Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan｜Ikehata

delicious 😋

I visited Ikebata, a new Japanese restaurant that I had been interested in for a while due to its good reputation, on a Friday afternoon at the end of October. It was crowded, but luckily there was an empty seat at the counter in the back. The counter seats are a busy place with items being stocked, but I enjoyed being able to see the work being done in the kitchen. The lunch menu was displayed outside the restaurant, and since I like fish, I had no hesitation in ordering the ``fish stew.'' The restaurant was crowded, but the food came out in about 5 minutes, which was nice. I posted a picture of the miso soup with green lettuce and four small bowls: cold tofu topped with green onion and ginger. Incense. Cut kelp. And potato salad. This was followed by a hearty plate of rice and lightly boiled tuna. They also served us hot tea. Conclusion first. As someone who grew up on the coast near Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, I had no idea that I could eat such delicious ara-ni in Kumagaya for such a cheap price (850 yen). The small plates and miso soup are refreshing, but each dish has its own unique ingredients and flavor, and if you chew carefully, those flavors will spread throughout your mouth. I had high expectations for the main dish. Now, it's finally time to "boiled". Radish dyed black. Each tuna comes in three different parts: the head (with eyes), belly, and body. A bite of radish sprinkled with green onions. The daikon radish is full of thick juice and has a sweet tuna flavor. Moreover, there is no odor. You can even eat a bowl of rice with this radish. It's dark and sweet, but not too strong, which is my favorite seasoning. And the head. When you put the meat around the eyeballs, which are thick and full of collagen, into your mouth, you will be enchanted by the strong, gooey flavor of the tuna eyeballs, which stands out because of the thick soup. Next is the belly. It has a skin on it which makes it delicious. Furthermore, the meat is rich in fat, and this fillet will probably serve two bowls of rice. I chewed it slowly and savored it. Anyway, the workmanship is odorless and delicious. The last part is the body part. It comes with chiai and skin, and the smooth texture of chiai and the melty flavor of the skin are exquisite. The meat has less fat than other parts, but it has a moist flavor that can be enjoyed by chewing slowly. One cup of rice was a lot, and it was delicious and good, but I think I could have eaten two more with this ara-ni. It would also be great to pair with dry, heavy-duty sake. It was also a full-bodied ara-ni that would hold up well even with shochu. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I went on a weekday around 8pm. Ordered Neapolitan. It's rich and the fried egg is on the bottom. Onigiri has toppings no matter where you eat it ❤️ The drunk people at the farewell party were noisy, so I'll check the timing next time😊