Only 2 things pique my interest.
1. Food
2. Long lines of people in a food street
And that is what I see on the way back to the Metro station after the not so satisfying Lunch Part I and Lunch Part II at Tsukiji Market. Lines and lines of hungry, yearning Japanese men.
And the cause of all this commotion?
Offal. Cow offal. A huge pot of it. Cow intestines, some lungs, four layers of stomach, few hearts, livers, a kidney here and there… all the edible things that make up a cow. I know it doesn’t sound pretty, but cooked in the Offal Master’s secret sauce (I detect miso), it does not taste so bad either. Trust me.
Now who can resist that??? NOT ME!!!
OH, MY POOR STOMACH!!!
And so I present to you, Lunch Part III
Rich, thick, smooth and creamy. This is real beefy goodness, the same goodness you find in the kitchen of your grandma’s home, not the artificial pseudo-beef stuff served in most restaurants today. I cannot make out which morsel is which (not that identifying each piece of cow innards makes the dining experience more enjoyable), but with everything mixed together, this bowl gifts your mouth with a plethora of textures – soft, gooey, leathery, crisp, gelatinous, chewy. The flavors are subtle and comforting, no surprises, no sharp tastes, no worries about too much MSG.
The only thing you need to worry about is your Nihongo. The couple who runs this beef bowl stall refuses to sell to the non-Japanese. After getting away with the offal bowl by some finger pointing action, we are not so lucky getting our hands on the gyudon. Hello, Discrimination!
Although the offal is quite pleasant, it is not really to die for. And despite the silent pleas of the gyudon for me to come back for it, the prejudiced treatment by the Kitsuneya tandem just turns me off. So forgive me, little beef bowl, but I will not be back.
Kitsuneya きつねや: 東京都中央区築地4丁目9番12号. +813-3545-3902
