In Beijing, I love to look around for Japanese food, the niigami shop is my small canteen, I have the opportunity to go to Takamatsu Prefecture in Shikoku, Japan, just have the opportunity to explore the local izakaya, there must be some taste that can't be eaten in China...
In the canteen downstairs in Beijing, there is a dish of grilled fish, and the first time I ate it, I fell in love with this local cuisine from Shikoku (the manager of the five internal organs is from Ehime of Shikoku). Anyway, if you want to go to the "Seto Inland Sea Art Festival" in Takamatsu at the end of September, it is better to take a few more days off to make a pilgrimage to Kochi, the hometown of the eels, and eat the seafood in the entire Seto Inland Sea thoroughly.
The visceral grilled fish triggered my yearning for the fish
As an izakaya and seafood fanatic, the idea of "if only I could move here" came to mind every minute of my two weeks in seto inland sea. The cuisine in these izakayas is far from the sumptuous and elegant meals in high-end restaurants, but the rustic and ingenious delicacies made by the abundant ingredients are unforgettable.
Every night, a dinner and a supper are basically spent in various izakayas in different cities in Shikoku, and whether you enter or go as planned, there is no one who is not a surprise that exceeds expectations. The menu features many of Tokyo's rare or unseen local dishes, seafood sashimi with a burst of freshness, fish species that I've encountered for the first time in my life, and, of course, local diners at the neighboring table who drink together without the slightest indifference and enthusiasm.
Eating local food and drinking local sake is my favorite way of traveling in Japan
2016 is almost over, what meal do you miss the most?
Well.... It should be the amazing roasted fish in Kochi's "Great Food Generation".
01.Ehime Matsuyama Shikoku SaburoYoshino River
On the first night of Matsuyama, After soaking in the hot springs of Dogo, we returned to the shopping street in the city center.
At 9:30 p.m., after entering the door, there was only one big brother in the store who drank alone at the bar, and a large one-person sashimi platter was in front of him. Specializing in live fish cuisine, there are several large salamander snails attached to the bottom of the water in the long aquarium in the store, and many fish swim leisurely.
"What to drink?" The shopkeeper who looked very iconic asked.
"If you ask me about the local wine, what are the types?"
He pointed to several items on the wine list.
"Hmmm.... That's good. A pot of plum brocade pure rice raw, polished rice step 70%, light and spicy, very refreshing.
"A portion of this, this, this" doesn't have much confidence in what the dish is.
Soon, sashimi was served first. He grabbed a small piece of this slightly scorched sashimi, "Isn't this our pomfret over there?" " Fresh pomfret taste soft, the grilled aroma of the skin has a kind of Minnan people want to fry fish pyrotechnics, fish meat is soft, squeeze a little Songshan specialty green citrus juice, dip a little light soy sauce, powerful!
After two rounds of drinking, "It's time for our LAST ORDER. Do you still need something? ”
"Well, it's a daily boiled fish head." I had already held up, but I couldn't resist ordering the final round, only 1500 yen, thinking that it was just a small dish that could be solved with a few bites in the bowl cup.
This time, after waiting for more than half an hour, the back kitchen brought a pot of natural seabream larger than a human face to the table. After 5 minutes of posing, quickly take a bite. The seemingly fierce fish head, slightly elastic gelatinous and tender fish head meat are intertwined with different tastes, ushering in the final climax of this supper.
"I can't eat it, otherwise the rice mixed with this soup must be great!"
02. Ehime Matsuyama Izakaya Net
On the second night of Matsuyama, I came to the local famous shop net yuan. The famous mackerel in the store is not small, and the space is full of various exaggerated fonts about "mackerel". Before coming to the Seto Inland Sea, the only things I knew about mackerel were salt-grilled miso or vinegar stains. The signature dish of the net, the blue-and-white fish sashimi, is cut slender and long, and it is not so much "a piece of sashimi" as it is "one". The bouncy texture of each fresh fish is an unprecedented sensation.
"You see the clam they're eating at the table next door looks great."
"Sorry, we want a copy of that." He waved his hand at the waiter brother and secretly pointed to the plate of shellfish on the couple's table at the next table.
Shochu boiled large clams, rich sweetness, each one is very full and fat, a faint smell of shochu emerges after chewing the clams.
"Hello, can you order roasted oysters from the oyster hut on the side?"
"Ahh... Sorry, it's only open in winter. ”
"Missed, missed!"
03.Nakamura Ajisaki
Completely beyond expectations, in Nakamura, a small town with few locals, I encountered one of the most interesting izakayas on this trip. The three-story space is designed to resemble a theater, with a fan-shaped bar around the kitchen on the first floor and diners on the second floor watching diners downstairs toast and fireworks in the kitchen.
"Grilled mackerel sushi is our most famous dish, can you order it, can you have one?" The clerk sister spoke good English.
Vinegar-stained blue-and-white fish and vinegar rice are solidly clustered, after grilling, the taste of rice is similar to the "grilled rice ball" of the grains are clear, the fish umami, the vinegar stain of the slightly sour, the grilled aroma is staggered in the mouth explosion, can not tell the kind of taste is more powerful, but in short, delicious to come to a whole.
Chatted with middle-aged men and women from Kuroshio at the next table, and they generously gave a copy of fried river shrimp to friends from China. Worthy of being Japan's last clear stream, the river prawns from the Forty Thousand Rivers are full and compact, small but delicious, fried very crisp, perfect with wine and small dishes. Also stained with the glory of the forty thousand rivers of clear streams is tonight's wine, Kochiji Sake Vine Niang, and after the refreshing, I can't help but drink a few more times.
04. Kochi HIROME Market
Kochi's dinner is not in the izakaya, but in this local market that looks like a "big food generation".
About sixty or so shops, packed in the evening with locals who have a drink after work. After finding a seat, I bought Kochi local cuisine in one go———— orange vinegar mixed with sardine fry, seaweed tempura, and grilled fish.
It was here that I was able to eat what was probably my best food of 2016, the best grilled fish for the "Nation of Arks". At the end of September and the beginning of October, when the "back to the fish" is fresh, the natural coarse sea salt produced in Tosa is sprinkled on ten thick pieces of thick fish, the fish skin is crisp and has the aroma of rice fire, the fish meat full of fish fat is flexible, and the dumb mouth is shocked by the freshness of the fish.
A group of "beautiful men" drank more than half of the wine, went to another stall to buy a small portion of the wine thief, salt-soaked eel offal as its name suggests, and the other half of the wine was really "stolen" quickly.
05.Takamatsu Sake and Cooking
The shin-izakaya near Kawaramachi has an open kitchen where the chefs are dressed up as clean as Western chefs. Sit down and study the menu as you eat the XL-sized vinegar-stained mussels that come with a side dish.
In the limited menu of Appetite Autumn, various mushroom dishes are the protagonists, specially selected by the "mushroom master" experts.
However, there are no mushrooms to order, as there are more attractive ones on the menu.
"I'm sorry, a vinegar-stained mackerel, a Ming Prince Yuzi roast, thank you."
As soon as the vinegar-stained mackerel is served, a piece is sandwiched, and the cut surface of the fish is as beautiful as a work of art. One bite once again refreshed the perception of mackerel in the Seto Inland Sea. Autumn mackerel is very high in fish fat, with a faint vinegar taste and a refreshing feeling after fermentation, and the fat fish is released in the mouth.
"Ah, I want to come tomorrow!" Oh no, I want to pack five hundred copies of this mackerel back to Beijing. ”
06.Takamatsu Yatai Doya
Seto Inland Sea last night at the Yadai Izakaya on the side of the Takamatsu shopping street.
At a glance at the Hokkaido large oyster on the menu board, I immediately ordered a relief from the remnants of the previous net, the oysters were indeed large, and after the vinegar stain, the refreshing juice was enough.
Takamatsu Izakaya naturally can not be less famous bone pay bird, not as good as bone pay bird founding shop Ichizuru, but the salty big chicken leg is still a supper win. Cut this big chicken leg with scissors from the table myself, the fat chicken skin is roasted quite crispy, and the chicken juice is also plump.
"This salty fragrance is really Takamatsu's signature taste."
"Ah tomorrow is leaving..."
"Yes."
>>> <<< further reading
Shikoku is located between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean, including tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi prefectures, and by buying a JR PASS Shikoku Railway Five-Day Pass, you can easily travel around shikoku cities and turn the Seto Inland Sea upside down.
Map of Shikoku's counties
Kagawa: In addition to the sexy Sanuki Udon in Takamatsu, the salty bone bird is also fascinating. Spring Airlines from Shanghai direct flight to GaoSong ticket off-season 1,000 round-trip round-trip has to find.
Takamatsu is the origin of udon noodles
Kochi: Some food experiences are Once in a life time, such as Kochi's fish, and just for it, they will go to Kochi again in the land of.
Kochi Prefecture's mascot, the FishMan
Ehime: In the northwest of Shikoku, the oldest hot spring in Japan, the Hot Springs, is in Ehime. At the same time, it is also the "citrus kingdom" of Japan, and it seems that the whole city is wafting with the fragrance of citrus. There is a special citrus juice shop, and the dishes of the izakaya are also accompanied by slices of green oranges with lime fire, and each izakaya has its own unique orange vinegar sauce.
Onsen after the road
What was your most memorable meal of 2016? Welcome to leave a message
Text: Shake you
The picture part comes from the network
For more food consultation, welcome to subscribe to a large food list (WeChat ID: laiyidakou)