Tag: Akihabara

Oyakodon dinner at Toritsune Shizendou in Tokyo

Oyakodon is is chicken meat and egg in seasoned broth over rice in a bowl. Oyako means parents and children, like chicken and egg, and don (donburi) means a bowl. I have always found it a cruel name. It is a simple dish good for lunch sets and quick dinners and it was purportedly invented in Tokyo.

I had it in Michelin-recommended restaurant in Akihabara called Toritsune Shizendou, the only venue that got recommended (Bib Gourmand) for this dish.

The visit

I went by the restaurant, housed in an independent building in a back alley near Suehirocho metro station, right after their afternoon closing time and I was able to speak to a lady and make a reservation for the same evening.

When I arrived I was seated at the counter. At 6pm I was one of the first customers. They also had some private rooms upstairs. But the place got busy pretty quickly, even if I think a walk-in for an individual customer may have still been possible. An English menu with pictures was available, but I think there were more options in the Japanese menu.

I had their signature Oyakodon that included a miso soup and some pickles. It was indeed delicious. All the elements were perfectly amalgamated together and every tiny piece of chicken was flawless (no cartilages or weird textures ruining the flavor).

But the restaurant also serves many other chicken-based dishes. I tried their chicken cutlet.

It was made out from one of the most perfect chicken breasts I have ever had.

Finally I had a specimen of their skewers with the infamous chicken dark meat. Again, the meat was flawless and very satisfying.

I can attest that all ingredients were top-shelf. According to their website, the owner-chef Mr. Sasaki handpicks whole chickens with internal organs and judges them. The reason for this is that the meat quality deteriorates faster if you remove the entrails (which is standard practice). The restaurant mainly uses female exemplars that are well-fattened, just before starting to lay eggs, 160-180 day old.

The check

Quality comes at a price. For these three dishes I paid almost 4,000 yen (36 USD). The bowl was 1,648 yen, the cutlet just 618 yen and the skewers a whooping 1,648 yen (there were also some other skewers similarly priced). It is a pity that the skewers had such a high price point, otherwise I would go back just for those and the cutlet.

Where in Tokyo:
5-5-2 Sotokanda.
Website: https://toritsuneshizendou.gorp.jp.

In search of the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo part 2: Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San

Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San is in Akihabara and is another small diner in the basement of a non-descript building. It only serves gyukatsu, the Japanese beef cutlet.

The visit

After descending a very steep stair…

You get in a very small dining room. I was seated on one of the two small tables at the end of the room; the other seats are at the counter.

Their lunch menu comes in three sizes: 130, 260, and 390 grams. You can choose whether to have or not the grated yam (only 100 yen difference, but I can understand that some people may not like it, it is an unusual flavor. It is a kind of puree that is to be poured on the rice).

I went for the small size that came with the usual sides: rice, miso soup, grated yam (I kind of like it), sauces and some greens, plus cabbage and a scoop of potato salad.

As usual the meat is left rare inside.

And as usual you have a personal stove on the table where you can complete the cooking to your liking.

The check

Final check was 1,400 yen (or 12.75 USD). A very reasonable check for what was a delicious dish after all.

Now… if you read my review of Gyukatsu Motomura you will notice that the two places are very similar. Too similar. Actually it is the identical experience. The only difference is that Motomura also has some fancy mini side dishes while Ichi Ni San offers also the jumbo size. I really tried to find differences in the meat and the batter. I would venture to say that the meat was marginally better, a bit more juicy. But it was basically the same thing. I could not determine who came first. My impression is that Ichi Ni San may now be owned by Motomura, but it is just speculation. The Akihabara venue of Motomura I visited was way more comfortable, so it would be my preference if I was to eat another gyukatsu in Akihabara.

Still, my search for the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo is not finished… to be continued.

Where in Tokyo:
3 Chome-8-17 Sotokanda.

In search of the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo part 1: Gyukatsu Motomura

Gyukatsu is a pretty unique Japanese dish: a fried beef cutlet with the beef left rare inside. It is delicious. Let’s see my experiences in Tokyo beginning with a classic, Gyukatsu Motomura. As the name suggests, this shop specializes in this type of food entirely and has grown to become a nationwide powerhouse: they have branches across Tokyo and other prefectures.

The visit

I picked up the Akihabara branch during my October 2019 trip to Tokyo that is located in the basement of a building not far away from Akihabara Station.

The dining room is spacious enough and well it. I was seated at the counter.

Tea was included.

Ordering was pretty easy as they had an English menu (and even a young waitress speaking English) and basically you are given two choices: you can choose the size of the steak (130 or 260 grams) and the number of side dishes. There were four side dishes available: omelet, nanban miso (a chili-infused miso), warabimochi (a type of soft starch cake), and spicy cod roe (mentaiko). I opted for the 230 gram-steak and the mentaiko. The set also included rice, grated yam (called tororo in Japanese), miso soup with tofu strips, and some green pickles, shredded cabbage (with its own sauce available on the table), and a scoop of potato salad. There were two sauces: wasabi and soy sauce and another horseradish sauce.

As you can see, the meat beneath the crust is rare (on the company’s website they say medium-rare, but I beg to differ). This is actually one of the reasons I like gyukatsu.

On the table I was provided a small stove that I could use to complete the cooking of the meat to my discretion. This is particularly useful if you do not like rare meat.

I was advised to eat the grated yam with the rice. It was a very rich flavor. The side dish, the mentaiko, was excellent, but just a tiny bit.

The check

My set (260 gram-steak and one side dish) cost 2,300 yen (21 USD). The price is pretty standard.

It was a very pleasant experience, even if the meat was not as juicy as I was hoping and the crust not as crispy. Retrospectively, the gyukatsu I reviewed in Nagasaki was really good!

Where in Tokyo:
1-15-18 Sotokanda – Okuyama Bldg. B1F.
In Japanese: 東京都千代田区外神田1-15-18 奥山ビル地下一階.
Website (for more locations): https://www.gyukatsu-motomura.com/en/.