A while back, on my way home from a bakery in Ryogoku, I came across an unusual little deli. It sells fried food and simple side dishes, the prices are low, and somehow the place just had presence. On a weekend when it was too hot to feel like doing anything, I went over to pick up some food for lunch.

The menu

Plenty of variety and the prices are decent. You often see this at places with lots of regulars. When you have been in business in one spot for a long time, the menu just keeps growing item by item.

The exterior

It is really run-down. They do not sell food made in advance; they take your order, then pull out the ingredients and fry it up, so it takes a little while. Anyone in a hurry might find the wait hard, but considering the taste, that is exactly how it should be. This is a place that does things properly.

White fish fry and scallop kushikatsu, with potato salad

I took it home and ate it with rice, and I think this is the tastiest fried food I have had since coming to Japan. Not greasy at all, and it even had a juicy quality to it. I had no idea a place like this was hiding in Asakusa. I loved it from the start and have kept going back ever since.

Ebi fry, kushikatsu, kaki fry, potato salad and miso soup

After a few visits I figured out the pattern. They do not seem to change the oil, so if you go early it is delicious, but toward closing time the taste inevitably drops off.

Ham katsu

Being fried food, it is a little greasy, of course. And the calories weigh on you. Tasty, though, no doubt about that.

Croquette with cheese inside

Classic B-class gourmet that could not possibly taste bad.

Tonkatsu

Good for the price.

White fish fry and crab claw

The crab claw is a real crab claw. It is tasty, but the portion is a tiny bit small. The white fish fry is really delicious.

I have ordered plenty of other things from the menu too, and nearly all of them were satisfying. When I cannot be bothered to cook, having a place this good so close to home is a real blessing. I like Asakusa more and more.

Sunset over Asakusa

The longer you live in Asakusa, the more wonderful it gets. I hope this view stays unchanged for a long time.

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