アメリカ出身のアーロン
As an American, my expectations for the quality of airport food are generally quite low. When in American airports, I am used to buying tasteless burritos or dry sandwiches. Japanese airport food tends to be far superior, but Kinugasa is in a league of its own. They offer dishes that you would find in high-end restaurants in Ginza or Minami-Azabu. Let me share my experience... We arrived right when they opened, and at that time the menu was limited. They had only prepared one of the three menu items available. The rest will be served at a later date. Fortunately, my wife and I both wanted to eat the Aji set meal, so we ordered that. Our server was Ms. Yamaguchi. We found her to be very friendly. According to Yamaguchi, they use Aji fish for sushi, so they only fry it for 20 seconds. This way, the outside becomes hot and crispy like tempura, while the inside remains raw like the sushi you would experience at a sushi bar. It was delicious! The fish was clearly very fresh, with the delicate flavor and firm texture that only the best fish possess. I especially loved the homemade tartar sauce. The ingredients were presented in a bowl for you to mix yourself and create the final product. The sauce included finely chopped egg, seaweed flakes, and mayonnaise, but what made it unique was the smoked pickled daikon that adds texture, acidity, and smoke all at once. I had never tasted a smoky tartar sauce before, but it was delicious! Other seasoning options included mustard, sea salt, wasabi, and a fantastic dashi made with smoked pickled daikon. My favorite was the tartar sauce and daikon dashi, both of which paired perfectly with the delicately fried fish. Adding a little sea salt to the tartar sauce enhanced the flavor even more. The set also included pumpkin and miso soup, both of which were above standard. The pumpkin was perfectly cooked and had a solid texture throughout. It did not become mushy from absorbing too much liquid. The flavor was fresh and pure. The miso soup was filled with clams, and simply biting into the shells added to the flavor. While miso soup is common in Japan, this miso soup surpassed that norm. The set was rounded off with shredded cabbage topped with dressing, a bowl of rice, and pickled vegetables as a side. The meal was certainly delicious, but I felt the price was a bit high. However, considering the exorbitant rent of this location, it is understandable that they need to charge slightly higher prices than usual. Nevertheless, we were happy to pay a little extra to enjoy such delicious food at an airport.
