味膳 古雅味

After leaving Yoshinogari Historic Park, we drove to Ajizen Kogami for lunch. Only a short distance away from the park, when we arrived, the parking area was already full, and we had to park on the hillside along with vehicles of other customers. It is something to pay attention if you come here on ...your own car. Without making reservation, and with the restaurant already fully booked, we were truly fortunate that the owner (I believe!) kindly accommodated us in a side-room. Even though the décor and set up probably was inferior to other tables in the restaurant, we were grateful and appreciative. Do try to book in advance if you can, the restaurant is popular for locals and tourists. I had picked the Kogami Menu (3,520 yen), the signature set of the restaurant. Starting with the Seasonal Appetizer, the six small dishes were impressively flavourful and able to highlight the seasonal ingredients. The Sashimi was fresh and delicious, featuring maguro and madai, both of good quality. The Salad had a mixed of vegetables like tomato, corn, carrot, bean sprouts and radish, with some shredded deep-fried sweet potato on top, paired with sesame dressing. Refreshing and tasty. The Sushi was of an interesting shape, much more spherical than common. One piece had the squid which was lightly torched on top, and the other was salmon lightly broiled with mayonnaise and some seaweed powder. The Chawanmushi was very good, with the savoury steamed egg custard having assorted ingredients, soft but not watery, with the dashi highly flavourful with wonderful umami taste, supplemented with seaweed on top. The Wagyu-sumiyaki was grilled Japanese beef over charcoal. The beef had amazing flavours, with a good balance of fat and lean meat so they were not overly fatty. Even without applying the dipping sauce it was already appropriately seasoned and very good. The Tempura-mori had deep-fried fish, prawn, and some other vegetables, with a thin batter and did not feel greasy. Good technique demonstrated in the cooking of those. With the usual anchor of Gohan, Akadashi and Kounomono, the rice, red miso soup and pickles helped to fill and warm the stomach, providing a satisfying and rewarding feeling for diners. Finally, the Dessert, which included fruit, red beans, and matcha cake, completed the kaiseki lunch. While the staff could not communicate with us in English, they were eager to serve and support us, and we had a great time. The final bill was 6,050 yen which was very reasonable considering quality of food and variety. No wonder it is so popular and a strong recommendation if you happen to come to Kanzaki City in Saga.

March 2024に訪問