keipon0414
"Uomasa" I didn't feel like walking in the cold, so I called ahead. This was the third place I called, and the first two places turned me down. "If they turn you down at the third place, you should make the call," I always tell my wife, who never makes reservations. So, how about this place? "We're available for two people, are you interested?" they said. They don't take reservations. "So, that means there's space available, right?" my wife said. She's always so positive, while I'm a pessimist. This was the first time I had been told such a response, and it left me puzzled. When we arrived at the restaurant, there were seats available at the counter. Since they don't take reservations, that means we can sit down, right? The waitress said, "Please wait a moment," and just when I thought she would say something else, she asked, "Do you have a reservation?" Come on, you can't make reservations, I told her. We were shown to a table, which was quite different from the counter seating. It was a very common table, which reminded me of a traditional soba restaurant in Kushiro. Regular customers get nice seats just by paying the fee, but this table looked a bit shabby. In front of us was a cloth that added to the shabbiness. When I ordered a beer, they asked, "Do you want Asahi or Sapporo?" "One of each," I said. The beer was served quickly, which was good, but they didn't tell us which was Asahi and which was Sapporo. They were testing the customers. I guessed, but I wasn't sure if I was right. Both were good, so it didn't matter. My wife didn't mind at all. The appetizer was a vinegar miso-marinated shellfish, which was a bit soft and had a strange texture, but it was delicious. I wouldn't have eaten it before, but now it was surprisingly good. The sashimi platter for two had a lot of things I don't like, but when it arrived, we both laughed at the quantity. The flounder and squid were average, and the sweet shrimp was not to my liking. My wife enjoyed it. The crab was so thin that it made us laugh. Is it okay to catch them like this? The scallop was more on the aged side, not bad. The red meat was okay, but nothing special. I ordered the octopus, which was a bit expensive at 1000 yen, but it was a decent size. It lacked a bit of fat, but it was still good. The tempura platter looked cheap, depending on the seat. The tempura was not consistent, and the shrimp was my wife's favorite. I didn't need to eat it, but I tried a bit. At first, it felt strange, and I knew what was wrong, but I won't mention it here. The squid was tough, which is rare these days and a bit disappointing. We didn't want to stay long, maybe because they didn't want us to, and it was so cold. The counter or raised seating would have been warmer. Overall, it was just a cold dining experience, and the service was typical of a busy tourist spot izakaya. The menu was not particularly exciting, and everything was quick, which is a plus."