At the grocery store “ほのかの果実 JR芦屋店” near JR Ashiya Station, they were selling some incredibly long eggplants.
So loooooong!
Long enough to stick out of a bag! You’d expect that from green onions or a baguette, but an eggplant!?
Here it is compared with a 350ml beer can. When we measured it, it was about 50cm long!
The price was 213 yen including tax, which is pretty reasonable for something this long. I’m pretty sure it’s equal to at least three regular eggplants.
We chopped it into chunks and stir-fried it with pork and miso!
The skin is a little firm, but the inside is melt-in-your-mouth soft! It’s incredibly tender and soaks up flavor really well.
It would probably be great as grilled eggplant or simmered in broth too.
“ほのかの果実” has a unique flair for price tags and displays
The reason we found the long eggplant in the first place was because the display and price tags out front caught our eye, so we peeked inside.
Oh, they have those popular Taiwanese pineapples, we thought, and then behind them…
“They were sweet!!”
Past tense!!! That’s just someone’s tasting note!! Not the sugar content or anything…!!
And in front of the Taiwanese pineapples…
R-raw oysters, for cooking!?
Maybe the strikingly original display and price tags draw people in, because customers kept coming in without pause.
The vegetables other than eggplants were also quite a bargain!
Here’s the map↓
The address is La Mole Ashiya Room 124, 2-6 Oharacho, Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
ほのかの果実 JR芦屋店
Hours
Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00
Sunday 10:00-19:00
Closed
None
Address
La Mole Ashiya Room 124, 2-6 Oharacho, Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture
Phone Number
0797-91-2455
(*Please check directly with the shop for the latest information on menu items, hours, etc.)
