おるたな
Japan's winter is cold. Most people who have experienced Japan's winter at least once in Asia would agree... and they really don't feel like going out and end up developing a withdrawal syndrome within Japan, but even for someone like me of Southeast Asian descent, I had to go out in this cold wind-ravaged city for a specific reason... yes, that reason is a regular drinking session with friends. And if there's some dry sake available, I'm usually happy to go out with my friend who also enjoys it, to a place in Shinjuku where you can drink various kinds of sake from different regions of Japan for just 490 yen, which is a crazy good deal for sake lovers. Yes, even on a holiday... The restaurant is located in Nishi-Shinjuku, a fiercely competitive ramen district, on the basement floor of a building. There is a smoking area at the entrance, where young people happily chat, a scene I haven't seen in years. Neither my friend nor I smoke, but seeing young people casually hanging out and chatting over good sake, it's been a while and it's nice, isn't it? The restaurant was quite popular despite being away from the station and was crowded. Well, of course, with so many kinds of sake to compare and pour yourself, it's no wonder. I quickly asked the staff about the system and suggested we start with 60 minutes since we might not drink that much. And if we wanted to drink more, we could extend the time. It's a kind restaurant for the poor elderly in a harsh world. For snacks, we had simple fried potatoes, crab miso, Camembert cheese crackers with honey recommended by the beautiful model-like hostess, and seared marbled wagyu beef and assorted oden, along with the classic fried chicken. Both were reasonably priced, so our wallets were happy. Now, let's get started. I chose the sake I had my eye on from Miyazaki, Sento. It was quite refreshing and nice. I also went for Kameizumi, a fruity sake that was strongly recommended. I'll say it now, it's quite dangerous. This place is really dangerous. Being able to try such delicious sakes at a low price is tempting. And the first two were so easy to drink... My friend loves dry sake and headed straight for the refrigerator aiming for a bottle with a bear illustration. I went for the classic Daruma for my third cup. It's sweet, but it goes well with the delicious fried chicken. The fried chicken was well-seasoned and tender, much tastier than the average izakaya. Crab miso is a favorite of mine, and when I told the staff, they brought it out first and quickly seared it for me. The marbled wagyu beef was also delicious. Just these were delicious. And while eating oden, I had Tanigawadake in a cute bottle, and my friend had Tsukiyama. The area in front of the refrigerator was quite crowded, but as expected of Japanese people, there was a spirit of consideration, which made me think this wouldn't happen in Southeast Asia. When my friend added his favorite green onion bonito, the 60-minute last order came too soon, so we requested an extension. I tried a cloudy sake called Cloudy which I had tried before. The bottle was cute and the sake was delicious. Each sake was well managed and enjoyable, and before we knew it, the time was up. I enjoyed the fried potatoes and negima until the end, but I should have tried the otoshi as well. I got drunk quickly, and at the end, I had some miso soup included in the drink-all-you-can service. Thank you, it's a good remedy...