Click the URL below for information on the new location!
http://lade.jp/diary/tabelog/youshoku/15591/
A Western-style restaurant located in Azukimochi along Sumiyoshi StreetHiromatsu Branch" is a restaurant that quietly hangs its noren (traditional Japanese curtain) at the far right of a tenant building. It has been in business for 35 years. With a ceramic goldfish bowl placed prominently in front of the well-worn sliding door at the entrance, it is a Western-style restaurant that evokes a nostalgic feeling and has a comfortable Showa-era atmosphere. It has been three years since Kengo Suzuki, the son of the previous owner, took over the business. The restaurant has an L-shaped counter where you can see the kitchen and a raised tatami seating area. Regular customers always sit at the counter and enjoy their meals while chatting with the previous owner, the proprietress, and the young heir, Kengo.
Now that the roles have reversed and the former boss has taken over, his work is now mainly focused on supporting his successor, Kengo. Their teamwork is crisp and efficient, and it's wonderful to see how it's carried out silently and steadily. It's like the saying goes, "The father doesn't say much, he teaches by example." As if responding to the feelings of his predecessor, Kengo's movements in the kitchen are efficient, quick, and precise, and it's exciting just to watch.
The main dish at this restaurant is tonkatsu (pork cutlet). Even the temperature of the oil and the cooking time can make a big difference to the taste. He must have learned the skilled techniques of his predecessor and made them his own through daily experience. Incidentally, Hiromatsu's tonkatsu is steamed in a frying pan after being fried. Thanks to this, the excess oil drains off, so it doesn't cause heartburn, and even elderly people can easily finish it all.
"Pork Cutlet Rice (140g, regular size)" 1,350 yen
As this is a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) from a Western-style restaurant, the freshly fried, crispy tonkatsu is generously topped with the restaurant's signature demi-glace sauce. This demi-glace is carefully prepared over 10 days, resulting in a light and refreshing flavor. Even when coated in the demi-glace, the freshly fried tonkatsu surprisingly retains its crisp and fragrant coating. The thick tonkatsu is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, making it very satisfying. The dressing on the shredded cabbage served alongside is Hiromatsu's original onion dressing, which has become a popular staple in the store within the two years since it was first introduced. This dressing has quickly gained fans by helping children who dislike vegetables, men who don't like salads, and even those who dislike onions to overcome their aversions. Incidentally, the regular size tonkatsu of 140g is a perfectly satisfying amount, but if you want an extra-large size, you can get 210g for 1,750 yen.
The "rice" that comes with the tonkatsu rice set.
The miso soup that comes with the tonkatsu rice set.
The pickles that come with the tonkatsu rice set.
Omelet rice: 900 yen
The omelet rice has been made with the same creamy texture since the restaurant opened. The chicken rice is quickly tossed in the pan and beautifully wrapped in two and a half eggs.
When you break open the center of the omelet rice topped with demi-glace sauce with a spoon, a moist and creamy chicken rice is revealed inside. The surface of the egg is beautifully cooked to perfection, and the inside, though thin, is perfectly cooked without being overcooked. This kind of result can only be achieved with skill. The saltiness of the chicken rice is neither too mild nor too strong, and it balances well with the demi-glace sauce. When you eat omelet rice like this, your stomach simply rejoices. As I was happily devouring it with a big bite, the proprietress asked me, "Have you improved your cooking skills?" I nodded repeatedly to her, and both the previous owner and the current proprietress looked very pleased. If you want to enjoy delicious, old-fashioned Western-style food in a warm atmosphere, this is definitely one restaurant you should visit♪
Hiromatsu Branch
3-4-1 Azukimochi, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu City TEL: 053-473-9134
Closed on Wednesdays. Business hours: 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-20:00.
*Relocation decided (to the former location of Italian restaurant La Oggi) Opening scheduled for November 10th, 2013 (Sunday)
