These days Instagram has become the main marketing channel, and some places only bother with how things look, but you can usually tell the difference between food that’s actually good and food that’s only good on display. Judging by this place’s low Tabelog score, they don’t seem to do much marketing beyond Instagram, yet the crowds keep coming, so I’d say the strategy is working.

This is the place.

We showed up without a reservation and were told a table would open up in an hour, so we killed time at a family restaurant nearby.

Menu

The prices are very reasonable too. The only problem is that everything on the menu looks too good.

Drinks

They’re good with recommendations too.

Sake like this

The food was so good that the sake just kept going down.

Sashimi moriawase

Well, the quality is good.

Gout Deluxe Set

This one was an absolute knockout. It’s a plate made up entirely of things that are bad for gout, but wow, was it delicious. Uni, ikura and everything else were top quality.

Wagyu harami tataki

Is beef even allowed to be this good at a place that isn’t a yakiniku joint? Just thinking about this dish makes me want to go back.

Nikomi

This is an izakaya that’s strong on small plates. Tokyo’s three great nikomi and all that… you can forget about those.

Hotate

The ikura keeps showing up on everything. It’s fresh, so no complaints.

Kuroushi

Time for another glass.

Garlic shrimp

I didn’t expect much, but it was so good. Way better than the ones in Hawaii.

Yaki onigiri

You need carbs too. They must have ikura to spare.

Kobukuro sashi

This was fresh, no doubt, but not all that memorable.

Thick-cut tan steak

They know how to cook meat.

We were pretty full by now, and ordering mains was hard, but since yakiton is the house specialty we ordered some skewers.

Skewers

Kani cream korokke

There isn’t a bad dish on the menu.

One more drink

Everything was of a good standard.

Honestly, a place like this leaves me far more satisfied than a Michelin-starred restaurant, and they only promote themselves on Instagram. In a way it’s the perfect place for someone like me. The only problem is that it’s a bit far, but I’d love to go again.

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む