蓼喰人
There used to be a tempura restaurant called "Miyabi" facing a narrow alley in Ningyocho, which had a good reputation for its mini-course lunch. I visited once, but it closed down two years ago. Recently, I heard that the owner opened a new restaurant in Kanda. The location is a little off between Awajicho and Ogawamachi, with the nearest station being Shin-Ochanomizu. "Miyabi" was always crowded even before opening, so when I arrived around 11:30, there were no people in front of the restaurant. The restaurant is run by the owner and a female server. The server led me inside a little early and seated me at the far end of the 9-seat counter. Each person had a half-moon plate in front of them, and on the counter, there was a plate with a wire mesh for frying. The hand towel provided was thick, which was a nice touch. The lunch menu had three options priced at 1,637 yen, 3,500 yen, and 5,000 yen (excluding tax), with differences in the number of dishes and the quality of shrimp and fish. I hesitated a bit but decided to try the cheapest "limited-time course" to compare it to the lunch at "Miyabi" (which was around 1,500 yen). I also ordered a beer (Suntory Premium Malt's in a medium bottle). As the server brought the beer glass, each dish was placed on the mesh with a brief explanation. The menu listed 6 items, but in reality, there were 7 items. It was enjoyable to savor each dish while sipping on the beer. The menu included: shrimp, shiitake mushroom, lotus root, eggplant, mochi, conger eel, purple sweet potato, and a small tempura rice bowl. The tempura rice bowl had a generous tempura on top of it, and the style of soaking it in the sauce was pleasing for soy sauce lovers like me. The tempura was crispy, and when broken with chopsticks, you could see shrimp and small fish inside. The rice was a bit soft, probably due to not steaming it enough, but the accompanying clam soup was well-made. The highlight was the variety of pickles, including cucumber, daikon, pickled radish, and cucumber with chili pepper in soy sauce. The dessert was a warabi mochi with sweet red bean paste and black sesame powder, which was quite tasty. The attention to detail and thoughtful service made for a fulfilling lunch experience. The price was reasonable, around 2,000 yen with a beer, considering the quality of the meal. The skill of the owner was evident even without choosing the high-end course, and the server's calm and pleasant service left a good impression. Perhaps due to its lesser-known status, there were only two other customers, a pair of women, during my stay until around 12:30.