A Japanese restaurant has opened in the Sinmuro neighborhood, offering a new choice for the many office workers in the area jaded by the usual offerings of Korean eateries.

Yamaya, which bills itself as “Hakata motsunabe dining and bar,” offers a choice of five set menus during lunch hour: Deep-fried chicken seasoned with Pollack roe; Hakata Gameni, chicken braised in soy-seasoned broth with chunks of lotus root, carrot, burdock; Grilled pork seasoned with soy and ginger; Beef tripe stir-fried in miso sauce; and grilled fish of the day. All set lunch menus, which include salad and miso soup, are priced at 13,000 won, 

The grilled pork has a deep flavor of ginger but is a tad on the dry side. Hakata Gameni is a healthy dish with lots of root vegetables and tender, boneless chicken. The Beef tripe at Yamaya is nothing like the traditional Korean gopchang. Served with slices of cabbage, the stir-fried beef tripe is sweet and sour with no detectable taste of the miso sauce.

Served on each table is karasi mentaiko, or Pollack roe that is matured for 168 hours in a unique sauce developed by Yamaya. The Pollack roe has a hint of yuja that cuts down the fishiness of the roe.

Unfortunately, the restaurant’s signature dish, motsu nabe, beef tripe in traditional nabe soup, is not available at lunch time.

Address: Sinmuro Building, Sinmunro 1 ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Telephone: (02) 720-8002

Hours: 11 a.m. ― 3 p.m., 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

By Kim Hoo-ran (khooran@heraldcorp.com)