年末の憩い : Seafood Dokoro Sushi Tsune Esora Ikebukuro Ten

The year-end crowd in Ikebukuro is incredible.
This is definitely my emergency escape.
After 5 PM,
it's a bit lively here.
The salarymen are noisy,
but I can tolerate it.
Patience is key ©️ Mitsuo.
Starting with a dry beer from a bottle,
the appetizer is a Chinese-style salad with bean sprouts and vegetables.
The seafood salad has octopus, tuna, salmon,
sea bream, and something like red shrimp,
served with mizuna and sunny lettuce.
The Japanese-style dressing is delicious,
and the overall ensemble is great.
I ordered Kisen Junmai sake.
The oysters from Sanriku are huge,
like rock oysters.
They're delicious.
The squid sashimi is excellent.
The fugu skin with ponzu sauce is a perfect snack with sake.
The simmered sea bream head is a classic dish.
The sauce is also top-notch.
I finished with tekka maki and tamago as snacks.
They're simply delicious.
I really like the tamagoyaki here.
I drank quite a bit of sake.
All the dishes today were fantastic.
How was the service today?
They seem to be short-staffed.

What I seek in a restaurant.
I indulge in exquisite sushi and marvel at the chef's skill and presentation.
That in itself is a delight.

It’s a place where I can eat quietly.
I can drink slowly and at my own pace, which is its advantage.
Though there are occasionally noisy moments,
I overlook some minor issues.
Of course, the quality of the fish and the chef's skill are above average.

The raw oysters are from Iwate.
The yellowtail sashimi is farmed from Hirado.
I didn’t check the source of the flounder sashimi,
but everything is delicious.

I wish they would improve the presentation of the ankimo (monkfish liver).
The flavor is not bad.

On a Saturday evening in Ikebukuro, around 6 PM,
I ended up here after finding everywhere else full.
This place was also short-staffed, making it difficult to place an order.

I had 2 bottles of Dry beer.
I also used a LINE coupon for a Nikka Highball,
which was made with Takashimizu whiskey.
After 7 PM, it suddenly became much quieter.

Hamo (pike eel) served with a hot water treatment.
Of course, it can't compare to a Kyoto kaiseki restaurant.
I wouldn't know, though (laughs).

Grilled Hiramasa (yellowtail) with seaweed. Why is this winter delicacy available now?
It seems small and likely imported.
You can still taste the flavor of Hiramasa.
Due to development, global warming, and overfishing,
what used to be commonly available is becoming harder to find.
Such is life.

The edamame are about as good as you could find at an average izakaya.

I highly recommend the Imo Shochu called Tenshi no Yuwaku (Temptation of Angels).
This was excellent.
It doesn't have the aroma of sherry, but it's delicious. Plus, it's 40 degrees.
I ordered a second one and got tipsy.

The salad with shirasu (whitebait) and mizuna (Japanese mustard spinach).
There’s shredded Japanese radish underneath,
and the plum-flavored dressing is nice.

The tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) is not thick but is a flavorful dashimaki.
Not bad at all. I ate it without soy sauce.

Three pieces of light-flavored sushi (shiraumi) and three with salt and lemon.
The sumi ika (grilled inkfish) was delicious.
As expected, the shime saba (vinegared mackerel) was a bit too pickled, and the rest were average.

I added a green tea highball.

The whale sashimi is delicious.

I received a notification about the seasonal menu via LINE,
and promptly decided to visit.

At around 6 PM, tables were fully booked,
so I took a seat at the counter.

First up, I ordered a Super Dry pint.

I had my eyes set on the first bonito sashimi.
It was light, but the texture was slightly concerning.

Next was the mustard-dressed nanohana (rapeseed) and bamboo shoots.
Just the right amount of seasoning.

Then, I tried the steamed clams in sake.
The meat was decent, and it tasted good.

I also had mozuku seaweed in vinegar.
Both the seaweed and the three-ingredient vinegar were delicious.

For sake, I had the Junmai Ginjo from Kisen.
Very refreshing.

I enjoyed deep-fried fugu (pufferfish).
It was delicious, though the meat was a bit scarce.

I had two servings of Kisen Junmai Kan.
Very easy to drink.

Then came the simmered black cod.
The sauce's thickness and sweetness were just to my liking.

I ordered a few sushi pieces: Tekkamaki (tuna roll), sardine, horse mackerel, eel, and tamago (sweet omelet).
The rice was small, and the toppings were safe choices.

That was it.
I forgot to order the service drink (laughs).

Oysters, shirako with ponzu sauce, ankimo with ponzu sauce, mozuku vinegar,
crab miso, and bakudan.
Super Dry Kanjō from Jōkigen ×2, Kisenju.

I occasionally visit Sushi Tsune Esola.
Everything I eat is delicious, and the prices are reasonable.
Even on a Saturday, the place was nearly empty before 5 PM.
I had fresh oysters, ankimo (monkfish liver), and a serving of sashimi.
I enjoyed a Sapporo SUPER DRY draft beer.
It's thoughtful that they allow cuts on the otoshi (appetizer).
I also had the stable Umaki Gen and Takashimizu sake.
If you register as a LINE friend, you get a free highball.
The price for a serving of sashimi at JPY 1628, tax included, is a bargain.
I added ginkgo nuts, which were excellent as well.
I restrained myself from further rice and left the restaurant.

I've visited the main branch in Otsuka frequently, but after my mother passed away, I stopped going.

There are few places in Ikebukuro where you can enjoy sashimi with drinks.
Sushi Tsune in Esola feels familiar, reminiscent of the atmosphere in Otsuka.

Due to the pandemic, even on a Friday night, the place was not crowded.
The counter was empty, but I decided to sit at a table.

I ordered a Dry beer in a medium bottle. It came with an appetizer of fried salmon skin.
I also had the salad with myoga and cucumber, which I’ve tried in Otsuka before.
The sashimi platter for one arrived almost all at once.

The crunchiness of the cucumber in the salad was a bit mysterious, but it paired well with the myoga.

The sashimi platter is more affordable than it looks.
It includes squid sashimi, Hokkaido octopus, and fresh horse mackerel.
There are also Argentine raw red shrimp, tuna, Norwegian salmon, and yellowtail.
Ginger, scallions, and wasabi were exactly the right amount for flavoring.

I had three glasses of Kisen Junmai Dry, which were easy to drink and left a pleasant aftertaste.
The price was reasonable as well.

I craved sea bream today and ordered it as sashimi.
It seemed to be from Setouchi and was tender with rich flavor.

For the nigiri, I had shime saba (marinated mackerel) and sardine. The shime saba was over-marinated, but the sardine was delicious.
The red meat tuna had some sinew but wasn’t bad, and the sea bream was just as good as the sashimi.

It had been a while since I visited Sushi Tsune. My total came to just under JPY 6000.
I think it was a great experience.

I also received a complimentary highball for registering as a Line friend.