If you notice, 2013 is half a month later, and the year-end party season is in the middle. According to a questionnaire conducted by Gurunavi about the year-end party, it is said that a slightly expensive course is popular this year, probably because of the Abenomics effect. Looking at the winter classic "nabe", it seems that hot pots made with "luxury ingredients" such as high-class meat and spiny lobster, which are not usually eaten, are attracting attention.

Meanwhile, I got information that there is a hot pot dish using foie gras and sea urchin. I feel that neither of them is suitable for simmering hot pot dishes, but what kind of menu is it? I ate "foie gras hot pot" and "sea urchin hot pot", which I was curious about!


■ "Foie gras hot pot" that you want to match with wine

First of all, foie gras. This year, I've come to see it at family restaurants, but I've never seen it in hot pot dishes. The foie gras hot pot "foie gras and porcini mushroom hot pot cream hot pot", which may be the first in the world, is offered at "Private room izakaya-kakoi-" (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo). Cheese fondue is a popular restaurant where you can casually enjoy Western-style creative cuisine in an izakaya style.

The store, which has been selling Western-style hot pots, is paying attention to foie gras because the high-priced menu is selling well. Taking advantage of the skills cultivated in Western food, he seems to devise so that the body does not melt too much by sautéing and then putting it in a pot.


The clay pot contains a white soup made from chicken stock and cream, about 14 kinds of ingredients such as chicken, mushrooms, and vegetables, and a large foie gras. Put the lid on, put it on the fire, and open the lid when it boils. The foie gras melts out moderately, giving it a rich scent. Don't forget to take out the foie gras first as it will melt if it is overcooked. When the chicken is cooked well, it's done.


The soup, in which the flavor of foie gras has melted, is rich and has a flavor that enhances the flavor of vegetables. Foie gras, which melts on your tongue, is not as persistent as you might think, and you can enjoy it easily. In addition, you can enjoy the change in taste by adding a sauce in which the taste of porcini mushrooms is mixed in the middle. The richness of the soup will increase.


Risotto is recommended for 〆. Add cheese and truffles and top with bright parsley to finish. The soup, which is thicker and more mellow by boiling, goes well with rice. You can enjoy the rich flavor.

The single item price is 2,480 yen per person. It has plenty of volume, so if you are two people, you can enjoy it even for one person. There is also a 7-item, 3-hour all-you-can-drink course (6,200 yen / Gurunavi coupon price 4,500 yen). The store wants to grow this menu as one of the Western-style hot pots in the future. It is a hot pot that you want to enjoy with wine.


◆ "Sea urchin hot pot" that shabu-shabu seafood with sea urchin soup

Next is "sea urchin hot pot". Sea urchins have a strong image of being eaten raw, but what kind of hot pot dishes can you enjoy? Surrounded by the works of Kyoto painter Ito Jakuchu in the middle of the Edo period, I visited the bar "Wabar Jakuchu" (Minato-ku, Tokyo) where you can enjoy authentic Japanese food.

The "Untan Shabu-shabu" offered at the restaurant is a rich soup containing sea urchin, and is a luxurious dish where you can shabu-shabu white fish, snow crab, and vegetables sent directly from Kyoto. Originally, it seems that the menu was offered at the sister store "Ichirin no Hana".


The soup is said to have been seasoned by adding mirin and soy sauce, and has a slightly sweet taste. I think it's easy to eat even for people who don't like the unique scent of sea urchin. If you don't stir too much, the sea urchin will remain uncrushed, so you can enjoy it with the ingredients or with the soup. As the author, I recommend eating it with plenty of water vegetables.


And, after all, the porridge is excellent. The taste of sea urchin that is blended into the soup is mixed with the taste of vegetables and chicken to create an exquisite richness. "I'm glad I was born in Japan," I muttered unintentionally.

The price is 1,680 yen per person. There are three course menus from 3,800 yen to 7,000 yen, and the 7,000 yen course where you can enjoy grilled king crab is especially popular.


It seems that both stores are filled with year-end party reservations in December, but there are vacant spaces after January. How about a "petit luxury" hot pot at the beginning of the year, hoping that your salary will increase so that you can eat delicious food in 2014 as well?