I had heard so many great things about Yanagiya from various people, and I always wanted to visit at least once in my lifetime. Thanks to a friend who often goes there, I finally got to experience my long-awaited first visit.On a Sunday evening, it was just the four of us, and the second-generation owner prepared our meal!For the appetizers, we had pickled wild vegetables, simmered venison, and honeycomb. I can imagine it would go well with some drinks!For the grilled dishes, we enjoyed:- Yamame (landlocked salmon)- Ayu (sweetfish)- Dried Ayu- Pheasant- Venison tenderloin- Venison loinIn between, we had:- Pheasant tataki (lightly seared)- Tempura of wild vegetables, quail, venison tenderloin, and possibly boar meatballs, along with ayu.To finish, we had:- Grilled eel (shiroyaki)- Grilled eel with sauce (kabayaki) and rice with sauce.Just when I thought it was over, we were served:- Pheasant rice cooked with broth and miso soup, along with warabi mochi (bracken starch dumpling).Ah, I was so full! They mentioned that the wild vegetables are almost out of season, and the ayu are still small, but...The dried ayu was incredibly delicious, with the perfect balance of flavor and bitterness. I had been a bit hesitant about venison due to its strong taste, but the venison here was delightful! The tenderloin paired well with sansho miso, and the loin with yuzu pepper.And the natural eel—wow! The thickness and richness of the meat were astonishing! I absolutely love shiroyaki.With this level of hospitality and portion size, it’s definitely worth the trip, even from afar. I completely understand why!Next, I plan to come back in autumn to enjoy the mushrooms.It was a great meal!
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