staff members were very diligent and friendly, and their service was excellent.