Umisato Cafeteria and Bar, Akasaka

It's typical for Japanese companies to greet the new year with an official party or dinner, called shinnenkai. My company, Edanz, usually does a dinner in January. This year we went to a restaurant within 15 minutes' walk of the office, Umisato Cafeteria and Bar.

Umisato is a tiny place, and barely fit us all (we were technically one chair short, but made it work). As is tradition, once everyone has a drink in hand, our CEO leads us in a toast, and then we can eat. The first small dishes were somewhat perplexing, visually and taste-wise. The first was beets and greens. Beets and I have a hate-hate relationship with one another. They usually taste earthy and bitter to me, and this dish was no exception. The next dish I thought looked like mikan (tangerine) slides in mayo ... it did indeed turn out to be mikan, with the peel on, but the coating had more the consistency of potato salad. Odd, since there actually was a potato salad and shredded carrot dish as well. The third appetizer was eggplant with grated (real) parmesan cheese. Which sounds good in theory -- and I did have several servings, because I adore eggplant -- but it was just downright weird tasting.

The main dishes -- sliced sashimi (raw fish), fried chicken and fish shabu-shabu -- were fine, if not particularly exceptional. Even if I did accidentally dump all the spicy radish into the hot pot (wasn't all that spicy in the end). When we'd eaten most of the soup, they brought us rice and raw eggs to add to the pot (this is usual, rice or noodles). Made for a filling porridge of sorts. Last was a vanilla ice cream that was ... gamey. That's the only word I can use. If it were not for the lack of goats and sheep here, I'd swear it was using milk from one or the other. It just seemed off.

Free drinks were included with the meal, though I would've been better to have stuck to water or tea. My lemon sour had no oomph to it. It wasn't lemony or sour at all. Halfway through I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and have some umeshu or plum wine, which is usually super sweet. Not this one. The tiny (unpickled) ume in the glass packed a mighty salty wallop, which did not please the palate. At least, not mine.

Of all the restaurants the company has taken us out to, this one was most disappointing. Would not go back on my own.


Address:  810-0042 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Akasaka, 1 Chome−11−1 プロスパ, Ground Floor
Reservations:  Tabelog