Minami is a well-known onsen ryokan around here. Its food has such a good reputation that it has opened two separate branches nearby, plus one in Shinbashi, Tokyo. I once visited the Shinbashi branch, and the food was so neat and clean, proper Japanese style, at such a reasonable price, that I thought there couldn’t be many better places for entertaining foreign guests. I don’t often go here on my own money, but this time there was an important gathering. At this kind of gathering, taking photos is honestly pretty awkward, but since I was acting as the team’s official photographer, I managed to shoot away quite naturally.
Starter: an assortment of seasonal flavors
The menu here changes with the seasons, and I think the autumn one is the best. Not just the looks: the flavor of in-season ingredients is beauty itself. On top of that there’s the fun of pulling food off pine-needle skewers, so Japanese kaiseki is every bit as full of ideas and fun as French cuisine.
Small hot pot: sea bream kabura (turnip) nabe
It’s a single-serving hot pot, and the sea bream was nice and fatty. Dishes like this should be eaten slowly, so it’s a bit of a shame I wolfed it down in a rush while busy taking photos.
Draft beer
In the trade they call it “toriaezu nama” (a draft beer to start with). I had to be the driver too, so I could only drink a little. Sake is the best match for kaiseki like this, but you can’t really do the toast with sake, so everyone orders beer first.
Close-up of the persimmon from the starter
The food on top was good, but the persimmon was so delicious I ate the whole thing, skin and all. The pesticide residue bothered me a little, though… The persimmons around here are really good; I’m sure I’ll get to introduce them someday.
Otsukuri: three-kind assortment
Otsukuri means sashimi. The portion is a bit small, but the taste is top-notch.
Yakimono: nodoguro momiji-yaki
It’s grilled nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), a local specialty fish, topped with sea urchin. Putting slightly sweet uni on fatty nodoguro reminds me of a foie gras dish in French cuisine. It’s not just the autumnal colors; the taste is simply beautiful too.
Here’s what it looks like with the lid off.
No time to even think about savoring it; down it goes in a hurry.
Agedashi: anago and autumn vegetables
Fried anago is always tasty, but the vegetables are really on point too.
Shiizakana: grilled salmon and scallop
The seafood is hidden underneath, so it looks like a salad, but at the back the autumn fish, salmon, and scallops take up half the plate each. You can feel the joy of enjoying seafood in season.
Tai-meshi (sea bream rice)
Finally the rice arrives. It’s one of the house signature dishes and they also sell it on its own at lunch; it’s a very satisfying menu item for the price. Though the ingredients themselves don’t look all that expensive…
The toppings
The toppings are grated daikon, egg white, egg yolk, sea bream, nori and wasabi.
Just before eating
You arrange the toppings nicely on the rice, then pour the liquid over and eat. It’s ochazuke style.
Chestnut sherbet
Dessert was just an ordinary ice cream, but the seasonal touch of chestnut made it quite satisfying. It’s a little disappointing that there was no wagyu, but for around 6,000 yen, this much content is excellent. If I ever get another chance to come back, no, another chance to be treated here, it’ll be an infinite honor.