koutagawa
(2023.01.02) Near Hakata Station, there is an Urban Resort Hotel WITH THE STYLE which has two restaurants and a bar lounge. This time, I decided to visit the teppanyaki restaurant "Medium Rare". As I approached the entrance surrounded by greenery, with a courtyard planted with what seemed like Phoenix trees over 5m tall and ferns, I felt a resort-like excitement as if I had come to Hawaii. Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a spacious teppanyaki counter with 16 seats, and there was another counter with 24 seats at the back. The atmosphere was inviting, and it seemed like a great place to enjoy teppanyaki. While there was a lunch course available featuring reasonably priced Japanese black beef, the portion size seemed to be under 100g, so I opted for the "Hamburg & Tongue Steak" instead. The salad served initially had a crispy texture from the fried onions, complemented by the sweetness and acidity of the onion dressing. The appetizer, a thinly sliced tongue sushi lightly seared, provided a delightful chewy texture. Next, the grilled vegetables featured Nagasaki carrots and Kumamoto red eggplant, offering a delicious combination of sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The tongue steak was served first, cooked to a perfect medium-rare with a crispy sear and juicy flavor unique to tongue meat. The hamburg took a bit longer to be ready, so I was offered the tongue steak first. It was recommended to enjoy it with green onion sauce and lemon, but since the sauce was on the sweeter side, I opted to squeeze some lemon and sprinkle salt instead. The hamburg, which was around 10mm thick, was made from finely ground minced meat mixed with onions and binders, resulting in a juicy and flavorful patty. When I inquired about increasing the portion size, the staff kindly offered to double it, so I enjoyed a plump and juicy hamburg patty with onion sauce. I had the option to choose between white rice and garlic rice, and I chose the garlic rice without hesitation. The garlic aroma that filled my mouth upon tasting was delightful, with just the right amount of salt seasoning. To my surprise, I was informed that I could enjoy ochazuke with a gentle bonito-flavored dashi here, so I savored half of the rice as is and the other half as ochazuke, leaving both my stomach and heart satisfied.