四季の和食と点心 甲子 — Restaurant in Chichibu

Oh goodness me... where to start?

The food: everything thoughtful and carefully prepared. The only option on my visit was the 'chef's menu' (o-makase) and it was most definitely not standard izakaya fare. The hors d'oeuvre plate of various sansai (wild vegetables) and others delivered a spectrum of flavours and textures. Then the main dishes – perhaps seven of them; I wasn't counting – were all delicious. I particularly enjoyed the daikon mochi, along with the sashimi course and the tempura.

Being on my own, I was seated at the bar. As I speak some Japanese, it was the perfect place for me. With a regular customer sitting along from me, chatty lady of the house behind the bar, and the part-time waitress happy to talk, I barely found time to eat! What a great atmosphere, particularly when another part-timer dropped in on his evening off and the cooking was finished (so the boss was able to come out of the kitchen). In the end, I spent more than three hours over my dinner and had to be reminded that my accommodation had a curfew.

The beer was a standard Japanese one. The local sake was excellent. And then I moved on to an imo-shochu before dessert turned up. The drinks ended with me being given a taste of a rather spectacular scotch.

What a great evening. I thank everyone there – owners, staff and customers – for creating such a great ambience and for making me so welcome....

Make sure to try the local favourite miso-buta don (miso pork on rice). The food came with a salad, seaweed soup and pickles (yet another local delicacy). I enjoyed a late lunch with tap beer.

The pork don was presented really well. The thin strips are marinated with miso and you could tell that it wasn't a quick job doing so!

It was so good that I had to order another one!

The restaurant owner went far beyond and was really friendly to us. The restaurant had a rustic cafe-like atmosphere. These all made the experience...

I love the fried cheese mentaiko with small fish! And the Hamburg is sinfully good 😋

The owner is really friendly, and cooks yummy food.

However, the wait was long (2 hours total for five dishes) because it's a small restaurant serving a lot of people... So don't come here if you...