On this day, I visited Ginza Shinohara. However, I might have had a bit too much to drink at MORI BAR GRAN. I was already feeling good! To start, I was offered some additional dishes: King Crab for JPY 6,600, Hida Beef for JPY 5,500, and Caviar for JPY 10,000. Now, what should I choose?- Gyokuro (Green Tea)- Appetizer: Edamame Purée Served in an ice bowl, refreshing. I enjoyed it while nibbling on some tomatoes.- Vinegared Dish: Sweet Shrimp, Cucumber, and Sea Urchin Served with wasabi vinegar. This is also a delightful summer dish.- Soup: Sweetfish and Winter Melon Noodle It’s been a while since I had Shinohara’s noodles. The broth is delicious! The thin, slippery somen noodles are fantastic! The sweetfish is tasty, and the winter melon is wonderfully tender!- Sashimi: Pike Conger, Young Bonito, and Sea Bream The young bonito is known as "Yokowazukatsuo" in Kansai, while in Kanto, it’s called "Meji." It has a refreshing taste. The pike conger is served with vinegared miso, and the sea bream is full of umami.- Sweetfish Nigiri During this season, I usually look forward to the grilled sweetfish from Gujo Hachiman at Shinohara, but recently, they haven’t been able to catch good sweetfish, so I opted for nigiri instead. However, it was grilled over charcoal, and it was delicious in its own right.- Grilled Eel Sushi Next, I had a rice dish. I recently enjoyed grilled eel at an eel restaurant, and it was delicious.- Fried Sweetfish Heads A byproduct of the nigiri, they were nicely roasted.- Additional King Crab with Olive Oil In the end, I only ordered the King Crab as an additional dish. It was a magnificent crab, with thick fibers and satisfying to eat! It’s rare to have it with olive oil, but it added a lovely aroma, making it sweet and delicious.At this point, I was offered a takeaway: Hida Beef Bento for JPY 3,800. It’s unusual to get a bento from Shinohara, so I decided to order it. I’ll pick it up on my way out for breakfast tomorrow.- Hassun (Seasonal Dishes) The tradition of Tanabata, which is based on the legend of the Milky Way celebrated in China on July 7, was brought back to Japan by the envoys to Tang. It coincidentally connected with the Japanese Tanabata, which was a completely different event involving weaving women. Initially, wishes were made by hanging five-colored threads on bamboo, but during the Heian period, people began writing their wishes on oak leaves, and later in the Edo period, they started using five-colored strips of paper as we do today. - Vinegared Hair Crab and Scallops - Red Wine Poached Mountain Peach - Fried Squid Tentacle - Fugu (Pufferfish) Jelly - Dutch-style Eggplant - Grilled Shonai Wheat Gluten with Cheese - Sweet Rice Cake with Miso - Grilled Duck Yakitori - Corn Tofu - (Later served) Fried Sweetfish: Enjoy it warm with plenty of dip.- Foie Gras with Butter, Dried Persimmon, and Rum Raisins in a Monaka This is one of Shinohara’s specialties. That day, I paired it with Nara’s SAKE HUNDRED Ten Sai AMAIRO.- Fried Abalone, Fried Corn, and Sweet Potato Stew The batter was crispy, and both the abalone and corn were delicious. The sweet potato stew was incredibly sweet!- Turtle Zosui (Rice Soup) This is a turtle rice soup. Wow, it was hot and delicious! At Shinohara, turtle is usually served grilled or fried, but this was also great!- Meal - New Ginger Rice - Simmered Dishes - Simmered Beef - Yamagata Dashi? - Red Miso Soup with Water Shield The new ginger rice was simple yet delicious. It’s rare for Shinohara to have so many accompaniments with rice, perhaps due to its simplicity. The pickles were likely made with Yamagata dashi? - Genmaicha (Brown Rice Tea)- Water Yokan from Noto Dainagon, Ishikawa This time of year, I often enjoy water yokan at Japanese restaurants. It melts in your mouth! The flavor and sweetness of the adzuki beans are exquisite. So delicious!- Matcha (Green Tea)On this day, there was shocking news! Tanaka, who succeeded Shimbukuro as the head chef, is planning to leave at the end of July to pursue independence. The location is still undecided, but Shinohara hopes he will continue in Chuo Ward. Please aim to create a delicious, bright, and enjoyable restaurant just like Shinohara! It was a great meal... but I will miss it.
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