PORO Homemade Kitchen
Whenever I travel, it is a great pleasure for me (Sake Zhu) to visit restaurants where I can taste the local sake and cuisine. On a recent visit to Nagoya, I came across another wonderful restaurant. The name of the restaurant is "Poro Homemade Kitchen. I asked the brewer to introduce me to this restaurant, saying, "I want to drink Nagoya sake in Nagoya City.

Nagoya's "local sake

The first name that comes to mind when people think of Aichi Prefecture's locally brewed sake is probably Brewer's Kuheiji (Manjyo Jozo). Horaiizumi (Sekiya Jozo) is also often heard of. However, what about Nagoya? I could not think of any.

In fact, there are seven sake breweries in Nagoya (Manjyo Brewery, which produces Kuheiji, is also located in Nagoya). ) There is a group called "Nagoya Cloud" in which young brewers from four of these breweries work together, and Poro offers sake made by the participating breweries. In addition, carefully selected sake from the Tokai area and other parts of Japan will also be available. This restaurant is sure to tickle the fancy of sake lovers.

Taste home cooking, rice, and sake

The author visited the second store, the Entonji store, which opened in December 2014. (There is a first store with the same concept in Shinsakaecho.)

The entrance and interior of the store are unified in natural texture. The counter on the right is lined with platters of obanzai. The dishes are mainly home-style dishes such as nimono (boiled and seasoned vegetables) and takiawase (cooked dishes with vegetables).


I was quickly shown the sake menu, which featured a full A4 page of Tokai sake (the national version is on the reverse side). In addition to the brand name, the place of origin (city and district for sake from the prefecture) is also handwritten on the menu.


And did you notice that next to each brand is an image of the flavor, such as "light x mild" or "medium x refreshing"? It is easy to imagine the taste even if you do not know the brand. On the other hand, you can also ask the staff to select a brand based on keywords such as "refreshing" or "fluffy," or based on your mood that day. Of course, they can also suggest the sake that goes with the dish and the food that goes with the sake. This is a restaurant where the staff loves sake.

Try Nagoya's Sake

Since my goal was to drink "Nagoya sake" on this day, I ordered "Takanomumu Junmai Sake," "Honjozo Kanatora," "Tokusen Junmai Nagoya Cloud (Kami no I)," and "Toryu Junmai Sake" from the four Nagoya Cloud breweries. We were also asked to choose a side dish to go with each.


The light and pleasant to drink Toryu was paired with simmered dishes. The special junmai sake from Kami no I was served with nambanzuke (pickled greens). The mild aftertaste softens the acidity of vinegar. Takanomumu, which has a core and spreads flavor in the mouth, goes well with simmered fish. Kanatora, the most "sake-like" and sharpest of the four, tasted as robust as the tempura.

By the way, the label designs of these four sake are very impressive. The hawk spreading its wings over Mt. Fuji has an elaborate logo, and the tiger on the kintora is so dignified that it looks as if it might start moving at any moment. These designs were selected from 652 entries submitted by the public from all over Japan.

Other entries are displayed in the store. It is fun to think about what kind of design you would choose.


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Meanwhile, a nice aroma was wafting in the air. It seems that kamahan (rice cooked in a pot) is about to be ready. The most popular dish is "kamahan (rice cooked with sea bream). After removing the bones from the rice, I roughly mix the rice with the bones and eat it. The rice soaked with the flavor of sea bream is exquisite in both aroma and taste. The glistening rice cake is one of the best parts of the meal.


The restaurant originally started by focusing on rice. That is why the restaurant is so particular about using "Mine-Asahi" rice produced in Toyota City, which is also known as "phantom rice" for its rice. The small grains are packed with flavor and taste great even when cold.

A store overflowing with love for sake

Looking around the restaurant, one sees walls covered with sake labels. The autographs and messages on the walls are said to be from visiting sake brewers, and some of them are signed by the toji (master brewer) himself. It seems that the store is overflowing with the love for sake that everyone, customers and staff alike, share.


At "Poro," you can take a breather with a glass of sake in your hand while enjoying a snack of obanzai. Even though I came late at night, I felt so comfortable that I stayed for a long time. I am so sad that there is no place near my house (in Tokyo). If there were, I would definitely go there. At the very least, I will definitely visit again when I go to Nagoya.

[Store details
Poro Homemade Kitchen Entonji Store
Address: 1-6-18 Nakono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City
Access: 8 min. walk from Nagoya City Subway Marunouchi Sta.
Hours: Lunch 11:30-13:30 (irregular holidays, closed Saturdays during January), dinner 17:00-24:00 (last order 23:00), basically open every day for dinner
Phone number: 052-462-9884