Restaurant using seasonal ingredients opens in Kagoshima – Run by sommelier couple
Inside the Alterna Shokudo
It has been a month since the opening of Alterna Shokudo, a restaurant that uses seasonal ingredients, near Maruya Gardens in Tenmonkan, Kagoshima City.
The husband and wife team, Yoneyama Kei and Asami, runs the restaurant. It used to be Salisbury Pub, but they changed the name and revamped the menu, and opened it as a new restaurant. The grand opening was celebrated on July 1. “We made it into what we had always wanted it to be,” said Asami.
The kitchen is Kei’s domain, and he is the chef of the restaurant. The menu changes daily and seasonal ingredients are served as freestyle cuisine. Recent seafood dishes include Seared Bonito with Shuto (pickled entrails of bonito) and Egg Yolk Sauce; and Mussels and Usuage (thin deep-fried tofu) with Miso Dressing; which have been available for 700 yen to 1,000 yen. For meat dishes, the restaurant has been offering Confit of Challans Duck and Angus Rump Steak with Red Wine Sauce for 1,700 yen to 2,000 yen. Kei recommends the Grilled Shoulder Loin with Wasabi Sauce prepared with the OX brand pork from Miyanojo, which is always available.
For lunch, it also offers Vindaloo curry curated by the Singaporean restaurant Ayoniac. Kei and Asami are both certified wine sommeliers. “We have seven types of wine available at our restaurant, including red, white, and Champagne. Please feel free to ask for advice,” they added.
Daytime opening hours: Noon – 3:00 p.m. (closed for lunch on Mondays)
Nighttime opening hours: 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Closed on Wednesdays.