A note on the words: jingisukan is a Japanese style of grilling mutton and lamb on a domed iron pan, here grilled directly over charcoal by dedicated counter staff. Hogget, the writer is told, is the name for meat that sits between young lamb and mature mutton. Yama-wasabi is horseradish, and awa-zuke is a pickle the writer thought looked like achar. Jinenjo is Japanese wild yam, served grilled here with a remarkably firm texture.
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Hitsuji Sunrise on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. At long last! I made it! A restaurant I had wanted to visit for the longest time: Hitsuji Sunrise. A spot in Azabu-juban reputed to serve truly exquisite lamb. Full of excitement about what kind of place it would be, I made my way over. The location is near the square with the Kimi-chan statue in Azabu-juban. Surprisingly, it turned out to be right above PANAME, which I visited previously. To think it was right here all along.
Taking the elevator up and opening the door to enter…
Billows of smoke everywhere, ha! And sweltering hot, ha!
It is hot! The air conditioning is barely working at all! But they hand you an ice pack for your neck!
How shall I put it… it was vastly different from what I had pictured, ha!
At the counter, one dedicated staff member is assigned to each party, grilling the meat on a domed jingisukan pan right behind the counter and serving it piece by piece. Since it uses charcoal, both the heat and the smoke are tremendous, but it certainly looks delicious. I am not sure why, but I had imagined something much sleeker; nevertheless, this is enjoyable in its own right, ha!
Omakase — ???
Among the meats delivered today were Hokkaido hogget (apparently that is what they call sheep between lamb and mutton!) and various other cuts, but the staff suggested, “If it is your first time, we can put together something like a tasting course for you?” so I went with that!
Hot! So first up is a beer — ice cold and fantastic. I rather like this kind of vibe.
Looking at this photo, you can probably get a general sense of the restaurant atmosphere.
Next, the condiments made their appearance: garlic, yama-wasabi (horseradish), and cilantro. They explained that they would let us know each time which condiment pairs best with which cut. I had never paired lamb with yama-wasabi or cilantro before, so having them guide us is very helpful!
And the very first dish served was the tartare of Japanese lamb. Meat that looks close to raw, dressed with a tangy sauce — delicious!
In terms of impression, it might be fairly close to something like yukhoe (seasoned raw beef)?
Mmm, what appetizing meat. Apparently from Obihiro, Hokkaido. You can tell it is exceptional meat just by looking at it.
From here, they skillfully grill each cut for you.
Like this:
Mmm, exquisite.
Gamy odor? What is that even? ha — that kind of feeling.
The lamb is so clean-tasting that the distinctive sheep flavor almost begins to seem like a spice in itself. There is plenty of fat, but even that fat is remarkably light, going down smoothly without feeling heavy. This particular quality of lamb might indeed be something I have never tasted before.
Here is a different cut. The browned fat is delicious too. The melting fat is wonderful.
Since they grill vegetables as well, the onion that has soaked up that savory lamb fat is delicious too!
Here is the lotus root. Lotus root is delicious as well!
Pickles. In appearance it looks somewhat like achar, but it is delicious.
Here is the hogget from Chitose, Hokkaido.
This is delicious too! So tender!
A soba-like reimen (cold noodle). Delicious. I wonder if the broth is made from lamb.
Here are the Tasmanian lamb chops.
What a gorgeous sear! And they have quite a bit of thickness too.
Grabbing it by the bone and taking a bite: so good! Tender! The cumin flavor is delicious.
And here is the mutton. Apparently from Shibetsu, Hokkaido; even though it is mutton, it looks remarkably succulent and fresh.
Here is the mutton… wait, this is mutton? That kind of reaction. Not gamy at all.
When you hear mutton, you tend to imagine something heavily marinated in spices, but to think it could be this delicious simply grilled.
This is delicious too. Quite firm. Very much like jinenjo (wild yam).
Garlic rice tossed in rich, flavorful lamb fat. Incredible!
It may well be that we were grilling sheep all this time just to eat this.
Well, it was a little different from what I had imagined, but it was immensely delicious sheep meat. I bought a beer for the staff member who grilled everything so devotedly in that heat. It was so good that I definitely want to come back. I exchanged LINE contacts with them, so I will reach out when I visit next time. Highly recommended!
Hitsuji Sunrise (Jingisukan (Grilled lamb) / Azabu-juban Station, Akabanebashi Station, Roppongi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
