We head towards Shakotan Peninsula 積丹半島 from Lake Shikotsu 支笏湖, taking almost three hours driving. The beautiful blue-colour seashore in Shakotan also produces high quality seafood, especially sea urchin.
The commonly seen sea urchin in the market has additives to keep its shape, but the natural flavours and sweetness is then compromised. To taste the freshest sea urchin without additives, we come to the roadside diner Ushio 食堂 うしお.
Since opening in 1971, this restaurant has always been particular in buying sea urchin only from reliable fishermen directly. Apart from sea urchin, they also offer other catch of the day.
There are two types of sea urchin available on the day. One is Bafun sea urchin from Hamanaka 浜中 in Kushiro, while the other is the local purple sea urchin from Shakotan. There is a big difference in price between the two.
We decide to order the Bafun Sea Urchin Don ばふんうに丼 at 11,800 yen. Bright orange in colour, the texture of the sea urchin is soft, melting in the mouth, with an amazing sweetness and flavours of the ocean. It is among the best sea urchin I have tried. A must try in my opinion.
I also order the Live Abalone 活あわび (950 yen), having the abalone cut into slices. Very fresh with a crunchy bite, the abalone itself does not have much taste so it relies on the soy sauce and wasabi to bring forward the umami.
The other catch of the day we enjoy is Live Hokkigai 活北寄 (800 yen). Comparatively I like this more than the abalone, with the crunchy texture pleasant, and the flesh of the large clam full of umami and sweetness. We have a great meal and the total cost is 25,350 yen.
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