あかさ
I had the special opening course of 8 dishes for 7,700 yen (tax included) but got it for 5,500 yen (tax included). There was Yamazaki whiskey! They had an 18-year-old bottle available for sale only, priced at 500,000 yen. I’m not sure if that’s expensive or cheap anymore. The 12-year-old was available by the glass, but since I wasn’t drinking yet, I opted for yuzu tea, although it was a bit disappointing without any fruit chunks.
Starting dish: a deliciously hot beef chawanmushi (steamed egg custard). It didn't have any meat or ingredients, just the flavor of beef, but it was quite tasty. The next dish was a bite-sized Shiretoko beef temari sushi, accompanied by lightly pickled nanohana (rape blossoms) that had a salad-like freshness. The bamboo shoot namul was tasty, even if it didn’t feel very much like a traditional namul. The beef offals simmered in Arima broth had a strong taste and while it was rich in fat, it worked well with the dish. The variety of ingredients, such as nanohana and bamboo shoots, added interest and fun textures.
Next was a salad, a homemade chorreogi salad with arugula. The delicate dressing was delightful and paired well with the soft leaves of the arugula. For the grilled items, we had thick-cut beef tongue and a recommended assorted platter that included kalbi, shimacho, ton toro, and seseri from the shoulder. While the visual appeal was somewhat lacking, it was still delicious. The grilled brisket with a rice ball was a nice touch! It was grilled to a nice char and dipped in egg, but the flavor of the dipping sauce was light, so I added some barbecue sauce.
For the choice between wafu cold noodles or gyutoro rice, I opted for the gyutoro rice. I expected the hot rice to melt the gyutoro, but the rice wasn’t hot enough for that to happen. Still, by adding an egg and some sauce, it was enjoyable. The portion of rice was decent as well.
For dessert, we had a homemade yogurt ice sorbet, which was more like a refreshing sorbet, rather than a traditional ice cream. It was delicious with blueberry sauce that had fruit chunks. Although there wasn't a lot of Shiretoko wagyu, it was nice to enjoy it at such a reasonable price. The staff service was smooth, and halfway through the meal, the chef even came by to say hello, and he was quite young!
This place is also recommended for dates with girls who say, “Oh! I want to drink champagne!” I also want to try the Yamazaki 18-year. Thank you for the lovely meal!