Enjoy exquisite Agu pork in Okinawa! I visited "Matsumoto," a famous shabu-shabu restaurant

The restaurant we're introducing today, "Matsumoto," is a well-known and highly regarded shabu-shabu restaurant in Naha.
The Agu pork, with its abundant marbling and strong sweetness, is a premium product personally selected and sourced by the owner at the market.

At the restaurant, the staff will be there to guide you through the best way to enjoy the meat, ensuring you eat it at the perfect moment.

Whether you're trying Agu pork for the first time or not, you'll surely appreciate its high quality.

I finally got to visit "Matsumoto," a place I've been wanting to go to for a long time, so I'm going to give you a full-fledged food review.

<Contents>
1. Matsumoto, a famous restaurant with a blue noren (curtain)
2. Let's toast! The long-awaited course begins!
3. Finally, the main dish, the Agu pork, makes its appearance.
4. Thank you for the meal.

1. Matsumoto, a famous restaurant with a blue noren (curtain)

Matsumoto, a famous shabu-shabu restaurant, is located in Matsuyama, Naha, a 6-minute walk from Kencho-mae Station on the Yui Rail.
I made a reservation for 20 PM on a weekday, but the restaurant was packed and incredibly lively.
This is a very popular restaurant, so reservations are essential.
The walls are covered with signed autograph boards from celebrities, which further demonstrates the shop's popularity.

2. Let's toast! The long-awaited course begins!

Matsumoto primarily offers a set course meal priced at 6,000 yen per person. The meal is served in the following order: appetizer, shabu-shabu, rice porridge, and dessert.
This time, I splurged and ordered a course meal plus some side dishes.

The drink menu features Orion beer and a wide selection of awamori (Okinawan distilled spirit).
Let's toast right away! The long-awaited course has begun.

Immediately after the drinks, a platter of vegetables for shabu-shabu was served.Napa cabbage, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and tofu. Plenty of mizuna greens are hidden underneath. This is enough for 5 people.

First, I'll have them quickly put all the vegetables into the pot.

"Don't touch the radish with your chopsticks until the very end," the owner said.
The key is to let the daikon radish absorb the Agu pork broth until the very end.

At this point, the appetizers of mozuku seaweed salad and sea grapes were brought out.The mozuku seaweed was twice as thick as what I usually eat, and it was incredibly flavorful! Apparently, they source natural mozuku from Kumejima Island, which explains why it tasted so good.
The moderate saltiness of sea grapes pairs well with alcohol.

By the way, I managed to try every single side dish I mentioned earlier!

The shallots from Ie Island are lightly pickled and have a nice crisp texture.The spicy kick adds a nice accent, which really comes into play when you eat the shabu-shabu later.

The grilled skewers of Yanbaru young chicken are prepared by the owner himself, who personally selects and butchers the chickens at the market every morning.With its firm, springy texture, this one is simply seasoned with salt and eaten in a bite.

And then there was the 150g sirloin steak of Yamashiro beef. The surface was lightly seared, and the inside was cooked to a nice rare.The side dishes include mustard, salt, and wasabi as condiments, as well as grilled fatty meat and garlic.

"The delicious part of good beef is the fat," said the owner.
I cautiously put it in my mouth, and it melted away without me even having to chew. The garlic was soft and fluffy, pure bliss.

While we were waiting, the vegetables were cooked, so I guess it's almost time for the shabu-shabu?

3. Finally, the main dish, Agu pork, makes its appearance!

The crisp vegetables have become tender...

Ta-da! Finally, the main course: Agu pork.I've never seen pork belly made from pork before. A generous 200g serving!

First, drop the rose petals into the center of the pot. It looks like a huge volume, even just looking at it.

Here are some condiments to add to the meat while it's simmering.The dish in the upper center is the appetizer I mentioned earlier.
Starting from the right of the sea grapes and going clockwise, we have sweet ponzu sauce with plenty of green onions, shikwasa pepper, and gochujang.

When the shabu-shabu was ready, the owner called out, "Now's the time!" and skillfully served the meat into each person's bowl.

It's incredibly sweet from the moment you put it in your mouth. I was overwhelmed by the amount of marbled meat, but it wasn't cloying; a pleasant richness spread throughout my mouth.

The great thing about this dish is that you can change the flavor little by little, even with a generous amount of meat, by wrapping it in mizuna greens or adding condiments.

Like this.

Efficiently.

*chomp*.I recommend wrapping the Okinawan shallots, which I said would be useful later, in meat before eating them.
The combination of sweetness and spiciness is exquisite.

After we had eaten all the ingredients, only the daikon radish remained in the pot.

The daikon radish, which has become translucent from being simmered thoroughly with the essence of the meat and vegetables, bursts with flavor when you put it in your mouth."Don't touch the radish with your chopsticks until the very end," I'm glad I believed those words.

At this point, the staff member reappeared.

The meal concludes with rice porridge, and they come to ask if you'd like a large or small portion.
I was quite full, so I asked for a smaller portion.

This is a superb rice porridge with fluffy eggs, plenty of green onions, and lots of broth from the simmered Agu pork and vegetables!I was already full, but the mild flavor made me finish it all in no time.

4. Thank you for the meal.

Mr. Gushiken, the owner, served us attentively from start to finish.
(※Since they didn't want their face shown, we used a picture of the pineapple dessert instead!)

They enthusiastically explained their meticulous approach to preparing and using high-quality ingredients, emphasizing their desire for customers to enjoy premium meat at its best.
Thanks to that, I feel like I was able to fully enjoy the wonderful qualities of Agu pork, 120%!

I felt that many customers are drawn to this restaurant not only because the food is delicious, but also because of the friendly personality of the owner.

There are countless Okinawan delicacies to choose from, but once you try them, you're sure to become addicted!

If you're ever in Naha, why not give it a try?

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