Enjoy the ultimate bonito and tuna, "Mochikatsuo" and "Mochimaguro"! A dish that can only be eaten near the fishing grounds - Toba's Ryokan "Bashinsui"

Article production / Mie Travel Ambassador Mio Ieda

▼Table of contents

• An inn that takes pride in its cuisine and offers an amazing dining experience
• Dinner is a generous serving of seasonal seafood caught in Ise-Shima.
• I was surprised by the unique chewy texture of the sashimi!
• Investigating the differences between bonito and tuna that we are familiar with
• I asked other customers what they thought of the food.
• Our discerning staff selects the very few Mochi-bonito and Mochi-fin tuna.
• Rooms and baths will be renovated in July 2023
• A memorable travel experience
• Business information and access for Basshinsui

My name is Mio Ieda and I am Mie Travel Ambassador.

I usually travel around Mie Prefecture as a freelance writer and photographer.

I was excited and set off to Hanashinsui, the only place in the Ise-Shima region that serves bonito and tuna with characteristics that overturn conventional images.

As someone who has said since childhood that my favorite foods are sushi and sashimi, when I heard such rumors I had no choice but to visit.

An inn that takes pride in its cuisine and offers an amazing dining experience

Basinsu is a Japanese-style inn located in Ijikacho, Toba TobaCity, a fishing town.

Drive along Pearl Road, a driveway overlooking the sea, towards Shima, and shortly after passing the road that turns towards the Sea-Floor Museum, you will see a sign on your left. Turn left there. It's about a 2-minute walk from there, and you won't get lost.

If you're using public transport, be sure to make use of the inn's free shuttle bus which runs from the Kintetsu exit of Toba Station (three times a day at 14:30, 15:30, and 16:30; advance reservations required).

It takes about 25 minutes from Toba Station.

Enter the building through the imposing entrance with its refreshing white curtain.

Beautiful seasonal flower arrangements welcome all visitors.

Just like last time, we were greeted by lovely smiling staff members when we checked in.

The lobby lounge has wide glass windows from which you can view the calm waves of Ise Bay.

This proximity to the sea promises to provide some amazing seafood, and I was hungry as soon as I arrived.

Now, let's go to our room, put our luggage down, change into our loungewear, and head to the most anticipated meal of the day: dinner.

Dinner is a generous serving of seasonal seafood caught in Ise-Shima.

Meals are served in the dining room "Koumaitei" on the first floor.

The dining area is separated into groups by roller curtains, so privacy is maintained and you can eat at your own pace.

This time, we used the accommodation plan called "If you're lucky, you can eat [Mochi-bonito and tuna]! Directly delivered from the fishing port! Kaiseki course with local fish sashimi ♪." In addition to the much talked about Mochi-bonito and Mochi-maguro, this plan allows you to enjoy plenty of extremely fresh seafood dishes caught in Ise-Shima, such as spiny lobster, filefish, and Shima-produced mozuku seaweed.

There are also other plans that include Wagyu beef, and plans that feature spiny lobster and abalone as the main dishes, so it's hard to decide which one to choose.

I was surprised by the unique chewy texture of the sashimi!

It would be too much trouble to go on and on about it any further, so I'll just introduce the food served that day all at once.

The course begins with an aperitif,

• Appetizers - Octopus with salted pickles and sea urchin flavor, deep-fried horse mackerel with sea urchin flavor, myoga sushi, corn wrapped in a cloth, spinach and whitebait salad
• Sashimi - Today's Sashimi (Mochi-bonito, Mochi-fin Tuna, Kawahagi, Niza-dai)
• Mukai duck loin pastrami with truffle sauce
• Taimono - Lobster with American sauce
• Special dish - Yellowtail hot pot
• Chilled bowl - cold simmered seasonal vegetables
• Medium plate - Seafood pie
• Fried food - Deep-fried seasonal fish and yam
• Spices: black sesame burdock pickles, nozawana and cabbage pickled in wasabi
• Soup - Red soup stock made with Shima-produced mozuku seaweed
• Rice - Fisherman's staff bowl
• Aquatic food - Matcha milk pudding

*The sashimi in the photo is for two people.

What do you think? This gorgeous and varied menu of dishes.

Basinsu serves creative kaiseki cuisine that incorporates the essence of French cuisine, and its courses include Western dishes such as "Spiny Lobster with American Sauce" and "Seafood Wrapped in Pie."

And these are the featured dishes this time: Mochi-bonito (front center) and Mochi-fin tuna (far right).

As its name suggests, it has a chewy texture like freshly made mochi rice cake and does not have the strong flavor or bloody smell that is typical of red fish, making it a new type of sashimi.

As a fish lover, I have eaten dozens, maybe even hundreds, of bonito and tuna, but I have never experienced a texture and taste like this before!

Mochi-katsuo and Mochi-maguro are not different species of fish from the bonito and tuna we normally eat. Only a small percentage of the total catch has this characteristic chewy meat texture.

It is necessary to process the fish properly immediately after catching it so that the flesh does not become too hard, and it can only maintain this texture for 3 to 4 hours after being caught. After this time, rigor mortis sets in and the chewy texture is lost.

In other words, "Mochi-katsuo" and "Mochi-maguro" are the ultimate tastes that pursue freshness and can only be eaten in places where there are day-trip bonito and tuna fishing!

Investigating the differences between bonito and tuna that we are familiar with

As a special treat this time, I compared it side by side with the bonito and tuna that I normally eat.

On the left is mochi-katsuo, and on the right is the type of bonito that is usually served.

You can clearly see that the bonito has a brighter red color.

Next, on the left is Mochi tuna, and on the right is the usual albacore tuna.

Mochifin tuna has brighter red meat and a more transparent appearance.

The sashimi also includes red snapper (also known as sanjirushi) and filefish.

Until now, the red snapper has not been widely distributed because it is known for its smelly sea fish, but if it is killed carefully while alive, it loses its smell and becomes very delicious, so it has become actively used at Bashinsui in order to increase the value of this underutilized fish.

It's also a great joy to encounter fish that I've never eaten anywhere else.

The final dish, "Fisherman's Staff Bowl," was also suggested to be eaten by pouring hot soup stock over it, creating a dish unique to this region: ochazuke.

This time too, I was so full that my stomach felt like it was going to burst...

I asked other customers what they thought of the food.

We also asked other guests dining on the same day for their impressions of the Mochi Bonito and Mochi Tuna.

A mother-daughter duo from Nagoya

"When I first tried it, I thought it had a texture similar to warabimochi. I was surprised at how stretchy and elastic it was and how it had no unpleasant odor at all."

He was surprised by his first eating experience.

Also, for families with children coming from Osaka,

"Every year, I travel to various places, but this was the first time I'd ever eaten such chewy fish. I don't like red fish, but I really enjoyed this glutinous tuna and glutinous bonito."

He also seemed unable to hide his surprise.

People who are used to eating seafood and those who don't like red fish all seemed to be amazed by the appeal of Mochi-bonito and Mochi-fin Tuna.

Our discerning staff selects the very few Mochi-bonito and Mochi-fin tuna.

At Bashinsui, the company's president, Mr. Tsuji, is an expert fish connoisseur and rushes out to ShimaCity 's Wagu and Nakiri fishing ports every morning to purchase fish, and he personally participates in auctions to obtain them.

Only wild caught seafood is on offer.

While sorting through the large quantities of skipjack tuna and tuna that are landed, we find and pick out fish with the round bottoms that are characteristic of mochi skipjack tuna and mochi tuna.

Apparently many people working at inns in Ise-Shima are unaware of the existence of mochi-gatsuo or mochi-maguro, and I was told that Basinsai is the only place where you can eat this dish.

The inn staff and chefs are enthusiastic about making this a new specialty of Ise-Shima.

Rooms and baths will be renovated in July 2023

Tonight I'll be staying in a tatami room with a large bed. It was just renovated in July 2023, so it's clean, spacious and comfortable.

We were given an ocean view room overlooking the beautiful Ishigami Sea, so I'm looking forward to seeing the view tomorrow morning.

In the large observation bath inside the building, you can enjoy water brought from Sakakibara Onsen.

The viscous water has been dubbed "beauty baths" because it has the effect of increasing skin metabolism and revitalizing the skin.

I took a nice, relaxing bath and had a good night's sleep.

A memorable travel experience

Our stay at Bashinsui, which offered a memorable dining experience, was once again a very satisfying experience.

It was a particularly valuable experience to encounter the surprising ingredients "Mochi-bonito" and "Mochi-fin tuna."

It seems that you can enjoy Mochi-bonito and Mochi-fin tuna from April to September when day fishing takes place, so I hope that many people will come and experience this surprise and deliciousness.

Please note that due to various reasons, such as bad weather, you may not be able to get the fish you are looking for.

Business information and access for Basshinsui

[Address] 1850-33 Uramuracho TobaCity

[Telephone number] 0599-32-6100 (Reception hours 10:00-18:00)

[Access by public transportation]

・About 25 minutes by free shuttle bus from JR/Kintetsu Toba Station (3 buses at 14:30, 15:30, and 16:30 *Advance reservations required)

[Access by car]

・About 30 minutes by car from Ise Futami-Toba Line "Toba IC"

[Parking] Available (free)

[Price] If you're lucky, you can eat [glutinous bonito and tuna]! Delivered directly from the fishing port! Kaiseki course with local fish sashimi ♪ 4 people/room (price per adult) from ¥17,100 (tax included)

[URL] Click here for the official website