If you go to Oita, you must try these 6 traditional, long-established and trending new dishes!

The specialty is only three types of chicken: seared chicken, sashimi, and grilled chicken thigh! "Mantoku"

Located about a 7-minute walk from Oita Station, Mantoku is a long-established restaurant that has been loved by local customers for over 30 years and is bustling with customers every day.

Oita Prefecture is said to eat the most chicken in Kyushu, but the shop curtain says "Miyazaki specialty." It may seem a little strange, but this is a chicken bar where you can enjoy Miyazaki chicken in Oita.

The interior of the restaurant is warmly lit and spacious, with long counter seats and tatami rooms. It is full of energy from the staff and regular customers!

The main menu items at this restaurant are only three types of chicken: seared chicken, sashimi, and grilled chicken thigh. However, as a snack, you should definitely try the "Broccoli (550 yen including tax)." It is an elaborate dish in which a whole broccoli is boiled, cut, and then reassembled in the same shape.

It is boiled so that it retains the right amount of texture, and served with mentaiko mayonnaise. It's simple, but it's so delicious.

While you're munching on the broccoli, the "Tataki (1,350 yen including tax)" is served. The chicken is cooked rare, with fragrant skin and chewy meat that becomes more delicious the more you chew it. Enjoy it with plenty of seasonings such as vinegar soy sauce, green onion and ginger.

Next is the limited edition "Sashimi (1,100 yen including tax)." It's so fresh that you can eat it as sashimi.

Dip the spring onions in garlic soy sauce and enjoy. The sticky texture and rich flavor will fill your mouth!

The last dish is the grilled thigh (1,350 yen including tax), which has an irresistible aroma of roasted charcoal. Simple thigh meat is grilled over binchotan charcoal. The tender meat is juicy and full of juice, and the sweetness of the fat makes it easy to drink alcohol.

If you come to Oita, you definitely want to try the fresh chicken. Why not try the simple yet delicious flavors of this long-established restaurant?

Mantoku

Delicious Negi Shabu-Shabu made with Oita's brand of green onions! "Teppan Bar Negiya Oita Takemachi Branch"

Have you heard of "Negi Shabu" which is becoming more and more popular these days? "Teppan Bar Negiya" opened in Takemachi, Oita in March 2022 with the desire to let more people know about the deliciousness of green onions.

The stylish interior of the restaurant is equipped with sunken kotatsu tables, semi-private rooms, and a counter, so it's great that you can use it for a variety of purposes.

This is the highly fragrant "Oita Ajiichi Negi". It is a brand vegetable that represents Oita Prefecture. Let's try Negi Shabu and Negi Yaki, which use plenty of these green onions!

Negiyaki (650 yen including tax) looks similar to okonomiyaki. A heap of spring onions is enclosed in a thin layer of dough and cooked on a hot plate.

There's a whole bunch of green onions in the dough! It has a fun crunchy texture and is delicious with no strong flavor.

Next is "Negi Shabu (1 portion 1,250 yen including tax. *For 2 or more portions)". This is a negi shabu that allows you to fully enjoy the sweetness of Oita's green onions. It is served with a golden bonito-based broth.

When the soup stock boils, arrange the white parts of the roots of the green onions, and when they have softened, add the green leafy parts of the green onions. Arrange the pork on top. If you move the pork too much, the flavor will run out, so be patient here.

Once the pork is cooked, wrap it with plenty of green onions.

After dipping it in a simple bonito broth, it is served with homemade ponzu sauce. The refreshing acidity of the ponzu sauce brings out the umami and sweetness of the pork. The aroma and gentle sweetness of the spring onions are exquisite, and I was impressed by the shabu-shabu I had never tried before.

Enjoy adding ingredients such as enoki mushrooms, tofu, and shiso leaves at your preferred timing. By the way, there is also a menu called "One-person Negi Shabu (1,360 yen including tax)," so solo diners are also welcome.

In addition to negi shabu-shabu and negi-yaki, there are also a la carte dishes that feature onions, which you can enjoy with Oita shochu or sake.

Teppanyaki Bar Negiya Oita Takemachi Branch

Both traditional dishes that preserve the traditional taste and the latest gourmet dishes that incorporate new elements in appearance and taste are full of the passion of the restaurant. If you visit Oita, be sure to enjoy a tour of both long-established and new gourmet restaurants.