Taishido Horse Meat Restaurant (Sangenjaya)
Amazingly versatile. Creative dishes that reveal the depth of horse meat
At night, the terrace seats of every restaurant in Sangenjaya are bustling with customers. In fact, there have long been several horse meat restaurants, such as Umacha and Umaebisu. The manager of this restaurant also comes from one of these restaurants.
In the early evening, there is a full course of horse meat. It is either the "Manchu Han Chinese All-You-Can-Eat" with 26 dishes, starting with lean sushi, or the Horse Kaiseki. You might think you won't be able to finish it all, but perhaps because the portions are small, you will surprisingly finish it in no time. The good thing about it is that it is light and doesn't leave a heavy feeling on the stomach.
Sakura Sukiyaki
Beautifully arranged shouobi (meat from the buttocks, characterized by its fine marbling) is shabu-shabu-style cooked in a sweet Kyushu soy sauce warishita (simmered in a sauce). Kujo leeks are also quickly boiled and served alongside the horse meat. It is eaten with egg yolk pickled in soy sauce. It is lighter than beef. The photo shows about four servings. This sukiyaki is only available as part of a course menu.
Lean Meat Sushi
This is the first piece of the course. One piece per person. The part is fillet. The rice is vinegared with sushi vinegar. The surface is brushed with a sweet Kyushu soy sauce. It is a part of the course, but if ordered a la carte it costs 299 yen per piece. By the way, the mane gunkan is 399 yen.
Horse fillet cutlet baked with Echire butter
The battered horse fillet is grilled right in front of you, drizzled with butter, in a la minute sauce. They use Echire because of its aroma and reputation. The fillet is cooked almost rare. It's a course dish, but if you order it a la carte, it costs 1,490 yen.
The menu is rich in variety, and includes not only horse meat but also fluffy homemade fried fish cakes, grilled vegetables, and "ma (horse) rolls" made by wrapping boiled horse meat in egg. The mane is cut into small pieces and rolled into gunkan rolls, and the rice is cooked in a kamado pot. The rice is specially cultivated Tsuyahime rice from Yamagata Prefecture.
Course meals start at 6pm on weekdays, and a la carte from 9pm. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, there are two course meals, starting at 6pm and 8:30pm on Saturdays, and 5pm and 8pm on Sundays and holidays. Sukiyaki is only available as a course meal. The horse meat is from Kumamoto.
Manager Yuji Kawamura prepares the pork fillet cutlet with Echire butter. His work is always meticulous and reliable. 
The interior is calm and has mainly counter seats.
