I recently visited the popular family restaurant "Gusto" after learning that they were hosting a collaboration fair with "Yamaya," a renowned motsunabe specialty restaurant from Hakata! In this blog, I’ll share my experience.
What is the collaboration fair with "Yamaya"?
This special event allows customers to enjoy "Yamaya's" signature offal dishes, a renowned specialty from Fukuoka and Hakata, at Gusto. The fair features a variety of menu items, including motsunabe (offal hot pot), set meals, and even carbonara.
I had a hard time deciding what to eat, but in the end, I chose the Grilled Beef Offal Set Meal (1,090 yen, tax included). When it comes to "Yamaya," it's not just about the delicious offal—the unlimited servings of mentaiko and takana that make the meal even more enjoyable are also a major draw. However, this collaboration menu doesn’t include those perks, which is a bit disappointing, but understandable.
My Honest Thoughts After Trying It
When the dish arrived, my first impression was, "Is this smaller than I expected...?" Compared to the menu photos, both the overall portion size and the amount of offal seemed quite modest.
As for the taste, the offal itself wasn’t bad, but I found the seasoning to be quite greasy and overly rich. Since I haven't visited a Yamaya restaurant recently, I can't make a precise comparison, but it felt different from the Yamaya I remember.
One advantage is that Gusto has many locations, making it easy for people who can't visit Yamaya to try their flavors. However, to be honest, this dish didn’t make me think, "I want to visit the real Yamaya!"
Summary
Would I recommend this set meal? → Honestly, no.
Personally, I really like Yamaya’s motsunabe, so I was curious about the other fair menu items, including the hot pot. However, based on this experience, I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to try it at Gusto.
Looking back, it’s not just this particular dish—I feel that the overall cost-performance ratio at Gusto has been declining lately. This experience has made me want to visit an actual Yamaya restaurant again to see how their flavors compare!