I can't stand badmouthing the locals.

When I visited my hometown of Muroran on February 24, 2013, my parents took me to a specialty restaurant for beef tongue. I was surprised to find out that there was a beef tongue specialty shop in Muroran. The interior of the shop was small, but it had a sense of cleanliness. The beef tongue that was served was just as delicious as the one you would find in Sendai, the holy land of beef tongue. If this shop were in Sendai, it would probably receive even higher praise. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the beef tongue, but you can check out pictures from other customers to see for yourself.

The interior of the restaurant in Nakajima-cho, Muroran City, Hokkaido, had a counter and two large tables, with private rooms at the back. As the title suggests, the beef tongue is delicious. However, the service is at the lowest rank. There is no sign of hospitality in the service. The staff just silently places the ordered items on the table. When clearing empty plates, they do so without confirming, even if there is still a little food left. The highly rated oxtail soup is not exceptional, just an ordinary soup. The website states, "There are private rooms available for business meetings or gatherings," but with this level of service quality, it is not suitable for entertaining guests. This review is based on a single visit, but overall, it is not a restaurant that I would want to visit again.

In the past, I used to be a regular at a restaurant in Chuo-cho, but I was saddened to find out that it had closed down. A few years ago, I discovered that it had relocated to Nakajima. They serve Sendai-style beef tongue and barley rice. The quality of the ingredients or the careful cooking method, I'm not sure which, but the beef tongue has no strong flavor like at a certain restaurant in Tomakomai, and it has a taste that is reminiscent of Japanese cuisine, which I like. In particular, the oxtail soup has a perfect match of beef flavor and green onions. Of course, the beef tongue is also delicious. The taste was so good that I even brought my wife along, who usually prefers spicy food, and she also praised it. It's not the most budget-friendly due to it being beef tongue, but it's worth the price. Please try it once and savor the taste.

Originally, there was a shop in Chuocho. At that time, it was the only beef tongue specialty shop in Muroran. Initially, the beef tongue lunch was 1,000 yen. It included beef tongue, pickles, barley rice, and oxtail soup. When I was in my 20s and living in Sendai, I had eaten beef tongue all over the place, so I'm a bit critical, but this one is okay. It's more reasonable than Taizo, which has a branch in Tomakomai. Taizo was initially priced at 1,600 yen, so it was a bargain. I still go there occasionally since they moved to Nakajimacho. However, it's unfortunate that the shop owner lamented, "We had to raise prices" after the mad cow disease incident. The current price of the beef tongue lunch depends on the number of beef tongue slices, but I think it was 1,200 yen for three slices and 1,400 yen for four slices.