そりゃあないぜ！！ : Izakaya Tanukichi

I've only been to this restaurant once, but I had a good impression of it, and when I went to Convenience stores next door, I was curious to see the menu. Every time I go there, I'm impressed by how inventive and creative the lineup is, incorporating seasonal and trendy items. Today, as usual, I happened to look at the menu, and the skewers look delicious. Raw meatballs, whey pork bacon. That and Hoppy would be great. I went in right away. The counter seats with the TV are for single diners. The hall seems to be all Vietnamese ladies. The regular customer next to me, who has a bottle, seems to be enjoying talking with these girls. I stuck to my original plan and ordered a Hoppy set, raw meatballs, whey pork, and my favorite, "Seasonal Firefly Squid Sashimi." Then, the Hoppy appeared and I gulped it down. Then, the girl in the hall announced, "Raw meatballs and whey pork are out." That's what I went in for, but they didn't have either, so it was a great success. I had no choice but to add the next thing I was interested in, "Bite-sized boiled pork cutlet." But to add insult to injury, the firefly squid, which was listed as "sashimi," arrived in a vinegared miso sauce. For a moment, I thought that firefly squid with vinegared miso sauce would match the menu and that I had made a mistake, but there was nothing on the menu, so it seems that this was the correct answer. If you order sashimi and have it with vinegared miso sauce, you should be eligible for the cooling-off period. It's like ordering Steak and getting Hamburg. They're similar but not the same. To begin with, there are so many restaurants that sell firefly squid with vinegared miso sauce that I'm fed up with them. They should be more creative. Anyway, I've only been to this restaurant once, but I think the menu lineup is very tasteful and I'd like to visit occasionally, so I held back and decided to enjoy the boiled pork cutlet to my heart's content. Looking forward to the next time. Today was the day I was rejected by the food gods.

I once went down the stairs to try it out, but the place was full of smoke from yakitori or grilled fish, and I couldn't find any staff in the hall, so I left without being shown to a seat. I was in the mood for sashimi today, so I remembered this place and tried again. It's a rare privately owned Japanese Izakaya (Japanese-style bar) in Okubo. When you enter the bar and sit at the counter, there is a big TV on the right, so it's convenient for solo drinking. The laminated menu is the usual kind and I didn't find it particularly appealing, but the handwritten recommended menu gives the impression that they have properly sourced the ingredients, or that they are well-prepared. For now, I ordered a Hoppy set and a sashimi platter. The Hoppy filled more than half the mug. There was no explanation of the platter, but I think it was raw octopus, horse sashimi, striped jack, and meichi dai. The contents were good, and the price of 1,380 yen was reasonable. By the way, it was my first time to try meichi dai, but I found out that it is a high-class fish. It was sticky and sweet and very delicious. At this rate, I could have three medium glasses for one outside glass. I know I shouldn't, but I ordered something heavy like pork cutlet stew because I was interested in it. A freshly fried pork cutlet soaked in broth, bound in fluffy eggs. I couldn't resist. Drinking alcohol with pork cutlet stew made me laugh, thinking that I've become an old man. I drank alone at the counter, grinning as I watched "Aiseki Izakaya (Japanese-style bar)" on YouTube. The counter was filled with a group of solo old men, and in a way, it was ironic that we were all sharing the table. I had been hesitant to go because it was underground, but I'll definitely return.