Botan Nabe - ボタン鍋

Japan is full of rare meats, and I've had my share of them. On of my favorites is wild boar, or inoshishi (猪) in Japanese. I had it the first time years ago in sukiyaki. Last night for my birthday I had it for the second time in a miso flavor nabe or hotpot. Nabe cooking is quite simple, we had it at a restaurant where they prepare the food and give it to us to cook in the pot. The meat was thick and red with wide white strips of fat on the out side. It looked like the smoked pork you get in ramen. After being boiled in the pot for a while it shrank a bit and turned a dark brown. The meat was tough, natural, but not so tough that it was hard to eat. It had the un-farmed taste and texture that makes botan nabe a real experience.





It cost ¥5,000 per person for the nabe. Pricy, but worth it!
Here's the restaurant's homepage: Momochan.co.jp
Here's a map to the restaurant: Google Maps