Tag: Izakaya

Dinner (a la carte and course menu) at Uoshin in Ginza

Uoshin is a chain of izakayas owned by a seafood distributor and their seafood is what keeps me going back, especially to the branch in Ginza.

The Ginza branch is located in a basement (classic!) and the small entrance may easily pass unnoticed.

Visit 1: Quick dinner

The first time I got lucky and I was given a table without reservation (but just for one hour). That was enough to try a couple of dishes.

I had their large sashimi selection that was very good.

Then I had one of their signature dishes: some rolls snowed under premium seafood: minced tuna, tuna eggs, sea urchin and crab meat. It was a delicious avalanche of delicacies from the sea.

The check for these two big dishes was 4,333 yen (40.5 USD). Not so bad.

The visit 2: Course menu

During my first visit I noticed that they also served course menus so I decided to come back, with a reservation, to try their premium (“extra fine”) menu.

The service started with three appetizers: two fried shrimps, a piece of ankimo (the delicious monk liver sashimi), and marinated kohada fish “nanban style“.

The sashimi platter featured 9 bites (one more than announced by the menu!). I identified kue (longtooth grouper), hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack), tako (octopus), hirame (Japanese halibut or olive flounder), hamachi (yellowtail), sawara (Spanish mackerel), shime saba (cured mackerel), tai (seabream), shima ebi (grey prown). I am sure I might have gotten some wrong… all were fresh and apart from the mundane octopus they were all select pieces (only drawback: they were tiny).

The salad was cabbage with bonito flakes..

The crab dish was just that: crab meat. Well done. I hate cleaning crabs.

The grilled fish was a small kinki, a very prized fish with firm white meat.

Then there was a marinated fish.

Then I was surprised to get mullet roe, whom I do not dislike, just not expecting it in this izakaya.

Then there was some fried food. This dish was forgettable. I would have expected something more interesting.

Then there was a substantial sushi platter with quality fish such as tuna and scallops. Many izakayas do not serve sushi as they do not want to bother preparing the rice, so they settle for sashimi that is easier to serve (and less filling for their customers…). But not in this izakaya, luckily.

Last dish was a classic miso soup.

At the end I had a look at their specials (they were great!) and I ordered an extra dish.

It was a faboulus combo with shirako and ankimo sashimi. Great way to end. Shirako is the male cod sperm sac…

Final check was 7,980 yen (75 USD); the course menu was 7,000 yen. Considering the quality of the seafood, the price was not unreasable. I did not make full use of the drink menu. During the course meal you can order as many drinks as you wish from a list that includes draft beer and other alcoholics. If you are just interested in the food, probably the course meal is not worth it. What I would do if I am to go back (and I hope one day to go back) would be to ask for the list of the daily specials and deep dive into them; there were some amazing seafood dishes in that list on the night when I had my course meal. I guess that the owner – a seafood distributor – has no problem procuring the best seasonal fish for their izakayas and this is a massive advantage.

Where in Tokyo:
4-chome-8-12 Ginza Chuo City.
In Japanese: 東京都 中央区 銀座 4-8-12 コチワビル B1F.
Website: http://www.uoshins.com/index.html (in Japanese, with list of other locations).

A oyster course menu at Hokkaido Akkeshi in Nihombashi

Hokkaido Akkeshi is an izakaya in Nihombashi, Tokyo, specializing in oysters from the namesake town. Akkeshi, in Hokkhaido, is a famed oyster producer and its oysters are the only one in Japan available all year round (but in limited quantities and they are regarded as a gourmet dish; they are small but rich in flavor, see more in this article).

I was there during my October 2019 trip with a group of other 11 people and we had their course menu. These menus are quite common in izakayas, sometimes they are called banquet menus and are a perfect solution for large parties. We also had the all you can drink deal.

The visit

The izakaya is located in a basement and the oyster theme is evident since the entrance where a selection is on display.

Thanks to a local friend who managed the reservation, we had a private room all for ourselves.

The first dish was an appetizer sporting egg custard with seafood and two slices of sashimi (karei, Japanese flat fish).

Then we shared a salad with lotus root.

The third dish was a bucket of fresh oysters. Unfortunately, only one per person…

The fourth dish was clams and more oysters that were boiled at the table.

The content was perfectly measured to give everyone one oyster and three clams.

We then had another pot with salmon (two slices per person), mushrooms, and vegetables.

But the most exquisite dish was their kake furai (deep-fried oyster). It was simply delicious with all the sweet and salty flavor of the oyster intact beneath the frying.

Then, what was left of the hot pot with salmon and vegetables was used to cook noodles. The broth was very delicious.

The last dish reserved a surprise… it was a sort of chestnut Montblanc with the shape of an oyster. Very elegant.

The check

The costs of the course menu was 4,000 yen for the food and 1,500 for the all you can drink option. Taxes included. It was around 50 USD per person for a very satisfying meal that included some surprisingly good dishes. I highly recommend this place but a warning: there were no English menus or English speaking staff. But if you order the course menu you might just do fine even if you do not speak Japanese.

Where in Tokyo:
2-2-15, Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027.
PS: there is a oyster bar operated by the same company in COREDO Muromachi shopping center that serves excellent lunch sets with fried oysters. They have English menu and may be a safer bet to enjoy this kind of oysters.

Iccho, a reliable seafood izakaya in Ginza

In Ginza, right under the expressway overpass on Chuo Dori, there is a reliable izakaya I have been going for years. It is called Uoya Iccho (うおや一丁 銀座本店) and it is part of a chain from Hokkaido specializing in seafood. This review is based on a visit in October 2019.

You can see the entrance above: it is the restaurant with the blue sign.

The visit

The actual izakaya is upstairs and it is huge. They have both a smoking and a non-smoking section. Most customers looked like salarymen (and women) after work.

They do have an English menu and you can call the waiter’s attention by pushing a button.

I usually go for their assorted sashimi. On the paper it is for three or four people, but I had it all by myself.

In this assortment there was a whole squid, already finely cut.

Then salmon, prawns, tuna (two types), octopus, and what must have been some kind of amberjack were there.

Finally I had some croquettes with crab meat on top. In the menu they have a lot of fried dishes and crab options.

The classic soft-serve ice cream made from Hokkaido was tempting but I did not try it.

The check

I spent around 4,000 yen or 36 USD including a drink.

I would describe this izakaya as “average”, but average skewed toward the good part of the spectrum. It is a large operation and everything seems to be fresh. Service is ok. They also have course menus and all you can drink options. It is open daily until 11pm, so it can be a good place if you come back to Ginza (presumably to your hotel) quite late (it open for lunch on weekdays).

Where in Tokyo:
1-2-3, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061.
In Japanese: 〒104-0061 東京都中央区銀座1-2-3 2F.

Hong Kong’s own luxury izakaya: Ronin

From the same founder of Yardbird, Ronin brings a high-end izakaya experience to Hong Kong with researched and innovative dishes based on Japanese ingredients.

I have been a couple of times and I liked the atmosphere. Here’s a write-up of my most recent visit in September 2019.

The visit

Ronin is located behind an unmarked black door in a non-descript building in Soho. It might be a bit difficult to find for first-timers. It is a long and narrow dining venue (similar to Okra Kitchen).

I had a reservation made on their website for the first turn and I showed up right at the opening at 6pm. There were already a few customers waiting outside. By the time I left the place was full (see picture above).

The best seats are at the counter and once again I was assigned seat number 1 at the end of the counter. As usual staff was friendly and very keen to discuss the dishes and make recommendations. The menu is divided in three parts: raw (sashimi), smaller (kind of appetizers), and bigger (dishes suitable for sharing among two people). While the menu is one-pager, there is enough choice to keep you pondering. I initially ordered one item from each category and then added an additional dish from the “smaller” dishes (the crabs).

I was offered a small appetizer with wakame (a type of edible seaweed) and dashi stock before starting with my dishes.

My first dish was two portions of sashimi. aji and kanpachi. The kanpachi came with a very nice sauce made out of Japanese long onion (negi). In general, all of their sashimi was carefully paired with sauces and dressings.

Then I tried their monaka burger. Monaka (a kind of Japanese wafer) is very popular in high-end restaurants nowadays, but this was the first time I saw it used as a burger bun. Meat was from Kagoshima.

My main dish was their quail deep-fried with sansho pepper and orange. This was an exquisite piece of meat.

Finally I tried their Sawagami crabs. This is a small freshwater crab from Japan, quite rare outside their homeland. Their were deep fried, but I expected them to be more tender. They were crunchy, but also very hard. The dish was less pleasant than expected.

The check

The check was 790 HKD, exactly 100 USD and a few dimes. Overall it was a pleasant experience, service was good and the ingredients top-shelf. There were some touches of creativity that made the menu unique (like the monaka burger).

As I mentioned for Okra, unfortunately the value proposition of these luxury restaurants in Hong Kong is problematic, even if I have to admit that it has its own original vibe.

Where in Hong Kong:
8 on Wo Lane (the black door!).
Website: https://roninhk.com/.

Late night dinner at Okra, Hong Kong

I ended up at Okra because I needed a kitchen open till late that could feed me after participating to an event. Okra staff answered my inquiry on their Facebook page and reassured me that the kitchen would be open until 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. That was a good beginning.

Okra Kitchen is a modern izakaya offering Japanese food with innovative elements. The Hong Kong restaurant I visited is a spin-off of Okra 1949 in Beijing and is headed by an American chef. They also have a room for omakase upstairs operating under called Okra Bar (but I rarely consider sushi omakase outside Japan).

The visit

I arrived at around 10pm and I was seated at the counter. The chair was reasonably comfortable. They have a delicious menu, a one-pager with few items, but more than simple snack food. There was more than enough for a good late dinner. They also had an impressive sake menu, but not something I am into.

My first dish was the eel and foie gras. On the plate the house made fresh water eel, honey miso duck liver and sanbaizu vinegar were all nicely arranged. It was nice, but also a very small portion.

Then I had their yellowtail sashimi with tofu skin (yuba), garlic oil and ponzu. I appreciated the pairing between sashimi and tofu.

Then I had their “pollo loco”. Wow, this was an incredibly good sandwich. It included a whole marinated thigh and leg (boneless) on Okinawan purple sweet potato toast with fresh cabbage & Crystal sauce. It was just perfect. A great homage to the art of the Japanese sandwich (sando).

Finally I had their Koji rice pudding with aged tangerine peel condensed hon mirin and seasonal fruit. Honestly I did not like this dessert.

The check

The check was 646 HKD (82.5 USD). That was expensive, especially considered that only one dish really stood out. Unfortunately the price point of this kind of restaurants in Hong Kong is problematic. It is natural to compare these izakaya with Ronin, they seem to cater to the same public, in the same area of Hong Kong, and in a fairly similar venue. I liked the service at Ronin more; at the cost of sounding a jerk I will mention that one of the staff members at Okra was almost oppressive, asking me if everything was good several times. Ronin perhaps has a bit more choices and is more focused on seafood, but the two venues are comparable.

Where in Hong Kong:
110 Queen’s Road West, G/f.
Website: http://www.okra.kitchen/.

Izakaya night in Kyoto: Sanji

Sanji is an izakaya in Kyoto that is serious about its fresh seafood. Here’s what I had.

The visit

I arrived at the beginning of the evening at 6pm and there was no problem to be accommodated. I was the first customer in fact!

The entrance was at the end of a private parking lot. Not unusual for izakayas and sushi bars.

I was seated at the counter.

They had a very interesting set menu reasonably priced, but I ordered from the menu instead. The menu was provided in electronic format on an Ipad and I could order directly from the device. There was enough English and pictures to make the process easy.

I started with a very attractive sashimi platter that had seven kinds of sashimi: delicious kinmedai, hirame, hamo, tai, tako, amaebi, hotate.

The grilled fish of the day was a fish head, from tai if I recall correctly.

Finally I doubled down with the sashimi with some more local fish.

I was offered some side-dishes, I think included in the cover charge.

The check

I ended up spending 6,620 yen (61.50 USD). The sushi platter was around 2,600 yen. I did not mind paying this check, the sashimi was really good.

Where in Kyoto:
Nijo Coop 1F, 40 Matsuya-cho, Nijodori, Takakura Nishi-iru , Nakagyo-ku.
In Japanese: 京都府京都市中京区二条通高倉西入松屋町40二条コーポ1F.

Fresh sashimi in a gaijin-friendly izakaya in Nagasaki

There are a lot of izakayas in Nagasaki. And they serve fresh sashimi. Of course. Unfortunately I did not find the good deals that I found in Hakodate, but I had at least a good sashimi platter in an izakaya called Ichiba-Kaisen Nagasakirou with English menu (there are not many in Nagaski).

The visit

The izakaya is located in the downtown wharf (Dejima).

It is a large izakaya with an essential decor.

Their sashimi platter had sakae (turban shell) and various types of seafood including fatty tuna. The big fish was hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack), a local catch. On the top of the platter, you can see a silver-striped fish: it is silver-stripe round herring, another local catch.

Miso soup.

And finally the silver-stripe round herrings tempura style.

The check

The big sashimi platter was 3030 yen. The total check was 4,210 yen (39 USD). Not a bad value for this kind of fresh sashimi.

I will also mention that I tried to get a seat at Dejima dining that to me seemed an even better izakaya, but on a Saturday evening it was full.

Where in Nagasaki:
1-1 Dejimamachi | Dejima Wharf 1F.
In Japanese: 長崎市出島町1-1 長崎出島ワーフ 1F.
Website: nagasakikou.com (they also have other two locations with the same menu).

Blending class and creative izakaya dishes at Hiya, Shanghai Edition

Shanghai Edition hotel has an izakaya, or, more appropriately put, an izakaya-inspired restaurant located on their 27th floor. As all the restaurants hosted by Shanghai Edition (Shanghai Tavern and Canton Disco), the venue is supervised by Jason Atherton, the Michelin-starred London-based restaurateur. Shanghai Edition occupies a heritage building on Nanjing East Road, not far from the Bund, once an utility company’s headquarters.

On the menu they explain: “Hiya kitchen is an expression for the love of Japanese cuisine. Our inventive and often natural cooking style combines the familiar of classic Japanese dishes using premium ingredients and modern techniques”. That’s the restaurant’s philosophy.

The visit(s)

To write this review I visited Hiya in May 2019 twice, on Saturdays, once for lunch and once for dinner. It is already a very popular venue and I had reservations with Open Table.

One thing to note: apparently having an elevator with low (very low) lights is now stylish… bring a lamp to find the right button. Out of the elevator you will see the reception, while the first thing that will strike you upon entering the dining room is the sight of the bronze staircase. It leads to the terrace cafe.

I like this window that offers a view upon the Custom House (the building with the clock tower) and Pudong’s skyline.

A view of the main dining room. Sofas and chairs are both available.

The menu is divided into sashimi, chilled dishes, temaco, tempura, grill, and desserts. A tasting menu is available. It is not an extensive menu (everything fits two pages), but every dish has something special to offer.

My first dish was a marinated tuna temaco (a cross-breeding between a temaki, a type of roll that you eat with your hands, and a taco). The shell was very crispy. The tuna was complemented by avocado, scallion and tobiko. Great innovative dish rich of substance.

Then I had their stuffed chicken wings (with rolled turnips). This was a remarkable dish as the top of the wings came already de-boned, so they were very easy to eat. And tasty.

I tried all the four tempura dishes (not really classic tempura, just an indication of fried dishes). The chicken karaage was my favorite. The chicken inside was juicy, but at the same time perfectly cooked. Best fried chicken in Shanghai. It came with hot tomato sauce, spices, matcha salt, and lemon salt.

The broccoli were another small masterpiece as they were covered in aged Parmesan cheese. They came with a classic tempura sauce and a kimchi dip sauce.

Another excellent dish in its simplicity was the wagyu beef agemono. Agemono technically is the general term for a number of Japanese deep fried dishes (including tempura and karaage). In this case indicated two deep fried beef meatballs with bonito flakes (katsuobushi on the menu). A simple but extremely satisfying dish.

The last deep fried dish I tried was the black cod tempura that was also impeccable. During these initial visits I did not have any of their big ticket items (better shared and I was alone). The thought of their tonkatsu and their beef gyuodon certainly makes me hungry.

I had their signature dessert, the Fuji Mont Blanc covered in chocolate sauce. A small marvel of a dessert.

The service was excellent and very friendly. In my visit by night I could appreciate the young vibe, a lot of young couples and party of friends enjoying their life. The music was not too loud.

The check(s)

In one visit I ended up spending 513 RMB (74.5 USD) and the second time 463 RMB (67 USD). Not your run-of-the-mill izakaya bill, but Hiya is not really an izakaya, it is more a homage to Japanese food. As a big lover of Japanese izakaya dishes, I had a lot of fun sampling the menu and I look forward to continuing the exploration.

Where in Shanghai:
27/F, Main Building, The Shanghai EDITION, 199 Nanjing Dong Lu (East Road).
In Chinese: 南京东路199号.
Booking via Open Table.
Nearest Metro Station: East Nanjing Road.

The biggest slices of sashimi I ever had in Kingyo Izakaya in Taipei

If you do not like raw fish, stop reading. On a trip in Taipei (April 2019) I came across a Japanese-style izakaya in a residential area. Izakayas are quite popular in Taipei and usually are open till late. Next to the izakaya, there is a high-end Japanese restaurant that I shall try one day.

The visit

I arrived very early on a Saturday evening (before 6pm) and the place was already bustling with diners. I was accommodate at the counter.

And I was offered a free appetizer. The menu was also available in English, which is nice because it is not so common in this kind of establishment.

My main order was a bowl of sashimi. I really could not expect to be served ginormous pieces of sashimi. There was salmon, swordfish (in rolls), a cube of tuna, and yellow tail.

The pieces of sashimi were almost one centimeter thick. In some restaurants, a single slice like this would make a full dish. It was epic.

I could have avoided to order anything else, but I also had a pairs of sushi: tuna and hamachi.

I also had some potatoes with mentaiko, but the dish was too big (I guess designed to be shared) and I did not like them so much.

Before leaving I was offered free dessert: some sweat soup and apple.

The check

After 10% service charge, the check came to 1230 NTD (or 40 USD).

The sashimi bowl was alone 550 NTD (18 USD). Two people could have easily been fed by what I ordered, so I would say that this izakaya is very good value for money, especially for the fresh sashimi.

Sometimes is nice to find a no-frill place like Kingyo Izakaya where the focus is just good food. I would certainly go back to have again that bowl of sashimi. They also have a number of set menus (advertised as kaiseki meals) and some reasonably priced lunch sets. Hotpot seemed to be another favorite of the diners that I saw during my visit.

Where in Taipei:
No.18, Lane 233, Yanji St, Da’an Dist, Taipei 106, Taiwan
In Chinese: 台北市大安區延吉街233巷18號
Check their menu from the website (their website is in Chinese, but the menu page is also translated): http://www.kingyotaipei.com/menu.htm

Baka Damon, a meat-heavy izakaya in central Sapporo

There is nothing like trying a Japanese restaurant without an English menu and without knowledge of Japanese. Luckily, pictures can help. In this case, overall it went well. (To get an English menu see my notes at the end of the post.)

The visit

I came across an izakaya located next to Mistukoshi, in a very central location dominated by retail outlets. The izakaya is located in a basement and in English is called Baka Damon (it is the only English term on the sign).

I was welcomed with a compulsory appetizer: two pieces of radish oden style.

I wanted to have some skewers.

I had skewers with pork belly, beef and mutton.

I particularly enjoyed their meatballs.

They also had chicken fried in a number of ways. I went for the dish pictured above using only wing tips.

They had ankimo sashimi. This dish is rarely seen outside Japan and it is basically marinated monk-fish liver. To me, it is the seafood equivalent of foie gras. It is an incredibly delicious seafood dish.

They also had a very attractive all you can drink option (you pay a flat price and for a fixed amount of time, like 2 hours, you can drink all the beer you wish; it is a format quite common in izakayas) and they were surprised that I was not interested.

The check

The damage for all of these izakaya delicacies was 4,330 yen (38.5 USD). When in an izakaya I rarely spend less than that.

This izakaya experience overall was interesting and a nice departure from menu more heavily based on seafood. This was clearly an izakaya focusing on meat, including less common types of meat (duck, gizzards, and more). The skewers were good. Among the delicacies I did not try there was horse meat sashimi that seemed to be their signature dish.

This is an address to keep in mind if you are hanging out around Mitsukoshi department store in Sapporo.

Where in Sapporo:
3-8-11, Minami 1 Jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 060-0063
See this website for details and menu in English (I wish I had known this link before the visit…).