牡蠣尽くし : Washoku Yado Nanase

On this day, I reserved a course full of oysters in advance.

1. Fresh Oysters (with Lemon and Ponzu)
2. Crab Soup
3. Sashimi (Flounder Fin, Marinated Mackerel, Blackthroat Sea Perch, and Surf Clam)
4. Grilled Natural Scallops
5. Fried Oysters
6. Oyster Dote Nabe (Hot Pot)
7. Udon and Rice Porridge
8. Fruit

Everything was delicious; I truly enjoyed the oysters.

This time, I enjoyed various dishes with the anglerfish hot pot as the main attraction. We were the only customers, making it feel like a private reservation.

First, we had the anglerfish liver, which is completely different when it's freshly prepared. It had a vibrant taste with no hint of any unpleasant odor.

Next, we tried grilled cod milt topped with a creamy turnip sauce—innovative and delicious.

The sashimi included sweet shrimp, genuine sea bream, and swordtip squid, making it hard to resist another drink.

Then we had the so-called "kani-men", where the inner and outer roe of the snow crab is stuffed into its shell and warmed in a broth.

The fried anglerfish tasted similar to fugu, being mild yet having a distinct flavor.

The main anglerfish hot pot, known as Dobu-jiru, features the fish cooked in a broth made with the dissolved liver. It's warming for the body in winter. After finishing, we added rice to the remaining broth for the perfect finish.

This time, I enjoyed a course featuring sweetfish and pike conger.
There were two kinds of pike conger dishes, along with grilled sweetfish and sweetfish rice.
I truly savored the flavors of early summer.

The selection of Japanese sake was also impressive, making for a satisfying experience.

The main dish of the day was, surprisingly, octopus.
I heard it's a rare type of octopus from the Miura Peninsula, said to be even tastier than the ones from Akashi.

As usual, I brought my own drinks, starting with champagne, which paired wonderfully with the asparagus.

Next came the sashimi, which truly calls for Japanese sake.
The sparkling freshness of Masumi sake was exceptional, and the octopus was as tender and flavorful as promised, while the uni and sweet sea bream played supporting roles.

Afterward, I enjoyed the tender octopus cooked in orange wine and the managatsuo (pale mackerel), finishing with ochazuke (rice in tea) for a delightful end to the meal. It was delicious.

This course focuses on monkfish hot pot.

It features a type of dobu-jiru (monkfish stew) where the monkfish liver is melted into the broth, and then pieces of monkfish fillet are added.

Course dishes include:
- Warm Monkfish Liver
- Sashimi: Sea Urchin, Mebaru (Horse-Face Puffer), Scallops
Smoked Sweet Sea Bream (dried kelp)
- Steamed Scallops with Intestines and Liver
- Pork Kakuni (braised pork belly)
- Fried Pufferfish
- Monkfish Dobu-jiru Hot Pot
- Monkfish Zosui (rice porridge)
- Fresh Fruits

Located on a road beside the Ruevan Art Museum, heading towards Lake Shiozawa, is this auberge restaurant.

While it primarily serves as an auberge, dining is also available when there is space. It specializes in seafood despite being located in Nagano, which is quite unique for a Japanese restaurant.

On this visit, I enjoyed a special fugu course with a familiar companion. This restaurant only takes in two groups at a time, and on this occasion, it was just us and another party ahead of us.

The fugu course included skin, fugu sashimi, grilled milt, chawanmushi, tempura, hot pot, zosui (rice soup), and fruit.

For beverages, we started with two bottles of sparkling wine that we brought ourselves, and then switched to fugu fin sake.

As you can see, the portions were more than sufficient. I was worried I might not be able to finish, but somehow I managed to enjoy it all. The milt and zosui were particularly delicious.

I never expected to be able to enjoy fugu in this town.