“Hebesu” and “Toyo Bijin” at “Tombo”, Nishinakasu

Today’s report is by a special correspondent, “N” from Fukuoka!
I’d like to introduce a restaurant in the area which has many good restaurants in Nishinakasu, Fukuoka Prefecture.

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A restaurant of attractive foods and the night view

When I’m asked which restaurant is good for people from outside of Fukuoka, I always tell this restaurant, “Ajikura Tombo”, which has “Miyazaki’s local chicken, fresh fish from Genkai Sea, and good Sake”.

It’s in the 8th floor of a building along one of the main streets of Fukuoka City (Kokutai Street), so it’s easy to access for strangers, which is one of the reasons why I recommend it to people from outside.

Another reason is that the restaurant has various food menus., so
tThey can entertain anyone even if they have foods that they don’t like.
It’s very convenient when I take tourists, or hold parties with many people.

They have various kinds of foods such as grilled Miyazaki’s chicken, good sashimi of fish from Genkainada Sea, other attractive dishes, and even Okonomiyaki.
These foods are all delicious.
In addition, the visitors can enjoy a beautiful night view of the town of Nakasu from the counter seats by the window.

Repeat of mackerel and “Bijin”

There were special menus of Miyazaki’s special citrus called “Hebesu” for a limited term on that day.
The first menu I ordered was “Hebesu-jime of autumn mackerel”.

I will introduce details of Hebesu later.
Please see the beauty of this mackerel first!
It’s common to eat raw mackerels in Fukuoka, but this thickness and roasting was just gorgeous.

As you can imagine, this dish made me feel like drinking sake a lot.
It says “Hebesu-jime” (pickled with Hebesu juice), but Hebesu juice is originally not so sour.
It was not like normal pickled foods.

Their Sake menu showed the level of the sake’s sweetness / dryness with numbers.
It was very easy to find the sake I wanted to try.
The mackerel was a little sweet, so I decided to try a sweet sake.

The name was “Toyo Bijin Junmai Ginjo” (brewed by Sumikawa Shuzojo, Yamaguchi Prefecture).

The classification number of the taste was “-4”, so. I understood that it was about “middle sweet”.
Once I had a sip, I felt as if the air around me became brighter because of the sake’s gorgeous flavor.

The texture was very mild and soft.
It was very like the name “Bijin” which means “beautiful lady”.

The combination with the grilled mackerel was well balanced maybe because both were sweet.
The good points of each one helped the others.

Only the mackerel was nice, and only “Toyo Bijin” was nice.
Of course, having them together was good, too.
The sake was very generous.

I could repeat the mackerel and “Bijin” forever.
By the way, the name “Toyo Bijin” (Oriental beautiful lady) was named by the first head brewer remembering his deceased wife.
We can imagine how she was beautiful, and how he loved her from the sake.

What’s “Hebesu”?

Now, I’d like to tell you how amazing “Hebesu” is!

These pieces of citrus with green skin are “Hebesu”, which is the special fruit of Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture.
It’s not so famous in Japan, but it’s very useful!

I’m a Fukuoka person, and I was shocked by its charm when I was living in Miyazaki.
This fruit was found 180 years ago by a man, Heibei Chosokabe.
I love its episode that the name was made after his name “Heibei” (“Heibei Su” turned to “Hebesu”. “Su” means citrus in old Japanese.)!

The taste, of course, is so good and it matches everything!

The scent is not as strong as “Yuzu” or “Kabosu”, and t.
The sourness is just like “a sour orange”.
The skin has nice bitterness, and the size is a little bigger than “Sudachi”.

It has moderate taste and scent, but it can be a great seasoning for any foods with its freshness.
You might think that it can’t be that perfect, but it really is.

The juice for tofu, vinegared dishes, hot pot dishes, and drinks.
The grated skin is a good accent for salad and miso soup.
The sliced pieces in shochu liquor (Japanese distilled liquor), whisky, and beer are good, too.

Then, how is it with Sake?
Of course, I tried it.

I bit a piece of Hebesu on the mackerel plate a little with the skin, and then tasted “Toyo Bijin Junmai Ginjo”.
Ummm…, beautiful.
The sweetness and gorgeousness of “Toyo Bijin” wrapped Hebesu’s mild sourness, and they became a fresh and flowery flavor in my mouth.
I learnt the gentleness of “Toyo Bijin” and the potential of Hebesu.

This is all for today’s report of a night which was wrapped by the gentle taste of “Toyo Bijin”.