Having lived in Tokyo for a while now, I have been collecting favourite places one by one. The food has to be top-notch, of course, but it also has to be easy on the wallet, and if there is somewhere nearby to drop in afterwards, even better. Kameido Horumon is one of those places, so I have ended up going back regularly.
Imo rock (sweet potato shochu on the rocks)
Sweet potato shochu on the rocks. Lately I find myself craving shochu more than beer.
Bean sprouts
The portion.. is enormous.
Shimacho (large intestine)
Well, it just melts.. Compared with the pricey large-intestine places in Korea, it costs a tenth and tastes even better, I would say..
Hachinosu (honeycomb tripe)
It was so fresh that it tasted amazing. Went really well with the shichimi too.
Mino (first-stomach tripe)
The freshness of this one is a work of art too.
Horumon (small intestine)
The marinade is tasty as well.
The guide to the cuts
It looks like they have most of the cuts you would eat in Korea. There are a few of these specialist offal joints in town, and it seems Japan’s horumon culture is gradually finding its feet.
Tontoro (pork jowl)
Horumon melts in your mouth, but it is a little short on chew. So I ordered this. It is like being hit with a heavy fastball.
Jo-kalbi (premium short rib)
It is 1,700 yen a plate, but there is no way I could skip it. The fat that melts in your mouth like an explosion is a taste you will struggle to find in Hanwoo or beef from any other country. If you want to say you have had yakiniku in Japan, this is the minimum you have to eat.
Seseri (chicken neck)
I had eaten well, but felt a little unfinished at the end, so I closed things out with some seseri. We ate a ton again that day and it still came to under 4,000 yen a head. It is such an easygoing place that I would love to become a regular, but it is a bit too hot to go in summer, so I will be going often from autumn onwards.
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