I’m starting to have fellow feeling with the winners on Oscar night!
Most of my travelling from place to place, occurs over lunch, so by dinner time, I just want to be fed.
The hotel restaurant was fully booked (after seeing breakfast, I’m glad!).
So off I went wandering the streets. I even started following a banner for McDonald’s. But...along the way, I saw a sign for Hida beef dinner. Go down the alley, it said. So I did. Then I came upon another sign. Go down this alley. Okay.
The chef/cook was just standing outside. Not smoking. Just standing. Wasn’t sure if this was a good sign.
In I walked. It was very small, with maybe two tables near the door & a dinner/bar set up with the cooking occurring on the other side. Lots of pointing & I ordered Hida beef (200gm size), a “set” which was miso soup, rice & pickle. They pickle anything & everything here. It all depends on the region. I’ve had pickled lotus root (Tokyo), pickled cherry tomatoes (Fuji) and other stuff...that I’m not willing to ask. But at least they are all vegetables/fruits.
The beef was out of this world! I’m not sure if it was the beef or how it was cooked. But yummy.
I had originally tried to get in to the restaurant next to the hotel, the wait time could be 90 minutes. It came highly recommended, though.
So, after returning from Hida Furukama, I walked in (lunch hour...ish) to see if I could make a reservation for dinner. No. Come at 5pm. Okay.
So, I went back at 5pm. Put my name on the waiting list (only name using western characters). As soon as they started seating people, everyone there got called fairly quickly. Shoes off & up into my own dining area. The place was bigger than I thought. So big, that I was given a buzzer to ring when I was ready to order. Just meat & rice this time.
It arrived. Raw. Hmmm...then I noticed...well, I saw it earlier, but thought it was for a “hot pot” where you cook your own dinner. But it was also a wire grill. So I seared the meat - it was only about 1/4” thick, so that’s all it needed. There were sauces provided. Soy & miso. I think I now know the secret of the flavour. It is miso sauce.
Very yummy.
Not a squid or snail in sight.
I encountered the snail as part of lunch at the kenrouken garden in Kanazawa. Not as bad as the squid...but you had to pull it out of the shell (there is a technique)...no idea if it was cooked.
Perhaps I now have an allergy to snails as well as squid...
Coward!
Today, I travel to Kyoto. A long travel day...and yes, over lunch.
No squatters today?
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