A note on the words: torotaku is a combination of negitoro (minced fatty tuna with scallion) and takuan (pickled daikon), here piled with ikura, salmon roe, onto salted nori. Mentaiko is spicy marinated cod roe; jako is tiny dried whitebait, usually eaten crisp-fried as a topping or snack. Nagaimo is a starchy Japanese mountain yam eaten raw or lightly cooked for its crunch.
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Sakana no Umai Mise, Ikebukuro on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hey, this is Hangover Meshi. This time, Ikebukuro! I was in the mood for some good fish, so I did a search and found a place that looked promising. The name is about as on-the-nose as it gets — “Sakana no Umai Mise,” literally “The Shop With Delicious Fish,” lol. That kind of confidence is great. I booked a reservation right away and headed over! It’s tucked behind the Junkudo bookstore. I can’t believe I never noticed it before, sitting right on such an easy-to-spot corner.
I like this “By Tsukiji Style” line! The place itself is small, and the seating is maybe a bit tight.
But what matters is the taste, right!
Looking at the menu, there’s actually quite a lot on offer. I decided to order a bunch of things a la carte.
Tofu in dashi. Dashi-simmered tofu is so good, isn’t it. The generous heap of bonito flakes on top is a nice touch too.
Fried octopus to start! You really can’t get going without this. I’m happy it comes with a little side salad too. It’s not just octopus — there’s squid in there as well, so it’s a pretty generous portion. Delicious.
A platter of bonito, salmon, yellowtail, kanpachi, and sea bream. As expected — they don’t call themselves “the shop with delicious fish” for nothing.
The sashimi is so fresh and delicious!! The umami is incredible. This one is a sure thing, so I recommend it!
Next, I ordered the torotaku with ikura that the person next to me was eating! It looked so beautiful and delicious that I had to order it too! Salted nori, like the Korean kind, topped with negitoro, pickled daikon, and ikura. It’s salty enough to eat just as it is, and it’s delicious! This one is a must-order too!
Grilled fish and cod roe turn out to go really well together.
Mentaiko again. Mentaiko with nagaimo makes for a fairly substantial, snack-like dish.
I’d been drinking highballs the whole time, and the nice saltiness of the mentaiko goes really well with the drink.
So, starting with sashimi and going all the way through grilled fish and fried dishes, everything I tried was delicious! There is actually a whole lot of finishing dishes on the menu too, but by this point I was already pretty full, which was a shame — I bet lunch here would be great too (I wonder if they do lunch service). I’ll remember this one as an easygoing, delicious fish place I can just drop into!
Sakana no Umai Mise, Ikebukuro (Seafood / Ikebukuro Station, Toden-Zoshigaya Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro 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?
