Furaibo is a big chain restaurant started in Nagoya and became famous by their 'tebasaki' or fried chicken wings. It's an izakaya-style restaurant so the wings are heavily seasoned and go really well with a beer. No matter which Furaibo you go to you'll be able to find these wings. However, what makes all the Furaibo's different is what's on the special's menu.
Recently I made a visit to the Furaibo near a small station, Iwatsuka-eki, in Nagoya. I was surprised to find that it didn't have a big chain restaurant feel like all the other Furaibo's I've been to. Here, the space was small, and the counter seating was right by the open kitchen which gave it a more independent restaurant feel. The menu was small but was accompanied by a hand written daily specials menu. I of course ordered the famous chicken wings, and a few other standard dishes, but I noticed an item that I've never seen before on a Furaibo menu, basashi. It is actually horse sashimi. The chicken wings were, as always, delicious, and the boiled squid was soft and not one bit over-cooked. The basashi was also, to my pleasant surprise, quite tasty. It is not like eating rare steak or red beef. The basashi here was marbled so nicely so that I got a nice bite of melt-in-your-mouth fat and meaty flavour all at one time. It's hard to explain the taste of horse, but it does have a unique flavour. If you've never tried it before, and if your not too squirmy about trying it, I suggest you do. Just make sure to wait a bit before eating it when brought to your table; it might be slightly frozen because often times it is put in the freezer for a short while in order to cut it nicely into thin sashimi slices.
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| Basashi, or raw horse sashimi |
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| Furaibo's famous fried chicken wings |
Restaurant: Furaibo 風来坊
Area: Iwatsuka Station (Higashiyama subway line)
Website and Map: http://furaibou.com/t_101_iwatsuka.html
Hours: 5pm-12am (last order 11pm), closed Wednesdays
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