上杉琴音
On my previous visit, I was intrigued by what other customers were eating, so I decided to revisit the restaurant. I was interested in trying the pork spine stew. In Ameyoko, there are several Chinese food stalls, but one did not have this menu item. The second stall had it listed on the menu board, but they said they were out of it. Finally, at the third stall, I was able to order it. While I was exploring different stalls, I forgot about trying anything else besides the pork spine stew. Additionally, I had trouble communicating in Japanese when ordering, so I randomly chose items from the menu. In the end, I ordered the pork spine stew for 500 yen (including tax), one scallion pancake for 300 yen, and a grilled mochi with fruit filling for 300 yen. I realized I forgot to order soy milk, as I didn't want the soup. I also made a poor choice by ordering two dishes with meat and flour. About 80% of the seats were occupied, and surprisingly, there were many young women dining alone. Most people were eating noodles like mala tan. First, the grilled mochi with fruit arrived. It was bigger than I expected! The thin, egg-rich dough was rolled up, and when I opened it, I found a deep-fried bread inside. It was cut into two pieces, with one piece being the size of a regular Subway sandwich. The chewy dough, sweet and savory miso, crispy fried bread, and crunchy lettuce all combined surprisingly well and tasted delicious. The pork spine stew was warm but not piping hot. It was cooked with the remaining meat around the bones. There was mostly bone, so the edible portion was low, but the meat around the bones was tasty. They gave me a pair of gloves, so I wore them and ate it with my hands, which felt wild. I chose the non-spicy flavor, which was supposed to be five-spice flavored, but it tasted more like soy sauce with little spice. The meat was tender from being stewed, but the gelatinous parts were chewy. A couple next to me whispered, "They're eating with gloves..." while glancing at us. They might have thought we couldn't understand Japanese (lol). I understand their feelings because I was also discreetly checking out the customers eating this dish on my previous visit. In between bites, I nibbled on the scallion pancake. The scallions were subtly fragrant, but I couldn't see them as an ingredient. The pancake was crispy and tasty, but having two carb-heavy dishes was tough. I took one grilled mochi with fruit filling home. It was a great breakfast the next day. This restaurant is cheap, delicious, and fun. I want to try mala tan when it gets colder.