タイガース・ウッズ
Since Spice Curry Synergy, it's been a while since I had lunch in Kita-Shinchi. When I arrived, I noticed that right across the street there was a Japanese sake bar called Matsuyama that I haven't visited yet. It's located underground, so it's easy to miss if you don't know about it. The interior has a slightly aged atmosphere with only 8 seats at the counter in a U-shape. The master was handling everything alone, and there were a mature lady dining alone, a middle-aged office lady who looked like Aiko in 20 years, and a group of young businessmen as other customers. The lunch menu had only one option:
- Steak Lunch: ¥1,500
First, a tray with salad, rice, miso soup, and pickles was served. The grilled vegetables included shimeji mushrooms, pumpkin, and eggplant. The meat was cut in half and grilled in stages. Half of the meat was served before the grilled vegetables were ready. Alongside the meat, there were garlic chips, a separate plate with seaweed salt, soy sauce-based sauce, mustard, and spicy miso. The quality of the meat, a fillet commonly seen in steak restaurants in Kita-Shinchi, was excellent - tender and flavorful. I wasn't sure if I could get a refill of rice, so I reluctantly left the second half of the meat for later. Since the meat was so delicious, I could have easily eaten another piece with some more rice. The grilled vegetables were cooked perfectly, not too firm or too soft, bringing out the natural sweetness and flavor of the vegetables. The quality of the grilled vegetables was as impressive as the meat. Compared to other meat-focused restaurants I've visited recently, the balance between the meat quality and the price at this place was outstanding.
The style of grilling the meat in stages reminded me of the following famous Miyazaki restaurants:
- Teppanyaki Steak Hitoha Miyachiku in Oyodo Riverside
- Yakiniku Teppanyaki Steak Miyachiku on Tachibana Street
One thing that caught my attention was that the miso soup was a bit too strong, perhaps overcooked. The tea served was probably Rooibos tea. The master didn't seem like a typical craftsman but rather a quiet type. Next time, I would like to visit Nankai Grill Sakai Station, which has a connection with Miyachiku.