A note on the words: yoshoku is Japanese-style Western cuisine developed in Japan since the late nineteenth century, and here at this Azabu-juban cellar it takes the form of classics like beef stew and croquettes. Hamburg steak, known in Japan as hambagu, is a Japanese-style minced-meat patty served without a bun, here topped with rich demi-glace sauce. Roll cabbage is meat wrapped in cabbage leaves and simmered, here in tomato sauce. Crab cream croquettes are breadcrumbed patties filled with a rich crab cream and fried crisp. Waribashi are disposable wooden chopsticks, set out on the tables here so guests can enjoy this old-school Western meal with chopsticks.
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Grill Mantenboshi Azabu Juban Honten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Lately I have been rather into yoshoku and have been going around trying different spots, and this time I decided to pay a return visit close by to “Grill Mantenboshi Azabu Juban Honten”. I seem to remember often going to a Mantenboshi that used to sit atop either the Tobu or Seibu department store in Ikebukuro back in the day, though it might not be there anymore. The main branch here sits in a smart spot right by Azabu-juban Station, just before the Ichinohashi crossing. Heading down into the basement, an inviting entrance comes into view.
Inside, it is a heavy, wood-toned room, classic for a long-established shop, I suppose. It is very comfortable to sit in.
The daily lunch — 1,760 yen
The steak lunch — 2,200 yen
The special lunch bento — 2,750 yen
The one-plate mix — 2,200 yen
The small yoshoku course — 4,400 yen
I agonize over it every time, but the one-plate mix is truly the foolproof choice here.
I felt like having beef stew for the first time in a while, so even though it adds 1,000 yen, I splurged and picked the beef stew and hamburg steak. And once you do that, of course you start craving crab cream croquettes and roll cabbage as well. It is not like I visit all that often, so I went ahead and ordered the mini sizes of both!
So having ordered all sorts of things, I settled in to wait.
Setting out disposable wooden chopsticks (waribashi) so you can eat with chopsticks really feels like an old-school yoshoku restaurant, does it not?
Here is the roll cabbage! It looks delicious!
Roll cabbage slowly simmered in tomato sauce. Taking a bite, the softly tender cabbage is tightly packed with tasty meat. Yes, this is something you just want a little taste of after all. I am glad I added it.
This looks wonderful too. Cutting into it, the crab cream slowly oozes out from inside.
The rich crab cream is delicious. A clear, solid crab flavor, and the combination of cream and crisp breading is superb. This was another item I simply had to eat, so I am very glad I ordered the mini version of this as well.
And here is the hamburg steak and beef stew.
The hamburg steak is finely ground, and the meat juices that well up are delicious.
The rich demi-glace sauce pairs wonderfully with the juicy, substantial patty.
And in the beef stew, generous chunks of beef sit proudly.
The beef, simmered until thoroughly melting and tender, is superb! Delicious! An extra 1,000 yen is certainly a bit steep, but this is a masterpiece well worth having. I wonder how long it takes to make.
A thoroughly deep richness and depth of flavor. Mmm, so good.
Well, since it had been a while I ended up splurging quite a bit, but it was a great lunch that thoroughly satisfied my craving for yoshoku. Every now and then it is lovely to have an elegant lunch like this, lingering over delicious yoshoku while chatting away. I felt like I would like to come back again after a while.
Grill Mantenboshi Azabu Juban Honten (Yoshoku / Azabu-juban Station, Roppongi Station, Akabanebashi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
