限定シャモカツ重 : Ogosso

After a long time, I visited Ogosso again.
On this day, it was Spicy Curry Festival.
I love their curry, but something else caught my eye.

I decided on the Limited Edition Shamo Katsu Don.
Since it was still the off-season in Karuizawa and it was past 1 PM, I enjoyed a leisurely time until my dish arrived.
There were four pieces of shamo chicken breast. Rather than being sauce-cutlet style, it felt more like a marinated cutlet. The flavor was rich and well-seasoned.
I expected it might be tough since it's shamo, but it was juicy and tender, allowing me to eat it easily.
On top of the rice (under the cutlet), there were sweet, caramelized onions that had been braised in sauce, along with a bit of cabbage and nozawana (pickled mustard greens) to cleanse the palate. There was also some nozawana in a small bowl, which made me laugh.
Additionally, there was a serving of simmered fish. It felt too similar to the katsu don this time, so I would have preferred a mini salad instead.
As an option, I added some powdered sansho (Japanese pepper), which paired much better than shichimi (seven-spice blend).
I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish all four pieces of katsu, but since the rice portion was relatively small for Ogosso, I managed to clean my plate.

Even though it's warmer than usual, Karuizawa is still cold.
Since I'm heading to the colder North Karuizawa, I thought I'd have some hoto at Ogosso.
However,

February Limited Mapo Tofu Set Meal
Curry Fair

The handwritten menu caught my attention.
While I was contemplating, I was suggested, "If there are two of you, why not order both the curry and the Mapo tofu and share?" So, I took that advice.
For the curry, there are four types: Chicken, Keema, Tofu, and Vegetables.
My partner chose the Chicken. The curry was served separately in a silver dish, along with rice.
The chicken had a nice char and was satisfying to eat. It paired well with the spicy sauce.
And then the Mapo tofu.
The Sichuan pepper was prominent, but because the tofu pieces were large, it provided a moderate level of spiciness.
The small side dish of burdock and carrots with walnuts was a perfect palate cleanser.
The soup was made from Shamo chicken bone broth.
The dessert, almond tofu, was quite rich. Though it tasted somewhat like panna cotta, it was nice to soften the spiciness of the Mapo tofu.

Ah, once again, I’ll have to wait for hoto.

First up is the chicken oyakodon with flavorful meat and fluffy eggs. This is a dish I can recommend to anyone.
They also have a limited daily menu, and the seasonal items change, so there’s always something new to enjoy no matter when you visit. But the highlight at this place is definitely the manager. When a regular customer ordered "a beer, please," the manager filled a shot glass with beer and joked, "It'll be out soon, so here's a little something to start!" This kind of humor brings laughter to everyone around.
Of course, the food is delicious on its own, but I realized that it tastes even better when shared with laughter. There are also private table seats available for families who want to enjoy a meal together.