あきら先輩1120
(Enjoying the Night in Shinjuku 1/3) Today, I met up with a junior colleague for a drink after work. We had decided on a place using Tabelog during the day, pretending to work. We had planned to explore Koenji later, but a restaurant we were interested in around Koenji was actually in Shinjuku! So, we decided to go to "Shimon'ya" here. We arrived at 18:15 and the small space was already packed with tables, with 90% of the customers there at that time. It was almost full soon after! It was a Friday night, after all! We ordered the following items from the menu: - Highball 390 yen - Draft beer 550 yen - Ume-wari (plum cocktail) 350 yen x2 - Pork hormone cold three-point platter (small) 450 yen - Liver with sesame salt 120 yen x2 - Chire (a type of meat) 120 yen - Heart (a type of meat) 120 yen - Head (a type of meat) 120 yen - Teppo (a type of meat) 120 yen - Simmered tofu 390 yen We knew in advance that they didn't have Hoppy, so we started with a Highball. Then we shifted to the Ume-wari, a drink I had been wanting to try. It's made by pouring plum syrup or plum liqueur over a glass full of Kinmiya shochu, creating a unique drink where alcohol is mixed with alcohol. It was so good that the menu even had a note saying you could only have up to three per person. It had the sweetness of plum liqueur but the strength of shochu. We slowly enjoyed it. The Pork Hormone Cold Three-Point Platter included: - Kashira (cheek fat) with delicious fat that wasn't too heavy - Harami (skirt meat) with a meaty flavor and tenderness - Hatsu (heart) with a moist texture Each cold meat was not completely raw, making it very easy to eat. I personally prefer raw meat, but... The skewers included: - Liver with sesame salt, a unique take on liver skewers with sesame and salt instead of sauce. The skewers were very rare. - Chire, a rare cut that is a standard menu item here. It had the flavor of liver but surpassed it in tenderness. - Hatsu, at the request of my junior colleague, was tender and delicious. - Kashira was meaty with a burst of fat when chewed. - Teppo had a bit of resilience and was satisfying to eat. It didn't have much of a tripe smell. The Simmered Tofu, despite its name, didn't seem to have much flavor in it. In other restaurants with various skewers, the simmered offal includes a variety of meats and tripe, which is what makes it so good. My top recommendation this time is the Pork Hormone Cold Three-Point Platter! It offers a new way of serving low-temperature cooked meats, like a new version of meat sashimi. Overall, the visit had a Tabelog score of 3.42. Even though we were in the middle of the restaurant, the cellphone signal was weak. There were many foreigners, as expected in Shinjuku. Next to us, a Korean tourist asked in broken Japanese, "What drink is that?" When I explained the Ume-wari, they wanted to order it. I hope they enjoyed it. The overall rating for this visit was: Taste: 4.5, Service: 4, Atmosphere: 2.5, Value for Money: 3.5, Drinks: 4. Thank you for the delicious food. It was a great meal. Next time, let's try some rare cuts! I'll be back soon.