Uoichi is an izakaya I go to a lot for work. I use it more because of the relationship than because the food is anything special, but that doesn’t mean the food is bad. It’s just such a big place that what comes out is safe, middle-of-the-road stuff that never really misses. That day I didn’t think twice and brought my camera along to the company dinner and took pictures. Hope I don’t get marked for it… the blogger’s road is long and hard. Sob.
Otoshi, the starter snacks
Mushrooms, salted squid, mackerel and so on, a bit too salty for beer snacks. More like something to go with shochu…
Mediterranean-style quiche with sweet potato
I’m not much of a fusion fan… I’m perfectly happy with just a plain rolled omelette.
Salt-grilled eel
Good-quality eel seasoned with salt and grilled. But a lot of the fat had cooked off. The whole point of eel is the fat, you know.
Grilled nodoguro
This is a local specialty around here. When you order it at a restaurant you get a smallish one, but supermarkets sell them twice this size. Grilled right it’s out of this world, but this place didn’t quite get there. To be fair, a big nodoguro can cost up to 5,000 yen, so it’d be a bit much to put on the menu anyway…
Sashimi platter
Sashimi is just sashimi… maybe because it’s getting cold, the fish had put on a fair bit of fat.
Eel grilled with sauce (kabayaki)
The salt-grilled one was a little better. The same lack of fat… not that it’s really a flaw. It’s not an eel specialist, and I don’t think you should expect top-tier quality from an izakaya.
Simmered nodoguro
This time simmered… the simmered one’s a bit better than the grilled one. Normally the grilled version should be way tastier…
Simmered kinmedai (golden-eye snapper)
The kinmedai beats the nodoguro. It’s huge, too. With fish, bigger really is better…
Tofu salad
A perfectly ordinary tofu salad. I’d eaten a lot of rich, oily stuff, so this was to clear the palate…
Deep-fried nagaimo
Deep-fried nagaimo (Chinese yam), and it was surprisingly crisp. Still, all that oil is too much for me. I’m getting on in years…
Shijimi croquettes
I’ve had these before. They’re good, but I’m not really a croquette person…
Work has been so crazy lately that I end up going to good restaurants for work more and more. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not… I really need to find some good places to go on my own time, but it’s not easy… sigh… I’ll keep trying.