When it comes to big meals, our reporter Mr Sato is always on the case. After searching for the country’s longest bread and largest melon pan, he’s now back with a new discovery, this time in the field of ebi fry.

“Ebi fry”, or “fried shrimp”, is one of Mr Sato’s favourite comfort foods, so when he heard there was a massive one hiding out in the Esca underground mall directly connected to Nagoya Station, he immediately set out to find it.

▼ Served up at a restaurant called Ebidote, the window display provides a hint of what lies in store.

Though not well known outside of Nagoya, this eatery has legions of local fans, and for good reason, as the star product here is an eye-popper that’s advertised outside and inside the store.

▼ The sign outside reads: “Super Famous in Nagoya! One of Japan’s Largest! Giant Ebi Fry 35 centimetres”.

Inside, a giant ebi fry towers over the heads of diners, with the restaurant’s name emblazoned across it.

On the front of the menu, you’ll find their signature ebi fry in various sizes, including an unusual “ひらき” (“hiraki” [“butterflied”]) version.

▼ The largest fry, however, is 35 centimetres (13.8 inches) long.

On the very first page is the “Tower Don”, a mega-sized rice bowl topped with three 35-centimetre ebi fry, for the grand price of... 10,780 yen (US$75.16).

If Mr Sato were 15 years younger, he would have ordered this beast of a meal, but as he was older and wiser, and dining on his own, he decided to browse the other offerings, of which there were many.

▼ Who knew there were so many ways to serve ebi fry?

▼ In the end, Mr Sato decided to order the “Extra-Large Ebi Fry Set Meal” for 3,949 yen.

Considering the size of the fry, this seemed to be a reasonable price, but it was still a bit of a splurge, so Mr Sato was looking forward to savouring every single moment of this experience... with both his palate and his eyes.

It was definitely a sight for hungry eyes, and Mr Sato felt a flutter of nerves as he wondered if he might be able to finish it all. That’s when he realised he had another hurdle to overcome first — figuring out how to pick the shrimp up so he could eat it.

It was so long and heavy there was no way he could eat it whole so had to cut it with the scissors that were thankfully included on his tray. Upon cutting it, he saw that the batter was surprisingly thin, with a generous amount of shrimp inside.

Before trying it, there was one more thing to do — mix up the tartar sauce and sliced eggs that came with the meal. Staff also recommends trying some of the shrimp with Worcestershire sauce, which is on the table for diners.

After mixing up the tartar sauce, Mr Sato dunked one end of the fry into it and gave it a generous coating. When he popped it into his mouth, his taste buds were first hit with the gooey sauce, then the crunch of the batter, and finally the plump, juicy shrimp. So many textures in quick succession drove his taste buds crazy, making him want more and more of its deliciousness.

After enjoying the fry with tartar sauce, Mr Sato tried it with the Worcestershire sauce and was immediately impressed by how well the tanginess complemented the flavour.

▼ It brought out the sweetness of the shrimp so well that he says he actually preferred it this way.

As the fry was so huge, Mr Sato was able to enjoy portions of it with and without the sauces throughout the meal, so by the time he’d polished off the very last morsel, he felt as if he’d enjoyed several dishes at once. It was a fantastic meal that left him feeling full, satisfied and comforted, and he says fellow shrimp lovers will leave feeling that way too.

Restaurant information
Ebidote Shokudo Esca Store / 海老どて食堂 エスカ店
Address: Aichi-ken, Nagoya-shi, Nakamura-ku, Tsubakicho 6-9 Esca Underground Shopping Mall
愛知県名古屋市中村区椿町6-9 エスカ地下街
Open: 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. (last orders 8:30 p.m.)
Irregular holidays (see website for details)
Website

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