I heard there was a great offal specialist in Kameido, so I went to check it out. It opens at 5:30, but it is so popular that you have to arrive before 5 just to make the first seating. I missed the first seating and got in on the second, after waiting almost an hour.
The shichirin grill
And we are off.
Starting with the nikomi stew
I was looking for something quick to nibble on before the meat was ready and ordered this, and it was far better than I expected. The meat is tender and well seasoned. It is cooked properly and made with good-quality meat, so of course it tastes good. I ordered another plate later on.
Soybean sprouts
Meat alone gets heavy, so you need some vegetables too.
Cabbage
It comes drizzled with sesame oil. Goes really well with the meat.
Gyutan
Beef tongue, with a nice firm bite. The freshness was top-notch.
On the grill.
The beer just keeps going down.
Large intestine
Again, so fresh you could probably eat it raw.
Shimacho and mino
All the joy of eating gopchang, exactly as it should be.
Kainomi
This was the special cut of the day, so I ordered it, and it was specially delicious. The marbling was unreal. This place does great lean meat as well as offal, so if I had gone by the name and ordered only offal, I would have really missed out.
Renga
They said it is from around the diaphragm, and they serve it like a steak. Needless to say, it tasted great..
Tontoro
I took this photo halfway through, so the portion looks a little small. It is the pork cheek, and once again it was so good I have nothing more to say.
Jo-kalbi
Having had my fill of offal, I tried the kalbi too. Far more satisfying than most kalbi places. They could easily succeed as a kalbi specialist. Then again, a kalbi-only menu would push prices up, so there would be no more lines like there are now.
Seseri
Chicken neck, with a fun, chewy texture. Not just beef and pork, they are good at chicken too..
That day I saw a whole new level of grilled meat. Not only is it delicious, it is cheap too, so this is a truly outstanding place.