One of the families I teach English to was gracious enough to invite me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant called, “Minatoya.”
I was never presented with a menu because my hosts had pre-ordered set meals for all of us. Shortly after sitting down in the will let private tatami dining room our food, beautifully arranged on traditional serving trays, was delivered. There were two kinds of salad (a sour one made with cucumbers, carrots, shredded daikon radish, sea weed, and a vinegar dressing, and a sweet one made with fried tofu, sea weed, carrots and other vegetables, and a dressing made with a sugar), pickled daikon, chawanmushi, miso soup, rice, a small steak with dipping sauce, and a plate of fresh sashimi.
The steak, the piece of rare meat I’d had in too long, was so tender it melted in my mouth. I had to put forth a good amount of effort to eat it slowly so that I would be able to take notes for this article. The tangy dipping sauce (it contained garlic or ginger) was also tasty but the steak was well enough prepared to be eaten without it.
Minatoya's Chawanmushi's lack of mushrooms surprised me and not in a good way. Mushrooms are one of the reasons I like it so much. They compliment the shrimp and creamy pudding so well. That said though, Minatoya's chawanmushi is still as tasty as any I've had. If you're someone who doesn't like mushrooms then you can eat chawanmushi here without fear.
To redirect my attention away from told mushroom-less chawanmushi, my hosts told me that the fish (which I'd saved for last) was some of the freshest available. They weren’t kidding. Every piece from every kind of fish on my plate was tender and flavorful. After my many trips, recently, to conveyor belt sushi restaurants Minatoya reminded me why I’ve always liked sushi.
Minatoya is open for lunch (11:30-3:00) and dinner (5:30-10) Wednesday-Monday and offers donburi, udon, beef, and several varieties of sea food dishes both cooked and raw. The set meals on offer are also reasonably priced. So come have an authentic Japanese meal without breaking the bank.
