Japanese cuisine is more than just sashimi, sushi and tempura. I love grilled eel (unagi) and was determined to have variety in my food quest in Tokyo.

And while doing my research, it took me by surprise to learn Japan Michelin Guide has its rating on unagi restaurants too! So together with information from Time Out Tokyo and Tablelog, I narrowed down to a few restaurants. But what made me decide on Hashimoto was a YouTube video which I chanced upon.

As extracted from Japan Michelin Guide website, Hashimoto which was founded in 1835 is run by 6th generation chef-owner. The recipe for the somewhat salty sauce has been passed down from generation to generation and the chef-owner says he look for strong tasting unagi that will go well with the sauce.

My IGGF (InstaGram GirlFriend) was in Tokyo the same period as me (well, I chose to coincide our trips. Keke), and Hashimoto was one of the restaurants we decided to meet for lunch. While one could walk in, we played it safe by making reservation with the help of my IGGF’s Japanese colleague. Thank goodness they accept overseas reservation. =)

Not exactly located centrally in Tokyo (Ie, 30 minutes metro ride from Tokyo station), Hashimoto is a short 3 to 5 minutes walk from Edogawabashi metro station. Upon arrival, we decided to go with tatami seats instead of table seats. Not the best choice though; I sprained my ankle during my morning jog around Imperial Palace and it was a hassle painful to remove and wear my shoes.

And we were glad they had English menu. 1 of the staff could speak pretty good English too. And from the menu, we ordered:-

1) Hire, ¥250 (above, right) – Eel’s fin.

2) Mukoubone, ¥250 (above, left) – Eel’s ribs. Do be careful of the bones!

3) Hone, ¥250 (above) – Fried eel’s bone.

4) Shirayaki, ¥2600 (small) (above) – Eel without sauce.

5) Kabayaki, ¥2600 (small) (above)

6) Unajyu, ¥3300 (regular) (above) – We were surprised that 1 of the 3 pickled vegetables was treated with sake! I like! Hee.

7) Kimosui, ¥300 (above) – Plain soup with eel’s stomach.

My IGGF and I loved the homely vibe of Hashimoto and the fuss-free nature of our meal. Ie, No lengthy fancy course as we were on a tight (afternoon) itinerary. Keke. And the grilled eel was exactly how we imagined it to be; Tasty, tender and fluffy.

If one don’t mind travelling since it’s a little out of the way, I definitely recommend Michelin-starred Hoshimoto as it’s also one of the few with a friendlier-on-purse price.

Related posts:

Lunch @ Obana 尾花 (Tokyo, Japan) Lunch @ Sushi Tokami 鮨 とかみ (Tokyo, Japan) Lunch @ Sushi Arai 鮨 あらい (Tokyo, Japan) Lunch @ Nihombashi Sonoji 日本橋 蕎ノ字 (Tokyo, Japan) Lunch @ Tempura Kondo てんぷら 近藤 (Tokyo, Japan)