Just a 1-minute walk from Sanjyo Keihan, this hidden gem is located along Kawabata Street, a major thoroughfare, yet it sees few passersby! The interior is super cute, resembling a café with plush sofas and tables. On each table is a rectangular charcoal grill—half for cooking and half for keeping things warm. It feels cozy, and in colder weather, I find myself warming up by the grill. Today, I opted for the "Stamina Mountain Course" for 8000 yen! With the course, drinks that usually cost under 1000 yen are reduced to just 200 yen. That means you can get hot beer or highballs for only 200 yen! As soon as I sat down, a lineup of dishes appeared before me! The vegetables included a salad—though there are no special veggies in it, the presentation is adorable and it’s super fresh! You can’t find this quality in the city of Kyoto! The dressing is a corn dressing that adds a delightful sweetness. The crispy onion rings are a great accent. Then came the kimchi, with three types: napa cabbage, cucumber, and daikon, all with a slight spiciness! The namul, especially the bean sprouts, is so crunchy and rich that it becomes addictive! The Korean seaweed and yukhoe (raw beef) are incredibly tender—so soft it melts in your mouth! The sauce is sweet and spicy, with a nice sesame oil aroma. Rice is free! Even if you choose a la carte, rice will always be zero yen! When I ordered a regular size, it felt like a large portion. The rice was fluffy, and I devoured it quickly! For the grilled meat, they serve three types: tongue, lean meat, and loin. Each piece is large and filling! The tongue is plump and tender. Wow, great meat never disappoints! We couldn't help but nod in agreement at how good it was! The lean meat is surprisingly soft for being lean! The loin seemed lighter than the lean meat! I was already full but there was more to come! They named the place "Stamina Mountain" because they want you to eat as much as possible! Then came the seafood platter with shrimp and squid, presented like a cake! The staff cooked it for us, and suddenly, there was a burst of flames and smoke—it looked like a volcano! This is a meat volcano! Pouring the sauce over the dish made it flare up even more! What a sight! The meat goes great with the seaweed and namul, while the squid seasoned with yuzu salt was a pleasant surprise! The final dish, cold noodles, was beautiful, and the garlic rice was absolutely delicious. This isn’t just surface-level garlic; it brings a wave of deep umami flavor! The portions are so generous that it’s hard to finish them, especially with free rice encouraging overeating—be careful! The staff was cheerful and friendly too! I was totally stuffed! It’s cheaper than an all-you-can-drink plan, making it perfect for the upcoming season of parties and gatherings!

On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, I visited the restaurant around noon. I noticed a sign advertising the lunch menu while I was out. The interior was pretty empty. The restaurant mainly had table seating, and since I was alone, I chose a suitable table and ordered the weekday special stamina set meal with 150g of meat. It took less than 10 minutes for the food to arrive. I was pleasantly surprised by the large portion of salad. The meat was well-seasoned, which made it a great complement to the salad. The egg soup also had a nice nutty aroma from sesame seeds. This set meal paired wonderfully with rice and was very tasty.

There's a new branch of a pork cutlet and yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in a somewhat tricky location, but it's accessible by car since it's near Kawabata. First off, the grilling net is quite unique, and I'm not sure what the benefits of it are... A regular disposable grill net seems fine to me. The yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) is incredibly delicious, and the kimchi is fantastic. Plus, there's an unlimited supply of rice that is served for free, which is shocking. The beef tongue is cut quite thick, and it seems like it hasn't been frozen. It's definitely a middle cut of the tongue and tastes great. The harami, kalbi (misuji), and red meat (some part of the thigh) are all extremely delicious, and both the dipping sauce and portion sizes are excellent. However, each piece is a bit too large... Half the size would be better... If that’s an issue, I’d like to ask for scissors on the table. I believe the premium cuts, like the tongue’s base, are likely included in the 15,000 yen course, but even a la carte, the quality is quite high. I ate until I was full and it cost around 5,000 yen, so I can imagine the 8,000 yen course has an impressive offering. Given the location, there are many foreign tourists, so I expect this place will become quite popular, so I recommend visiting soon!

I recently visited a new yakiniku restaurant along Kawabata Sanjo Street. The interior was clean and stylish, resembling a café. There were two course options, and I chose the more affordable one. The "Stamina Mountain Course" was priced at 8,000 yen. A rectangular diatomaceous earth grill was brought to the table, similar to a square shichirin. It featured a special grill net typically found in Korean barbecue, cooked over charcoal. We toasted with lemon soda. Right from the start, a variety of small dishes were served: - Kimchi platter (cucumber, daikon, napa cabbage) with a bit of spice - Namul (spinach, bean sprouts) with a gentle flavor - Korean seaweed - Salad with a unique corn dressing - Beef tartare (yukke) with a rich egg yolk, sliced thickly for a good texture, and very tasty For the grilled meat, we had: - Salt-grilled beef tongue (day's special) - Misuj (chuck flap) - Harami (skirt steak) - Medium-cut beef tongue The portions were substantial, about 17 pieces in total. The meat was of good quality, not from overseas. The harami had a nice chewy texture that packed a punch. When I ordered oolong tea, I was surprised by the large size; it seems that ordering a course typically comes with a 200 yen charge, though some items are excluded. For seafood, we were served: - Squid - Scallops, both tender and thick It felt like an indoor BBQ experience grilling seafood over charcoal after a long time. We also had a mix of pork belly and shoulder, cooked by the staff. This style of cooking can be found in some famous places, and it was great to see it here. The way the meat was grilled haphazardly created varied textures, with some parts being semi-cooked and others crisped up. I ended up ordering two large bowls of rice. By the way, rice and salad are refillable. Even though we had more courses planned, I kept eating thoughtlessly. For the final dish, I had a choice between garlic rice or Korean cold noodles. The cold noodles had a refreshing sudachi citrus flavor, while the garlic rice was rich with butter and garlic, definitely indulgent. I was stuffed, but I couldn't help myself from eating more. Midway, I squeezed some lemon for a flavor change. There was no dessert, but the restaurant next door, "Gurt Base," is part of the same group, and we could bring in treats purchased there. We enjoyed ice cream and yogurt, which I will review separately for Gurt Base. I felt like I was eating like a high school student!

Everything I ate was delicious! I was also grateful that the rice was free. I'll definitely be coming back! (⌒▽⌒)

Yukke, tongue, and harami… I had one of each for lunch. They were delicious! However, there were few customers, and the guy who showed up later was quite unfriendly. The ladies who were there when the restaurant opened were much better.

I ordered the "stamina mori." Typically, when you think of meat at a yakiniku restaurant, you expect to see slices of meat served individually, but what I received was chopped meat like what you’d find in a gyudon (beef bowl). The other individual dishes were decent but not particularly cheap despite their average quality. The highlight, however, was that the staff were very lively and cheerful.