A note on the words: warayaki is grilling over a fierce fire of burning rice straw, which leaves a smoky scent quite unlike charcoal; isaki is chicken grunt and sawara Spanish mackerel; aori ika is bigfin reef squid; bao is the Chinese steamed bun the duck is served in; sansho is Japanese pepper, citrusy and numbing; Tochio abura-age is an unusually thick fried tofu from Niigata; kakuni is slow-braised pork belly; Anno is a very sweet variety of Japanese sweet potato; an izakaya is a Japanese drinking house that serves food; shochu is the Japanese distilled spirit, usually taken long with soda; dashi is the stock of kelp and dried fish that underpins Japanese cooking. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Yuyu on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want something good to eat today too! This is Hangover Meshi. This time I went to “Yuyu” in Ebisu.
It stands between Ebisu and Hiroo, a short walk into a quiet area — and it was far better than I had expected!!
The concept is something like “a slightly good izakaya where you can enjoy fine fish at reasonable prices”, and that is exactly what it is.
It is said to be a sister shop of “Uyu”, the popular place in Shibuya, though I have never been to the Shibuya original.
Inside it is dim and calm — a very fine atmosphere!
It is a fairly small shop; as you come in there is a long counter, with perhaps three tables at the back.
Right — there is a great deal that looks good, so let us work through it one dish at a time.
We were advised that for four people two plates would be about right, but I wanted to try lots of things in small amounts.
It is a modest portion, but perfectly adequate for four! (Perhaps a good many of their customers eat rather more.)
Today it was isaki and aori squid from Kagoshima.
There is a proper amount of fat on it, and yet it is not the least bit heavy. The isaki.
The aori squid has a firm sweetness and just the right bite!
And this is straw-grilled sawara from Fukuoka.
Only the surface is grilled to a fragrant finish, the inside left moist. That drift of straw smoke is irresistible!
This is the shop’s signature dish!
At the counter you can apparently watch the straw-grilling, but from the table we could not see it.
Still, the smoke and the smell come rolling over, so you know perfectly well that they are making it.
The straw-grilled duck carries a good smoky scent on the surface and stays juicy within.
You eat it in a “bao”, the Chinese steamed bun, and the soft sweetness of the bao and the savour of the duck are pulled tightly together by a house sansho-and-soy sauce.
The seasoning is on the strong side, and yet somehow it goes down in no time. Neither smoked nor charcoal-grilled, that smokiness peculiar to straw is irresistible!
I do like broad beans. As it happens.
Steamed broad beans from Kagoshima. They look plain and they are delicious.
Nothing has been done to them beyond steaming, but the sweetness and savour of the bean are packed in tight, spreading slowly with every bite.
Tochio abura-age with a green-chilli and minced-chicken sauce.
Tochio abura-age is thick and fluffy, and over it goes a sauce in which the prickle of green chilli and the savour of minced chicken are properly bound together — it looks simple and is nothing of the sort.
In the mouth, the gentleness of the dashi comes first, and the sting of the green chilli follows slowly after. Mmm. Delicious.
The house tuna has a firm savour, so the balance when it meets the juicy sweetness of the new onion is very good!
It arrived after a run of fish dishes, which raised the spirits!
It is much like kakuni, and the tenderness is simply extraordinary — a prod with the chopsticks and it falls apart.
Never mind a knife: chopsticks are more than enough!
The soy-based sauce has soaked right in, and the balance of sweetness and savour is beautifully judged.
It is not heavy, so it goes down easily, and it is perfect with a drink.
Once we had moved into the serious drinking, this was to settle the stomach a little. Lightly seasoned and good.
These are the Anno sweet potato fries, ordered in search of something snack-like.
House-made butter is poured over them and the smell is wonderful!
The sweetness of the potato is very strong to begin with, and frying concentrates it further: crisp outside, floury and dense within.
Sweet, yet not the least bit cloying, and strangely it makes the drink go down. And down!
Yes — full up! Thoroughly satisfied!
People often say that for four you should order two of everything.
But I rather think a little of many things gives the greater satisfaction! We ate our fill and then some. Very satisfied indeed.
The food is very good, the room is fine, and the drink is well handled.
A good shop, of the sort where anyone you brought along would be delighted! Recommended!
Yuyu (izakaya / Ebisu Station, Hiroo Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
