Sticking it to Donkey

Tonight was the last of my bookings for Hidden (秀殿) this year, the result of having dialed more than 100 times to try to get through. We had 4 seats at the counter and I decided to invite Mr. and Mrs. Fat Donkey to come along. It's their first time as they've never heard of the place, and I figured it would be right up Fat Donkey's alley.

Not surprisingly, as our friends haven't been here before, the ordering was left up to me...

Fried chicken wing (手羽唐揚げ) - gotta start with at least one of these wings! The sourness of the sauce helps whet the appetite.

One bite cheese fried (一口チーズフライ) - I thought this was a nice way to get some cheese here... one bite is perfect, with some ketchup.

Sweet potato fries (フライドさつまいも) - been a while since I last had these. Love sweet potatoes, and love how crunchy these get on the outside.

Fried veggie fish cake (野菜のさつま揚げ) - this is always on our list since Four Sheets wouldn't think of leaving here without ordering this. I do love these fish cakes...

Japanese smelt (ワカサギ) - so happy that they have these little fishies! I used to eat them at a noodle shop by Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) but it's rare to come across them here. So crunchy, so delicious!

Beef tripe stew (牛もつ煮込み) - I can never resist when I see beef tripe on the menu... This was cooked with a miso base along with carrots and radish.

Kogane pork wiener (黄金豚ウィンナー) - these little wieners are so fatty and soooo delicious. Should not have shared this stick...

Crab leg (かに足) - another item we almost always order. The leg of the Japanese snow crab (ズワイ蟹) is just so incredibly tasty.

Ham cheese (ハムチーズ) - first time order this, I believe. OK la...

Spring onion pork flank roll (豚バラねぎ巻) - another dish I like very much but never get enough of. The pork belly is nice and fatty, and the diced spring onions just makes it soooooo tasty!

Herring roe on kelp (子持ち昆布) - love the springy and crunchy texture of the little fish eggs. So much fun to bite down on them feel them pushing my teeth back out. Yes, I play with my food.

Japanese smelt (ワカサギ) - so good I had to get another one.

Pearl onions (ペコロス) - miss the sweetness of these.

Oyster (かき) - the others wanted oysters and so I went along. Always a good idea to have 牡蠣フライ.

Conger eel (穴子) - another item we usually order. The way this turns so crunchy - especially the skin - is what draws me in every time.

Scallop salmon roe (ほたてタルタルいくら) - my favorite item here so I just had to introduce it to Mrs. Donkey. OF COURSE I ate it in one bite. Now if only they would do another run of the T-shirt and make it in my size...

Spicy cod roe pasta (明太子パスタ) - it's been too long since I last had their mentaiko (明太子) pasta, and tonight the sauce seemed a lot more liquid than I remembered. Still very tasty, of course. Thankfully we only got the small portion, because there's another carb dish coming up.

Curry rice (カレーライス) - we did share a small bowl of their curry. For the Japanese, eating curry is not about what kind of meat you get, but the sauce itself. While we didn't get big chunks of beef, the taste of beef fat was very obvious in the sauce. Slurp!

We brought a couple of bottles and took it easy:

2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée mars 2018 - good acidity, nice balance.

Rihaku Daijinjo Tobingakoi (李白大吟釀斗瓶囲い), 2019, #1690 - nice and soft on the palate, very well-balanced. Not sweet but also not too dry, perhaps because of a couple of years' of aging.

Kuraka 栗 - very creamy, very sweet.

I think Mr. and Mrs. Donkey had a good time tonight, and Mrs. Donkey in particular was surprised at the reasonable pricing. I look forward to coming back next year...