The pleasure of eating at ‘Yūji’ this time of year is having shabu-shabu with ‘hanazanshō’ (Japanese pepper).​ ​
Yet apparently ‘kinome’ (Japanese pepper) is in season everywhere, and so excited I cant contain myself, even though the taste is always slightly different.
First I calm down by having some warm ‘nikomi’ stew. Then some ‘harami’ steak after quite a few starters. A garnish of deep-fried hormone goes unbelievably well with beer.
Smoked liver with chives comes out on a griddle. Even raw it can be eaten because it’s fresh and comes dressed in sauce. Of course, the unique cooking sound comes through once it’s been well-cooked.
The griddle is exchanged for a ‘teppanyaki’ hot plate of lean meat. The taste of meat moves towards ‘shungiku’ (edible chrysanthemum) which is a real surprise.​ ​
We then enjoyed grilled shellfish, a ‘tempura’ of wild vegetables, and later the much favoured ‘shabu-shabu’. I’m always having tongue, but this time it’s purely meat on the menu. Exquisite. Even by itself, you can on the soup being delicious. The final course is ‘zōsui’ (vegetable soup made with rice).
The dessert of ‘monaka’ ice (wafer ice-cream sandwich) is delicious.
I’ve also made a reservation for next week. Hopefully by which time they have ‘hanazanshō’ in stock.