ぽぱい
End-of-year party for a group of heavy drinkers. The organizer decided to have it at a sushi restaurant in Ikebukuro.
"Sushimire Ikebukuro" is located on Romance Street, just on the left side as you enter. Surprisingly, it seems to be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That means the manager and staff probably never have to lock up the place. Have they ever closed the restaurant since it opened? (Oh well...)
Cheers with a glass of draft beer! Ah, nothing beats the taste of draft beer. Let's order some appetizers right away.
- Special Sushi Platter ¥3278
The presentation is amazing. Tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, yellowtail, sweet shrimp, horse mackerel, striped marlin, egg, etc. The sashimi looks fresh and glistens under the light. A bit of wasabi and soy sauce for dipping... Mmm, delicious. Each piece has a nice texture and the natural flavor of the fish shines through.
- Octopus Tempura ¥748
The hot octopus tempura is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
- Grilled Pork Belly ¥858
It's been a while since I had pork belly! The texture is melt-in-your-mouth, and the fat adds a rich flavor.
After finishing our draft beers, we asked the staff for recommendations. "We don't have Hoppy, but we have something called Mugi-High, which is a non-alcoholic beer mixed with shochu, similar to Hoppy," they explained. "Oh, it's like a non-alcoholic shochu highball!" Curious about the taste, we all ordered it. Cheers! Hmm... I've tried various combinations of non-alcoholic beer and shochu, but nothing beats the original Hoppy.
"Now, let's dive into the sushi..." Each of us ordered our favorite sushi one after another. We switched to hot sake (Shirayuki) halfway through and enjoyed the sushi with drinks. It was my first time at a sushi restaurant for a drinking party, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the delicious sushi. A night of drinking and indulging in sushi. Now, feeling a bit tipsy, it's time to move on to the next place!