Umagozaru

Sampling an array of distinct cuts across modest small plates defines the dining experience at Umagozaru, a neighbourhood tavern in Jujo. The sashimi selection highlights the singular texture and flavour of each part, ranging from marbled shoulder loin and tender lean thigh to flank meat and tender cuts from behind the thoracic vertebrae, often likened to sirloin. A classic way to enjoy them here is pairing clean, lean red meat with rich, melt-in-the-mouth mane fat in a colourful red-and-white bite.

Beyond familiar sashimi, the kitchen procures rare delicacies such as raw horse tongue with its pleasant firmness, heart sashimi, and liver sashimi. The appetiser selection also includes dishes well matched to drinks, such as raw horse meat dressed with octopus and wasabi, horse yukhoe (seasoned tartare), and aorta, known locally as takenoko for its bamboo-shoot-like snap.

Warm plates showcase horse meat through stir-fries and grilled dishes, including bean sprout stir-fries, daikon radish cakes, and savoury tsukune patties. For a comforting finish, diners can choose from broths such as a lightly spiced horse tendon soup or a boiled horse-dumpling soup made with minced meat.

Drink options span Hoppy and draft beer to an extensive line of shochu, including the Sekitoba label, alongside fruity sours. The casual, lively space centres on counter seating and opens from 16:00 in the evening until late at night. Because the dining room frequently fills up, making an advance reservation is sensible when planning a dedicated evening of horse meat specialities.