小楽/秋田料理とポルトガル料理とのハーモニー : Koraku

Recently, I'm starting to realize that Shin-Koiwa is a town with surprisingly few decent restaurants. I was knocked out by a Japanese soba restaurant along Kuramaebashi-dori, but they don't serve large portions, and even if it's morisoba, you have to order two bowls, so I can't just go there casually. I decided to save the soba restaurant for today, and headed towards the station. The weather had changed from yesterday to a beautiful sunny day. I used partial throttle to get through Ramen restaurant, where there are usually a few people lined up before opening. Then, I found a sign for a "Kappo" restaurant in an alley I'd never been down before. Looking at the sign, I saw that they were serving Ten-don (tempura rice bowl) for lunch, and I thought I could get in, so I decided to take a walk around the area and take some photos while I came back for a few minutes before opening time. <R4.1.12> "Koraku" I was invited to the end of the counter by someone holding up his index finger. My impression of the restaurant was that the name and the signboard of the restaurant seemed to have been added just yesterday, considering that it was once a glorious Japanese restaurant that was slowly declining. The restaurant was dimly lit and cold (lol), and the background music was a jazz piano, which was at the right volume but had a climax that was like that of Kato Go (lol). When it changed to a trumpet with a fast passage, I felt that there was something inconsistent with the appearance of the restaurant, but I wonder if this is better than the darkness all over... There was a fish tail stuck on the wall in front of me like a trophy, but what is it for? Is it for fin sake? There was a dumbwaiter on the other side, so I guess they accept group customers on the upper floor. And on the other side, about five knives of various shapes were placed on a display stand, emitting a dazzling and intimidating light. The sound of my order of "fried" suddenly rang out. I knew it was for me because it was just before noon and I was the only customer. Then, one after another, the doors were opened and two men and a couple entered the restaurant, and I felt a sudden sense of security. The single customers sat at the counter. The couples were directed to their respective tables on the raised platform, and then they all went their own way. The young man next to me ordered something luxurious, Bento (boxed lunch), and the couple behind me on the raised platform ordered the same thing as me, but with fried Oyster as an add-on. I felt like I was being outdone... Then I wondered if knives were not used for lunch, and then the chef, perhaps for Bento (boxed lunch) next to him that came with sashimi, readied his knife, but it was not as impressive as a Japanese sword, but looked like any other crude knife (hey!) "Small Ten-don (tempura rice bowl) and Inaniwa Udon (Hot)" @1,210 yen. I found a set of Inaniwa udon and tempura on the menu, thought this was lucky and ordered it without any hesitation. But does warm Inaniwa udon need to be chilled in cold water first? The bowl, which hadn't gone through that process, had some kind of green grass (what the hell is that?!) and a little bit of kelp. The completely clear soup conveyed their intention that they don't want you to compare us to a soba or udon restaurant! And it matched perfectly visually with the equally clear Inaniwa udon. So I sipped the soup and it was delicious! I thought the udon could have been a little firmer, but after making sure it was Inaniwa udon, I faced the tempura udon with its black soup in contrast. The fact that shredded seaweed is sprinkled between the tempura and rice also seems to indicate that our restaurant is different from "Tendon Ten-don (tempura rice bowl)!" and in fact, the seaweed cushioning creates a different harmony between the rice and Tempura in the bowl, which was a new discovery for me. However, I've always thought that the Kansai-style soup that is perceived in Tokyo (and this does not mean that Tokyoites perceive it this way; it is merely the Tokyo area where many people from other regions gather) is amazing (in a negative way) for its sense of taste, which makes the quick assumption that because it is clear in color, it is therefore light in flavor, and that light flavors are what make it delicate! I only ate soba noodles every day for three months in Employee Cafeteria of a factory in Mie Prefecture, and I noticed from the very beginning that even if the soup was light in color, it still had a very strong flavor! -- but from then on, I would add dark soy sauce to the light-colored soup. Because with food, the appearance is as important as the taste,