居酒屋チェーンの全盛期だった頃を彷彿とさせるお店 : Murasaki Hon Ten

I had known about this place for a while, but I had already conquered almost all Izakaya (Japanese-style bar) in the area, and there were no other places that looked good, so I decided to give it a try. It is located on the first floor of a building about 50 meters east of the JR Chuo Line overpass on Hirokoji Street. On the east side of the restaurant, just across the street, there is the Chikusabashi branch of the same restaurant, but it was closed on this day. It may have been closed due to the economic situation at the time. When I opened the sliding door and entered, the slightly dim interior was decorated with many lanterns hanging from the ceiling, giving it the atmosphere of a cherry blossom viewing party. There were tables and counter seats for about 10 people, and it seemed that there were tables in the back as well. I sat at the counter seat I was shown and checked the drink menu, which also had "draft large" drinks, but I had regretted it the next day several times, so I ordered "draft medium" drinks on this day. I feel that Izakaya (Japanese-style bar) chains these days are trying too hard to serve elaborate dishes, but this restaurant's menu is similar to that of the chain's heyday. The menu includes nostalgic dishes such as "Sakika Tempura", "Red Wieners", and "Camembert Cheese Fries". It brings back memories of when I first learned to drink and used to frequent chain restaurants. As I took a sip of the "draft" beer that was delivered to me, the waiter said, "Today's recommendation is the 100 yen tofu dengaku." I had seen it on the wall and had been curious about it, so I said, "Two dengaku, please...", to which he replied, "Sorry, but because of the price, we only ask for one per group." I agreed, so I ordered one dengaku and a few other dishes, such as "grilled red wieners" and "fried mochi", which are nostalgic dishes. The dishes that were brought to me in order were nothing special, but the relaxed atmosphere felt in the restaurant was complemented by a spice of nostalgia, and all of them were satisfying. The Hoppy beer I ordered later was a commercial product, which is hard to find around here, and Fried food was a bit oily, but I was comforted by the nostalgic menu and the atmosphere, which is rare these days, and I was able to head home in a good mood. I thought it was a good place to drop in without any preconceptions.