A warm lamp that lights up in a corner of Nakameguro, Tokyo. "MEAT LAB", a "mountain lodge restaurant" for meat lovers by meat lovers, is located here.


A "seasonal aged meat" menu using "Akagi Japanese Black Beef" aged for 140 days and "Gunma Prefecture Manabuta" aged for 40 days is offered, and it is a hot topic among meat lovers. However, in the coming season, how about the "Spring Limited Cherry Blossom Course" (5,000 yen), which is perfect for the cherry blossom viewing mood?

■ Spring only! Meet Lab Sakura Course

The cherry blossom course, which is offered only during the cherry blossom viewing season until the end of April, has a lineup of 7 dishes. The first to appear are three appetizers, including "Aged Tartar Sakuramochi Tailoring".


Aged tartare made with sakura mochi is a crepe dough with salted cherry blossoms wrapped in soy sauce-flavored aged beef tartare to create a "sakura mochi style". It is wrapped in cherry leaves, but you can hardly feel the unique scent and saltiness. The meat inside is rare, and you can enjoy a thick texture like yukhoe and a rich umami. It goes well with the chewy dough!


The second appetizer is "Rape blossoms and sakura shrimp cake sale with new onion mousse". When you put a generous amount of sweet onion mousse on the moist and refreshingly baked cake sale and spread it, the scent of spring will come to your mouth.


The third appetizer, "Spring Fragrant Charcoal-grilled Vegetable Sakura Yogurt Sauce," is a dish of yogurt-based refreshing cherry blossom sauce with tara sprouts and asparagus. Enjoy the aroma and subtle bitterness of the crispy and crunchy spring vegetables.

By the way, when the engine started in the stomach, "Yakizakura roll cabbage" appeared in the following hot vegetables. A dish made from aged beef patties stewed in bouillon and made into cabbage rolls. It seems that salted cherry blossoms are combined with the meat. Finished with onion sauce from Awaji.


Put the knife in the fluffy cooked pate and the gravy will be simmered. When you put it in your mouth, it melts surprisingly delicately and softly. The texture that melts on the tongue is unique to aged meat. The sweet and thick onion sauce also enhances the taste of the meat.


The course has finally reached its climax! The main dish is the "Spring Aged Shabu-Shabu Hot Pot," where you can enjoy aged beef tongue and aged upper peach (pork) with aged beef and dashi stock. Assorted vegetables include garland chrysanthemum, auction, coriander, green onions, and raw wakame seaweed.


Serve with yuzu shichimi, grated maple, chili oil, sesame seeds, and ponzu sauce in a petal-shaped plate.


I think the shabu-shabu of aged beef tongue is quite rare, but the crispy and crunchy texture unique to tongue and the deep umami that you can feel as if you chew it are exquisite! On the other hand, the upper thigh meat has a moderate amount of fat that melts with heat and spreads the finest sweetness to the mouth.


When you finish eating the pot, you will be served "Shabu-shabu pot's raw pasta" that uses the dashi stock as it is. The chewy fresh pasta that fully absorbs the umami of the sea (clams) and the umami of the mountains (meat) is absolutely delicious! Adults have the scent of yuzu peel and the slight bitterness that are studded with sardines.


Finish with the dessert "Homemade Strawberry Tiramisu" and coffee or tea. Strawberry pulp and creamy tiramisu are topped with flaky strawberry crunch. Its spring-like pink color is so cute that you can sigh involuntarily!


Tiramisu that you can enjoy various textures such as "crispy", "fluffy", "toro toro" and "bubble wrap" with a single bite. The strawberry's sourness, which is as thick as boiled jam, refreshes the mouth when you eat meat.

■ "Sakura Sangria" that you definitely want to drink

Although it is different from the cherry blossom course, "Sakura Sangria" using white wine is a must-try item. Plenty of cherry blossoms are sunk in the bottom of the glass, and when you drink while crushing them little by little, the scent of cherry blossoms spreads softly and elegantly in your mouth.

■ Recommended for dates and girls-only gatherings

The calm interior that is not too large and the relaxed atmosphere make a good impression on Meet Rabo. I feel reassured by the polite customer service. Personally, I would like to recommend this shop for dates and girls-only gatherings. By the way, there is also a "women's association course", so if you are interested, please contact us.


After enjoying the cherry blossoms along the Meguro River, why not take a spring tour to enjoy the cherry blossoms course of Meet Rabo.

The store is located on the 2nd floor of Aobadai 117 Building, 1-17-2 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. It is about a 5-minute walk from Nakameguro Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.