Susquehanna

Rating: OK
Meal:  Lunch
Price: 850 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes:Kimchi pork teishoku
English Menu: No
Smoking:Yes

I had the 4th one down

Susquehanna is part of a local "chain" of restaurants all owned by the same group that includes the Shell restaurants, Angelo's bar, and Shinano.  Susquehanna is apparently the name of one of the original blackships that Commodore Perry sailed with back in the 1850s when he "opened" Japan at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.  The atmosphere is a dark and cozy and I think they are one of those izakayas that is a bit more welcoming than some, similar to Shell.  Their menu seems to specialize in your standard local Japanese fare, with various teishokus available at lunch.  They don't go out of their way to be welcoming to English speakers however, so there is no English menu and they were a bit concerned that I might not be able to navigate the perilous waters of Japanese.

Kimchi pork teishoku

Luckily it wasn't a problem and I picked out my lunch with little disaster.  The pork kimchi looked good and well priced.  It didn't take long to cook and when it arrived it was a pleasant repast, though I found the pork itself to be a bit overcooked and tough.  The kimchi was a bit on the salty side too, but it was fine with the rice.  I really liked the soup which was more of a pork soup (tonshiru) than a miso.  The salad was pretty good too.  The pickles were a bit sour...not my favorite style.  The tofu with dashi on top was good as always.


Overall, a decent place, but not outstanding.  It's close to Womble Gate however, if that's a convenient base exit.  I have to walk a bit from where I work to get there.