Zaby
Suddenly... I am actually the eldest son of Zaby, and I am often told that I am invisible. I have a younger sister and brother, and we recently gathered together for the first time in a while. We made a reservation and visited "Isogane Fisheries Branch in Esashi Port." We were led to a semi-private table for four people. We started with beer, but it was a complete mistake as everyone claims they don't drink much. However, with three children inheriting the genes of a father who loves to drink, it was inevitable that we would drink. We hadn't seen each other in a while, so the conversation was lively and the alcohol kept flowing. Each of us had 2-3 glasses of beer (pint @495) and two bottles of local sake (2 go each). It would have been better to have the option of all-you-can-drink, but many of the coupons here are only valid on weekdays (Sunday to Thursday), which is slightly inconvenient. The coupon for a 120-minute all-you-can-drink for 1,650 yen was not available on weekends, which felt a bit unfriendly, or rather too focused on business. We used a coupon to get a portion of sashimi for each person – 3 slices per person. It was a service item, so the slices were thin, but the freshness was guaranteed. We also ordered "Gagome seaweed and vegetable salad," a dish with a sticky texture and a slightly sweet soy sauce flavor that goes well with alcohol. Other orders included "Tachi tempura @869," crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The fresh seasonal Tachi was delicious. "Tachi ponzu @858," not the highest quality fish, but the well-rounded acidity of the ponzu sauce left a good impression. "Grilled dried squid @748," perfectly dried and grilled squid, but the price may be a bit high. "Grilled dried kohada," the fish was grilled perfectly with a good amount of salt, making it a great accompaniment to alcohol. "Hoya salted fish @495," a lightly pickled salted fish that tasted fresh with a moderate amount of salt, which I really liked. "Cartilage spiced fried @319," crispy and with a good texture, easy to eat due to its size. "Crab miso salad," the flaked crab meat was slightly dry and not the best, but considering the price, it was acceptable. The sake selection mainly featured products from "Nihon Seishu," a famous sake brewery in Sapporo known for its Chitosetsuru brand. Brands like "Shibata" and "Shikami" were the main ones. Although there were also premium sakes like Junmai Daiginjo, the price for a 2 go bottle was quite high, at just under 2,000 yen. The Junmai Ginjo "Shikami" I had after a long time was delicious. The total bill for the three of us was around 12,000 yen. The dishes were all decently tasty, but the prices were quite high. The service was a bit slow, with some missed orders, and the four-person table felt a bit cramped. The prices seemed out of place with the atmosphere of the restaurant. If you were to entertain guests from Honshu with the same budget, "Aburiya Honten" would be a better choice, with more spacious seating, a sense of luxury, and a satisfying amount of food. Thank you for the meal.