A good Hong Kong friend happened to be in town the same time as I was. He had never had horse meat, so I brought him to the place I knew that did serve it.

Last warning, turn back if you feel offended with eating horses.

The Meal

We did not have any other friend or colleague that spoke Japanese. My knowledge of Japanese is limited to the menu. Nevertheless, it was easy when we do not have any form of allergy or abstain from any category of food except crappy one.

Otoshi with Hokkaido oyster

The otoshi was some kind of Hokkaido beef jerky that were very tasty and salty, a good setup for more drinks to follow. This Hokkaido beef jerky is made from Japanese local beef and is well processed to deliver a soft and natural texture, a bit like our bak-kwa (Singapore pork jerky). We also ordered a freshly shucked Hokkaido oyster – creamy, full of taste from the ocean – that came with the otoshi.

Mapo Tofu (Japanese-style)

The Japanese took a Sichuan classic and made it their own – more pronounce peppercorn for numbness, less spicy, excellent soft (but not too soft that it disintegrate) braising tofu.

Horse Sashimi

The piece de resistance that we came specially for. Horse meat sashimi or basashi (馬刺し) tasted a bit sour but in a tasty way. You know you are eating meat, but it was not the same as beef tartare or whale (which technically is not fish). You can eat it with scallion, leek, garlic or ginger, or just mash everything together and wrap it with aoba. Chew slowly to savour the complexity of the flavour.

The Rest of the Meal

We ordered a couple more dishes to drink to. The food was spectacular. The atmosphere was relaxed. Definitely a place for a drink and food after work.

Jin Kojimachi 麹町 味彩酒房 仁 （じん）
4 Chome-３−１ Kojimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
Tel : +81 3-3234-2566

https://www.facebook.com/jinkojimachi/

Date visited : Sep 2017