Schnitzel
On this weekend day, I went shopping at Tsukiji Outer Market after a long time. From the rooftop of Tsukiji Seafood Market, a commercial facility set up by Chuo Ward, you can see the vacant lot that was supposed to be used as a base for the Olympics vehicles. My target for shopping was Chinese matsutake mushrooms, which are hardly seen in the city this year. I hoped to buy them relatively cheaply at the outer market, but the vegetable shop I relied on had already sold out. The space where matsutake mushrooms were displayed is now empty and vacant. To lift my spirits, I visited this shop. Established in 1910, this is the main store of a long-established chicken meat wholesaler that offers a variety of bird meats from local chickens and brand-name chickens to ducks, quails, and wild birds. Although it is primarily a wholesale store for business use, it also sells meat, bento boxes, and side dishes to the general public. This time, I purchased 600g of Oyama chicken thigh meat and a total of 400g of various chicken giblets. The giblets, including liver, heart, and gizzard, cost around 100 yen per 100g, which is very affordable. I cooked the thigh meat on the grill or as chicken cutlets, and I made a Yamanashi regional dish called "torimotsu" with the giblets. Both were delicious. In particular, the giblets were so fresh because they were butchered at the shop, and there was no hint of any unpleasant taste or smell without the need for meticulous pre-treatment. I have tried buying chicken giblets from various shops, from Kinokuniya International in Aoyama to Shinano-ya in Gotanda, but this shop, where you can choose from different parts of brand-name chickens at a reasonable price, is still the best. I will definitely visit again.