Aburi Kaisen Don 「炙り海鮮丼」 literally translates to “broiled seafood bowl” but Tateyama City has a special version of this dish that comprises of a huge “bowl” which is divided into 3 levels containing different types of food, some raw, some cooked and some which you need to grill at the table.
This unique dish is only available at 5 restaurants in Tateyama but do note that there are only a limited number of sets available daily so if you want to try this, you’ll need to arrive early at the restaurant or make prior reservations (if possible).
More details can be found at the following website => http://www.aburikaisen.com/shops/index.html (in Japanese only)
I dined at Umi no Hana 「海の花」, whose name literally translates to “flower of the sea” and it offers fresh and delicious seafood from the surrounding area.
This was displayed on the wall of the restaurant. (click on the photo below for a closer look at the poster)
Only 25 sets of the Tateyama Aburi Kaisen Don 「館山炙り海鮮丼」 are served at this restaurant daily. It’s a real bargain at ¥1500 (inclusive of tax) and reservations can be made in advance.
Now onto my dining experience….the food was served on a tray and initially I didn’t know that there were 2 other compartments of food stacked below the one with the skewers and the turban shell!! (cos at that point of time I didn’t know what the Tateyama Aburi Kaisen Don was all about)
After unstacking the three parts of the “bowl”, the pictures below show the total serving size for ONE person! (^o^)
Here’s another look…
Top-most Layer: This contained 4 types of seafood to be grilled 「炙って」, which included Medai (メダイ Japanese Butterfish), Takame (??), Koika (小イカ Cuttlefish) and Sazae (栄螺 Horned Turban Shell). I’m not really familiar with all the Japanese names of the fish – anyway, as long as it’s edible, it doesn’t matter to me. LOL…
The turban shell came with its own grill. This was the first time that I was eating one of this size! The edible parts were already sliced into bite-sized pieces which made it really convenient to eat. Most people just eat the outermost part which is chewy. There is another edible part deep inside the shell which are the innards and is an acquired taste as it is a little bitter.
There was a separate grill for the skewers and you really need to be careful with these as they may catch fire! I started to panic when one of my skewers went up in flames but managed to put it out quickly. Mind you, I wasn’t the only one who experienced this embarrassment!
Second Layer: This comprised of four types of Sashimi 「刺身」 – Aji (鯵 Horse Mackerel), Tako (蛸, たこ Octopus), Kanpachi (間八 Greater Amberjack) and Sazai (??). It was very fresh and was really good!! 美味しいですね！
Third Level: Flower Sushi 「花ちらし寿司」 – the sushi was tasty but it was a bit too much for me. Still I managed to finish everything except for the centre of the “flower”.
After the meal, all ladies were served with a complimentary dessert of yuzu jelly! Some of the men were asking why they didn’t get it? LOL…guys, this is a special privilege reserved only for the womenfolk! :p
VERDICT: It’s a value-for-money set which is absolutely delicious!! A MUST TRY!!! ^_^
おしゃれ鮨 海の花 (Umi no Hana)
Address: 1F Malaga Mall, Hojo, Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Telephone: 0470-25-5151
Access: 1 min walk from the West exit of JR Tateyama station
(it’s No. 9 on this dining map of Tateyama City <= click)
Opening Hours:
Weekdays (Mon-Wed, Fri)
Lunch 11：15～15：00 (last order 14:30)
Dinner 17：00～22：00 (last order 21:30)
Sat, Sun & Public Holiday 11：00～22：00 (last order 21:30)
Closed on Thursday (unless it is a public holiday).
jaznotabi 