今年は石岡であんこう鍋！酒肴亭夛加木へ。 : Sake To Sakanano Takagi

This year, we went to Ishioka for Anglerfish hotpot! We went to Sakasonatei Takaki. We started eating Anglerfish hotpot last year, and this year we were going to Oarai and Nakaminato, but we heard that you can eat delicious Anglerfish hotpot in Ishioka without going to Oarai or Nakaminato, so we went to Sakasonatei Takaki. It took just 30 minutes on the highway from Tsukubamirai, where I live, to get there. The restaurant is located in a residential area a little away from Ishioka Station. The interior is mainly tatami seating, and it seems like it can be used for large-scale memorial services. Today, we only ordered Anglerfish hotpot for the number of people, and we ordered the rest on the spot. There are a lot of dishes, from standard menus to recommended menus that are decided depending on the day's stock, so it seems like you can enjoy a variety of dishes. Since we were there, we decided to choose from the recommended dishes. The appetizer was lotus root dressed in miso, which had a bit of mustard, but the lotus root was not overcooked and had a good texture and was delicious. It's also good for those who drink alcohol. It's a good taste right from the beginning. Anglerfish hotpot, 5 servings. It's a very elegant hotpot made with miso. We start simmering right away. While the hotpot is being prepared, we order from the recommended menu. Monkfish liver I've eaten a lot of different monkfish livers, but this one is well prepared and has no fishy smell. The texture is sticky like cheese. Everyone said it was delicious. Next, we had firefly squid with vinegar and miso. This was semi-rare, and again there was no unpleasant fishy smell, and the squid's deliciousness came out simply. Wild sea bream sashimi with ponzu sauce Farmed sea bream tends to lack a refreshing texture, but wild sea bream is different. Seasonal vegetable Tempura fukunotou, udo, cod buds, etc. They brought the freshly fried tempura right away, so we had piping hot Tempura. It was well fried and didn't feel heavy with the oil at all. A refreshing taste. Enjoy spring. Marinated mackerel, halfbeak, and filefish sashimi The marinated mackerel is homemade, and unlike the usual marinated mackerel, it is fresh. What surprised me even more was the filefish sashimi. I was told to try it with filefish liver, and when I tried it, the crunchy texture combined with the sticky liver was indescribably delicious. I was reminded of the deliciousness of filefish liver. Shrimp crackers I thought there would be a little less of these, but there was a bowl full of shrimp crackers, and I was surprised by the amount! Fried conger eel This was recommended by the store staff as a product of the day. It is a small conger eel that has been fried whole. It is fried very well, the oil is not heavy, and best of all, it is piping hot. Asparagus wrapped in pork belly A whole Tempura wrapped in pork Milt tempura This is also freshly fried, hot on the outside and just the right amount of creamy inside. There is also homemade deep-fried tofu, a simple but delicious dish. And Anglerfish hotpot The Anglerfish has a strangely easy-to-eat taste with no fishy smell at all, and the soup is also elegant. With this taste, you can enjoy Anglerfish without having to go all the way to Oarai. Finish with rice porridge In Ibaraki, there are quite a few restaurants where you can eat Anglerfish in Mito and Oarai, but as far as I know, there aren't many in the southern part of the prefecture. I would be happy if there were such a restaurant in Tsukuba or Moriya... Actually, I just don't know of any, but if you look around, you may find restaurants where you can eat Anglerfish in Tsukuba or Moriya.