The former izakaya owner is competing on "Sabadon." It's a single dish, but he has a secret that makes it three times as delicious. Meanwhile, a "French toast" specialty shop in Enoshima. In pursuit of deliciousness... They let French bread sit in a wine cellar!? And they're competing on "pork soup," a dish loved by people of all ages. The reason they only have one dish is the manager's other side. ■ People get tired of the same taste... "Change in taste" makes one bowl three times as delicious Customer: "I came here because I thought it smelled good." The aroma of the mackerel being grilled whets the appetite. Near Suidobashi Station, there is a line at lunchtime for "Sabameshi Sabasho." Most of the customers are men, but there are also women among them. There are even young children. First visit: "It's crispy, plump, and delicious." Second visit: "It's fragrant and delicious." As the name of the shop suggests, the dish served at this shop is a large, fatty mackerel that spills out of the bowl! This simple mackerel rice is 950 yen. There is a particular way to eat it. First, eat it as is. Next, add condiments such as mitsuba and radish sprouts to make it more refreshing and "change the taste" for a clean eating feeling. Finally, pour red sea bream broth over it to make it ochazuke. It has an elegant taste, and the broth taste is strong and flavorful, not inferior to the deliciousness of the mackerel's fat. It is a very simple mackerel rice dish just on a bowl, but you can enjoy various flavors by changing the taste to your liking. First-time visitor (in his 20s) "The ochazuke is also delicious." First-time visitor "Everything was delicious. I can't choose. I don't have to change (the flavor), but if I do, it's fun three times." The mackerel is from Norway, where it is fatty all year round. 150 fish arrive every day, and they are deboned one by one. Sabameshi Sabasho Manager Yuji Izumiya: "You can't remove it well unless you do it by hand. This is the most tiring part." He says that it takes three hours to carefully remove the remaining small bones using a bone pick. It takes a lot of skill to control the heat so that the fish doesn't burn but is still cooked through. Why just serve Sabameshi? Actually, manager Izumiya used to run an izakaya, but... Manager Izumiya: "The izakaya went under because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've always wanted to focus on one dish." He decided to start a restaurant with just Sabameshi, a popular menu item at an izakaya. However, if the same taste is used, people will get tired of it. So he came up with the idea of ​​"changing the flavor" to be delicious three times in one bowl. ■ "French toast" that even customers from France recommend Next, we came to Enoshima, the symbol of Shonan. When we reached the top, we saw the stylish exterior of "LONCAFE." With a panoramic view of the ocean, you can feel like you're at a resort overseas. What are customers looking for? First-time visitor (50s) "It's so fluffy and delicious" "It's not too sweet, it's refreshing and easy to eat" Parents are regular customers (4) "It's delicious" The only food on the menu is French toast. The most popular is the "Rich Creme Brulee" with vanilla ice cream and a large brulee for 1,628 yen. There are 10 other types of French toast in total, including the "Belgian Chocolate Orange" topped with seasonal fruits. LONCAFE will soon be celebrating its 21st year since its founding. It is said that there were other menu items at first. LONCAFE CEO Takashi Noguchi "At first, we just ran a regular coffee shop, and among the various menu items, French toast became the only thing people ordered" At the time, there were not as many places that served French toast as there are now, so it became very popular. Then, a few years after opening, the store changed to specialize in French toast. They pursued their specialty dish thoroughly. CEO Noguchi: "We store French bread in the wine cellar." A large amount of French bread in the wine cellar. Why on earth would they do this? CEO Noguchi: "French toast means 'reviving old bread.' In order to forcefully create that situation, we let it sit for a day." French toast is a dish in which hardened bread is soaked in milk or other liquids to soften it and bring it back to life. In the store, we deliberately let the bread sit in a wine cellar, which keeps the humidity constant, to make it harder. This time, we tried a specially hardened bread. The bread is indeed a little hard, moist but hard, an exquisite balance. By making the bread hard, it is said that when it is soaked in a liquid mixed with eggs and milk, it absorbs the flavor all the way to the center. It is then baked slowly at a low temperature. The sweetness of the milk, the aroma of butter, and the sweetness of the maple syrup are firmly infused with the flavor. It is voluminous, but it is fluffy so it is easy to eat. Enjoying carefully made French toast while gazing at the sea is a luxurious experience. Even customers from France give it their stamp of approval. Customer from France: "French toast like you'd find in France. So tasty." Why only pork soup? The reason lies in its "other side" A popular menu item that sells 100 servings a day at "Toro-ri Tonjiru Meshi Yaoyo Shokudo," a 10-minute walk from Kagurazaka Station, is... First-time customer (30s): "You can really taste the creaminess and sweetness of the vegetables." Regular customer (50s): "You never get bored of eating it over and over. It's simple, so I think it's great." It's the pork soup that captivates customers. This set meal comes with rice and costs 700 yen. The rice used is "Tone no Megumi," which has won special awards at rice competitions many times. The pork soup is famous for its thickness. It is packed with the manager's particular attention to detail. Torori Tonjiru Rice Yaoyo Shokudo Manager Hayakawa Miyuki: "Burdock, daikon, carrots, potatoes, and other potatoes are fine if they melt, but I use other potatoes that don't lose their shape easily." The secret to the thickness was in one potato. The one that was parboiled and peeled is easy to fall apart, while the other one was left with the skin on to keep its shape, creating both thickness and texture at the same time. They also have a particular preference for miso. An original blend based on white miso. It is characterized by a mellow sweetness and the aroma of koji. Simmer for 2 hours. Finally, add the pork belly and it's done when it's cooked through. First-time visitor (30s) "It's this creamy texture, after all. It feels like the vegetables are melted into the soup, it's delicious." No matter how delicious it is, why only pork soup? The reason is in another face of manager Hayakawa. Hayakawa: "Our company is a real estate company." In fact, this restaurant is a real estate company that is expanding as a new business, and Hayakawa is the executive director. The food was prepared by employees of the real estate company. The reason for focusing on just one dish was that staff without experience in the food and beverage industry were unable to prepare multiple menu items. A regular customer (in his 80s) said, "Sometimes I come every day, and I don't drink pork soup at home. The staff say 'Come in' and I enjoy eating." The pork soup set meal is loved by people of all ages and genders. Two years have passed since the restaurant opened, and they are considering adding more items to the menu in the future. [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp