What kind of impression do you have when you think of a kaiseki (traditional Japanese multi-course) restaurant?
“A bit upscale Japanese restaurant”
“It seems like a high hurdle”
Those are common images, right?
“Taishu Kappo Tagosaku” located in Tsuruga, in front of JR Kurashiki Station, is a place where you can casually drop in, as indicated by the name “Taishu” (popular).
Moreover, the owner of Tagosaku, Chijiiwa, is a genuine chef who has worked for many years primarily in Japanese cuisine.
At Tagosaku, you can enjoy home-style dishes made with appealing local ingredients such as fresh seafood prepared by this authentic chef.
Furthermore, the menu is rich, going beyond kaiseki to include Chinese and Western dishes.
In winter, the “Anglerfish Hot Pot” and “Botan Nabe” are also popular and are the restaurant's specialties.
Let me introduce you to Taishu Kappo Tagosaku.
Tagosaku is a popular restaurant bustling with local customers, offering a variety of dishes
Tagosaku is a kaiseki restaurant.
While kaiseki may seem high-end, Tagosaku is a “Taishu Kappo.”
You can enjoy down-to-earth dishes.
During weekdays, they serve lunch, and their home-style, well-balanced menu is popular.
In the evening, you can enjoy various dishes like in an izakaya while drinking alcohol.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant is calm, allowing you to enter without hesitation.
There are seven counter seats.
The owner cooks right in front of you.
There are three tables for two people in the tatami room.
In the back, there are also three tables for four people.
Choose from two types of lunch: Japanese or Western at Tagosaku
Tagosaku is open for lunch only on weekdays.
The menu features two types of lunch: Japanese and Western.
The main dish can be either Japanese or Western, accompanied by two small dishes, pickles, miso soup, and white rice, with coffee served after the meal.
With this volume and content, and all handmade, it is an incredible 800 yen including tax!
Please note that the ingredients for the main dish, small dishes, and miso soup change daily.
Tagosaku's menu is subject to consumption tax, but the lunch menu is inclusive of tax (as of February 2022).
▼Lunch (Japanese) during the interview
It was a well-balanced, very homey, and gentle-tasting lunch.
Moreover, the portion was plentiful.
▼Lunch (Western) eaten later
Tagosaku's lunch is so good that I want to go every day for lunch.
The cost performance is outstanding!
Tagosaku's pride: Setouchi fresh seafood dishes
Tagosaku's greatest pride is the dishes made with fresh seafood from Setouchi!
In addition to the items listed on the menu, there are also daily specials that change based on the ingredients procured that day.
Assorted sashimi
The top recommendation for seafood dishes is the assorted sashimi!
The assorted sashimi is priced at 1,000 yen per serving (excluding tax).
The types of fish included in the platter change depending on the season and the day's catch.
Moreover, this is the belly part of the amberjack, which is considered particularly delicious.
The sashimi cuts themselves and the presentation are beautiful, enhancing the deliciousness.
Bingo Fish Simmered
Among the daily menu, there were many fresh fish dishes.
▼Among them, what I ate during the interview was "Bingo Fish Simmered."
Bingo fish is also called "Tamori" or "Setodai," and it is a fish commonly eaten around the Seto Inland Sea.
It was a nostalgic, homey taste that goes well with rice.
By the way, the ingredients simmered with the bingo fish were tofu and nagaimo (Japanese yam).
The nagaimo was fluffy and, in a good way, did not have the typical nagaimo taste, making it delicious.
Tagosaku's Night Menu
All prices are excluding consumption tax.
▼The night menu. This is the regular menu.
▼The daily special "Today's Recommendation" menu is written on the blackboard inside the restaurant.
Contents and prices are as of February 2022.
【Reservation Required】 Winter Limited Specialties "Anko Nabe" and "Botan Nabe" Can Be Enjoyed from One Person!
Tagosaku has specialty dishes that can only be eaten in winter.
These are "Anko Nabe" and "Botan Nabe."
Both Anko Nabe and Botan Nabe can accommodate individual hot pots!
Isn't it a nice service that you can enjoy hot pot dishes even alone?
▼Anko Nabe is a hot pot dish using the fish "anko" (anglerfish).
The owner of Tagosaku trained at a Japanese restaurant in Shimonoseki.
Shimonoseki is famous for fugu (pufferfish) cuisine, but anglerfish is also a specialty.
In fact, Shimonoseki has the highest catch of anglerfish in Japan.
Thus, you can enjoy the authentic taste of anglerfish cuisine at Tagosaku.
▼The flesh of the anglerfish is rich in collagen and has a bouncy texture. However, it is not greasy.
▼In addition to anglerfish hot pot, you can also enjoy anglerfish dishes such as ankimo.
The anglerfish hot pot at Tagosaku comes with small dishes, sashimi, grilled fish, and a serving of ankimo for each person.
The anglerfish used in the anglerfish hot pot at Tagosaku is mainly sourced from Sakai Port.
You can enjoy anglerfish at Tagosaku from around early December to March.
In some cases, it may be available as early as late November.
Bottan-nabe is a hot pot dish that includes wild boar meat.
They source wild boar meat directly from Bizen City.
You can enjoy bottan-nabe at Tagosaku from around late November to about April.
Please enjoy the authentic anglerfish hot pot from Shimonoseki and the bottan-nabe made with locally sourced wild boar meat!
Both anglerfish hot pot and bottan-nabe are priced at 1,000 yen for one serving and 3,000 yen or more for two servings or more (excluding tax).
Prices are as of February 2022.
Reservations for anglerfish hot pot and bottan-nabe are required.
A variety of sake and shochu from various regions
▼At Tagosaku, there is a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks.
Prices exclude tax (as of February 2022).
They have a particular focus on sake.
The reason there are few local sakes at Tagosaku is that they respond to customers' requests for various types of sake from different regions.
During the interview, I enjoyed the popular sake "No.6" from the brewery Aramasa Shuzo in Akita Prefecture.
It is an easy-to-drink sake.
Tagosaku offers a variety of attractions, including home-style Setouchi fresh fish dishes, authentic anglerfish hot pot from Shimonoseki, and bottan-nabe made with locally sourced wild boar meat.
I interviewed the owner of Tagosaku, Chijiiwa Akira.
Data on Taishu Kappo Tagosaku
| Name | Taishu Kappo Tagosaku |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-2-5 Tsurugata, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Sakamoto Building 1F |
| Contact | 086-425-0182 |
| Parking | None |
| Business Hours | 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM (Last order at 1:30 PM) 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM (Last order at 10:30 PM) * Lunch service is only available Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) |
| Regular Holiday | Sunday |
| Payment Methods |
|
| Reservation Availability | Yes Accepted by phone |
| Seating | 25 seats total ・Counter: 7 seats ・2-person tatami room: 3 tables ・4-person tatami room: 3 tables |
| Smoking | Smoking allowed |
| Toilet | Japanese-style toilet |
| Childcare | ・Stroller access available ・Children's utensils available |
| Barrier-Free | Wheelchair accessible, but there is a step at the entrance. The toilet is not wheelchair accessible. |
The main dish, as well as the small dishes, soup, and pickles, are almost all handmade by our restaurant.