ばーむくうへん
Since I'm going to Otaru, I thought I'd try some delicious sushi. As someone who lives far from the sea, I remember being surprised by how delicious the sea bream was at a place I visited in the past. Truly Otaru! Now, I'm wondering which restaurant to choose. When I searched on Tabelog, wow! There are rows of top sushi restaurants listed. Oh, I've never been to such a fancy place before. I decided to call a highly rated sushi restaurant recommended by a local and managed to make a reservation for a slot from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. However, there's a condition. If you don't arrive within 15 minutes of your reservation time, it will be canceled, so they ask you to contact them in advance if you're going to be late. The young staff member who answered the phone was apologetic when explaining this to me. Phew, it's definitely a popular spot. It's less than a week until my visit, and I'm grateful to have secured a reservation. To satisfy my hunger, I walked around for about an hour and confirmed the location of the restaurant. I arrived about 10 minutes before opening and was allowed to enter by a staff member preparing for opening who asked, "Are you the one with the reservation?" Everyone, including the person who answered the phone for the reservation, seemed to have received thorough training. They were all polite and pleasant. They make sure to convey any necessary explanations or points to you, which is very reliable. I was guided to a private room and looked over the menu. They offer courses and chef's choice sushi, but it seemed like too much for us at the moment. ←Because we're going to have cake later lol Both my friend and I have some sushi we don't like, so we decided to order one piece of our favorite sushi each. How much will the bill be? I have no idea lol I'm not very hungry, so I think it'll be reasonable. The restaurant provides clear and transparent pricing, with the origin and price of each piece clearly stated on the menu. It's around 500 to 550 yen per piece, with luxury items like sea urchin priced at around 900 yen. I'm starting to lose track of whether it's expensive or cheap, so I'll order five pieces of sushi that we can eat. While enjoying a fruity and fragrant plum wine soda, we nibbled on the "seaweed jellyfish" and "cut of golden eye snapper" served as an appetizer. The aroma of the seaweed was nice, and the sweetness was just right. The texture of the jellyfish was enjoyable. The seasoning was a bit distant, which was elegant, and the balance was really good. It must be a proud flavor that the restaurant prepares. The cut of golden eye snapper had a texture similar to being seared on the surface. It was half-cooked and had a mysterious chewy texture. It had a sweet and salty seasoning with a refined sweetness. It was the first time I had this fish, and it was delicious. As a snack, I also ordered the salted herring for 700 yen. It's made with fresh herring lightly seasoned with salt, aromatic vegetables, and a small amount of sesame oil. The sesame oil was used in a very refined amount, enhancing the umami of the herring. It was so delicious! The freshness of the herring in Otaru, where there is a herring mansion, is exceptional lol It was so good that I ended up ordering the same thing again. When we finished the herring, the sushi was served. Tuna red meat, marinated tuna red meat, flounder, herring, and shrimp. Some items like shirako and golden eye snapper were sold out. The sushi was small in size and had a beautiful visual that seemed familiar. Oh, where's the soy sauce? My friend told me that in upscale sushi restaurants, they don't serve soy sauce in a dish but brush it onto the sushi with a brush. Oh, I didn't know that when I made the reservation lol. I see. The cut in the sushi is to make the soy sauce blend well with the fish. Everyone on Tabelog posts about sparkling sushi, and what I knew about sushi seemed somehow different... So that's what it was! Let's see. The high-end sushi with soy sauce brushed on, ===========