Last holiday I opened a Fritz Haag Riesling 2005, completely unplanned, just to test my new sommelier knife, and it was delicious. Fruity aromas tickling the nose, a refreshing acidity, and little bubbles popping on the tip of the tongue… To my taste, Riesling suits summer far better than beer. Knowing the seasons have changed through wine makes me a pretty odd type, I admit, but the season is what it is, and I also need to put my body back together after all those ramen tours ^_^ so I’ve decided to take this chance to start a summer special.
First up is unagi (eel), Japan’s classic summer stamina food. When I asked a friend for an unagi specialist, they recommended Ichinoya in Nishi-Azabu. It’s on the pricey side, but it has a big reputation for unagi so good that calling it Tokyo’s number one wouldn’t be an exaggeration. It was originally in Saitama and has opened branches in Shibuya and Nishi-Azabu. It opened in 1832, so it’s an old shop with roughly 170 years of history.
The front entrance
Even though it’s on a main road, it was really hard to find. That seems to be the whole concept of the place. Nishi-Azabu is a nighttime neighborhood. During the day it’s so quiet you can’t tell what’s where, but at night the whole area comes alive. This shop, though, is famous for being impossible to book in the evening, so I had no choice but to go at lunchtime. The prices are the same for lunch and dinner.
They say the unagi here takes 40 minutes to grill. So if you show up without a reservation, you’ll wait a full 40 minutes. Thanks to my friend, we’d booked ahead, so we got to eat right away. Go without knowing that and you’re in for a rough time~
Once inside, you’re shown to a quiet private room. It’s nice to enjoy a leisurely meal without anyone disturbing you, but the price goes up accordingly, so it’s probably better for special occasions than for everyday use. (There are plenty of unagi places where you can eat reasonably well for a thousand-something yen.)
Two-tier unagi
There’s a piece of unagi hidden inside the rice. It’s more food than it looks. By the time I finished, I was full. As for the most important thing, the unagi itself, it really is top-tier for Tokyo, just as my friend said. That softness, without the slightest hint of anything off-putting, must be possible only because it’s cooked for 40 minutes right before you eat it. But maybe that’s just how authentic Edomae cooking is, because the seasoning is very mild. If you’re used to the taste of cheap unagi drowned in store-bought sauce, this unagi lacks punch and probably won’t taste all that great to you. I’d recommend it to people who have eaten a fair amount of unagi, but for beginners I suspect it’s a flavor that’s a bit hard to appreciate.
Unaju
This one has three pieces of unagi on top of the rice. The number of pieces on top is the same, but the two-tier one has more rice. The taste is about the same as the two-tier. The two-tier has the added bonus of the fun of hunting for the hidden unagi. Just pick whichever suits you.
A la carte: fried fresh sea urchin
The frying skill is superb, of course, but it’s by no means cheap for a lunch. And like the unagi, the seasoning is light, so it probably won’t suit Korean tastes.
Suimono (clear soup)
This is the first time I’ve had suimono this good. The word “superb” comes to mind on its own. Look closely and you’ll see there’s eel liver in it.
Tsukemono (pickles)
The side dishes are neat and refined too. Satisfied..
Sansho pepper
Sprinkle it on to your taste.
It’s a wonderful place, but not somewhere to bring just anyone ^_^. I’d recommend it for when you want to spend some quiet time with someone who knows good food, or with someone special. Don’t forget that a reservation is a must before you go, and for dinner you need to book even further ahead.
For dessert, we moved on to an ice cream shop called Hobson’s at the Nishi-Azabu intersection. It’s something of a landmark in this neighborhood.
Mango and New York cheesecake
A fresh, clean flavor. Very satisfying.
The rum & raisin and raspberry I ordered
The rum & raisin, so rich it was almost sticky, was exactly my kind of thing. If I ever have a reason to come to this area, I think I’ll be dropping by often. ^_^