Disclaimer: I was invited to have lunch at Daily Social at the Sheraton Kagoshima.
As many of you know, Japan is one of my food paradises. One good reason for that is substantial pride in locally- and regionally-grown ingredients. For instance, if nihonshu (what most of the world calls “sake”) is your thing, visit Nada in Kobe, or Niigata. Apples, grapes, and wasabi to your liking? Try Nagano.
But what about kurobuta (“black pork”), sweet potatoes, mikan (mandarin oranges), and shochu (a distilled liquor generally made from sweet potatoes, rice, or barley)? That’s Kagoshima.
Having long wanted to visit the city of Kagoshima (capital of Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island), and its neighboring stratovolcano Sakurajima, I was finally able to visit earlier this month. After having tried a delicious lunch of tonkatsu (pork cutlet) the first day, with my limited time on the ground, I figured it might be worth trying a local buffet.
Daily Social at the Sheraton Kagoshima easily fit the bill.
Although it offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet options, at the time lunch was the only one that worked out.
You may have noticed the sign in the above photo that reads “Hioki;” it refers to Hioki (日置) another city in Kagoshima prefecture. Until 30 November, there’s a theme of Hioki specialty dishes, of which I tried a few.
Just before getting into the eats, I should say that the interior was quite clean and airy, and staff were attentive for the most part.
There is an outdoor terrace, with partial views of Sakurajima, but unfortunately one cannot partake in the buffet whilst seated outside.
To be candid, I asked the restaurant supervisor about stepping in a few minutes before opening, to be able to take some photos without bothering guests. The supervisor kindly obliged.
Drinks
Kagoshima prefecture is one of the primary centers of green tea production in the country, along with Shizuoka prefecture. The town of Chiran is probably the best known producer, with its eponymous tea being available throughout the Japan.
If a cup of java is your thing, the machine I encountered had but one choice– “coffee.” Hmm, I was hoping for more than that.
Beer would have been available for an additional charge.
Finally, being in Kyushu, where shochu is the go-to alcohol, there were a bunch of different choices from distilleries based in Kagoshima prefecture. As one of the sweet potato hotbeds in Japan, you better believe that the starchy spud dominated the liquor menu.
Dishes
Much appreciated how certain dishes either local to Hioki, or made using raw materials from there, could easily be discerned by the yellow sticker on the label.
Satsuma-age is a type of fried fishcake that hails from Kagoshima. Amusing how they were branded using the Sheraton “S.”
Whenever tempura shows up, I go overboard. With sweet potato and lotus root on deck, I had no choice but to come back for fifths. Oops.
In the third picture, there was a Hioki fish stew on the left, and on the right braised pork belly with black pork miso, another Kagoshima souvenir.
Come to think of it, I wonder how that would have been as black pork miso soup.
My favorite part about tofu is that it’s the chameleon of Japanese food. Although good tofu can easily stand on its own merits, if it’s just meh, then cover it up with any other flavor. Ginger and soy sauce are two good examples.
In addition to a salad bar, and a few Western bites (e.g. salad bar, cheese, sliced beef), there were also a handful of Japanese takes on imported favorites. To wit, the sweet potato gratin was the standout.
Fact: I greatly enjoy sushi. That chef was preparing maki for me left and right. Japanese amberjack, yellowtail amberjack, minced tuna and welsh onion, shiso with ume and cucumber, shrimp…all excellent.
Gluttony
Dessert
It wasn’t the biggest buffet I’ve seen, not by a long shot, but Daily Social at the Sheraton Kagoshima more than made up for it with quality. If you’re only in town for a short time, but want to learn more about regional bites, I’d recommend this place.
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