野良パンダム
First visit. A restaurant located about a 5-minute walk from Kita-Senju Station, in the middle of a shopping street. The popular menu item is the liver and leek stir-fry. It seems to be quite a popular restaurant, with a second and third branch nearby. I arrived just after the start of evening business hours. I was able to enter without waiting in line. The interior of the restaurant is quite small. The seating consists only of tables for two, so it might feel a bit uncomfortable if it's crowded and you're dining alone. The menu is not very extensive. In fact, it seems like a liver and leek stir-fry specialty shop, with additional side dishes available. I came intending to order the liver and leek stir-fry and "Happy Rice" set menu that was posted on the restaurant's Instagram, but unfortunately, that item was not listed on the menu. In fact, the "Happy Rice" itself was not available. It seems like the "Happy Rice" is on the menu at the second branch. Well, since it's not available, I ordered the following items: Ultimate liver and leek stir-fry set meal (950 yen) Luxurious salad with chicken mince and grated yam (850 yen) The salad arrived first. It's nice that there's quite a generous amount. It's important to eat plenty of vegetables. Although the raw vegetables with grated yam and chicken mince had a slightly unusual smell, it tasted surprisingly good. This was my first experience with this type of salad, but the deliciousness made me want to try making it at home too. It's best to mix everything thoroughly before eating, as the chicken mince and grated yam work as an extension of the dressing. Therefore, I wish they had deeper bowls as it was difficult to mix on a flat plate. After finishing the salad, the main set meal arrived. The liver and leek stir-fry looked shiny and delicious. This liver and leek stir-fry is completely different from the standard liver and leek stir-fry you find at local Chinese restaurants. In local Chinese restaurants, they use pork liver, but here they use chicken liver, specifically white liver. The sauce is also different, with a sweet sauce that's not as spicy as the local Chinese version. It's more like a yakitori flavor. It tastes like they made the liver and leek stir-fry by grilling chicken liver until it's slightly gooey, with a sauce that's sweet and not too spicy. The impression of the taste is more like a yakitori. I haven't had this kind of liver and leek stir-fry much, but as someone who enjoys yakitori liver, this flavor really hits the spot. The liver has no unpleasant smell and is cooked to a slightly gooey texture, with the sauce coating it and the crispy stir-fried leeks complementing it. It's delicious, haha. The set meal also comes with a salad. Oops... I didn't realize and already finished the salad earlier. Well, that's okay! It's important to consume plenty of vegetables. The miso soup had Nameko mushrooms in it. This was also delicious. The side dish was hijiki seaweed. This also had a good flavor. The content of the meal is quite healthy. The white rice could be a bit better. It's not bad, but nowadays there are more restaurants serving delicious rice, so a little improvement would be nice. Also, the portion of rice is a bit lacking. No, actually, the portion of rice is completely inadequate. I made a mistake, it's definitely not enough rice. To confront the liver and leek stir-fry, I was clearly lacking in resources. Well, I had no choice but to order an extra serving of rice for 100 yen. However, the liver and leek stir-fry was as delicious as rumored, so I left the restaurant satisfied. The way the liver was cooked and the overall taste may not appeal to everyone, but I quite liked it. I'll try visiting the second branch next time.