I visited Yaizu for the first time in four months.Last year, I came during the peak of summer and remembered feeling cooler thanks to the sea breeze compared to Tokyo. However, on this day, there was no wind at all, and it was scorching hot. After dining at Chisou Nishi Kenichi, I was heading to Hamamatsu, which recorded over 41 degrees the day before, and I was already feeling a bit down about it.To start off, I ordered a chilled beer to cool down. Then, I opted for the standard alcohol pairing in half portions. As usual, the difference between full and half is just the amount poured, with both options offering eight glasses.- **Katsuo** Grilled on the skin side and served with pearl onions, accompanied by a tomato sauce inspired by gazpacho from Kakegawa. Topped with seafood jelly. A refreshing appetizer for summer. The spicy tomato sauce pairs well with the katsuo.- **Fried Sawara** Served with a loose tartar-style sauce made from chopped boiled eggs, onions, and capers (a Spanish-style sauce), topped with fermented tomato powder. Two pieces of sawara are stacked and fried for thickness. It’s fluffy yet light due to the air inside—delicious! The tangy sauce complements it perfectly.- **Horse Mackerel** Marinated in sansho oil, topped with beets, red onion, and finger lime, served over a bed of kinome greens. The thick horse mackerel requires a knife and fork. The fresh fish has a delightful texture, and the popping of the finger lime adds a nice touch.- **Sumi Ika** Sautéed in a frying pan and then grilled over charcoal for flavor. Served with fried white eggplant that has also been grilled. The sauce is made from grain mustard and Shizuoka's Hamana natto (a fermented soybean similar to Chinese doubanjiang), sprinkled with garlic powder. The perfectly cooked sumi ika retains a chewy texture—so delicious! The mustard sauce is fantastic!- **Homemade Bread with Aonori from Lake Hamana** Steamed and then baked in the oven until crispy on the outside. Oh, homemade bread! It feels like holding a fried bun. It truly tastes of aonori!- **Hige-dara (Beard Cod)** Served over a presentation of cabbage and land seaweed. Accompanied by a shrimp sauce with spices. The plump hige-dara pairs wonderfully with the shrimp sauce! So tasty!!At this point, I was asked if I wanted to add another bread for the next three dishes, but I politely declined. They served the usual French bread with Bordier's seaweed butter.- **Grilled Sweetfish Scales** Served over a potato purée. Accompanied by a sauce made from red wine and organic roasted tea, sprinkled with beet powder, and garnished with tomatoes that have been cooked in the oven for three hours. The crispy scales are delicious! The fluffy fish and red wine sauce go perfectly together. So good!- **Fish Pie** Fresh shirasu (whitebait) caught that morning, sautéed with onions, wrapped in shiso leaves, and then encased in pie dough and baked in the oven. The sauce is a cream sauce. Please cut it in half before enjoying, as the center is slightly undercooked. Fresh shirasu has arrived! They had contacted me earlier to delay our start by 30 minutes because they wanted us to enjoy the freshly caught shirasu. Last time I visited, I couldn’t have it because the fishing season had just opened and there weren’t any good catches. So, it’s been almost a year! The cooked shirasu on the outside is fluffy, while the slightly undercooked shirasu in the center retains a chewy texture, combined with the sweetness of the sautéed onions and the lovely aroma of shiso—delicious!!- **Shizuoka Abalone Risotto** A risotto made with glutinous barley and brown rice, incorporating pureed abalone liver. The abalone is hidden within the rice. Topped with plum powder. Instead of just placing the abalone on top, they first filled the bowl with more than half of the risotto, then mixed the abalone with the risotto before adding more risotto on top for serving. This was my first time having abalone risotto, and the firm risotto combined with the chewy abalone and the plum powder was fantastic! So good!!- **Fuji-Eda Mango** A sherbet made from Fujieda's gyokuro and soup, drizzled with homemade kuromoji oil. The aroma of gyokuro and kuromoji is wonderful. The mango is from a house in Fujieda, and it’s an Irwin variety.- **Hamagou Ice Cream** I wondered what Hamagou was, and I learned from a certain chef at a Japanese restaurant in Yaizu that he had picked it from the Yaizu coast. I see! It has a refreshing mint-like aroma and is delicious.For dessert, I enjoyed a Pineau des Charentes made by blending grape juice with cognac and aging it, and it turned out to be a 50-year-old vintage! With this color, is the base white wine?!- **Coffee** - **Tea Sweets** - Chocolate mousse mixed with roasted tea - Orange peel from the New Summer Orange in Izu, Shizuoka I thought they hadn’t served any sweets with the coffee, but this must be a first. Both were soft and delicious.Everything was delicious that day. I finally got to enjoy the long-awaited shirasu pie, and I encountered hige-dara (beard cod) for the first time (officially known as Yoroitachi-uo, a deep-sea fish). The abalone risotto was also a first, as were the dessert options of Fuji-Eda mango and Hamagou ice cream. Additionally, the homemade bread and the tea sweets served with coffee were also new experiences. It was a delightful menu full of fresh surprises, and everything was delicious, leaving me completely satisfied. It was a great meal!
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