A note on the words: unaju is grilled eel served over rice in a lacquered box, served here under a pale amber tare glaze, the grains of rice staying separate. Uzaku is a refreshing starter of kabayaki—butterflied eel grilled with a sweet soy glaze—sliced and paired with cucumber and wakame in tangy sanbaizu vinegar. Oyama jidori is a branded chicken from the Mt. Daisen area of Tottori Prefecture, grilled here over charcoal to give the skin an appetizing char. Suimono is clear broth, ko-no-mono are pickled vegetables, and mugi soda is barley shochu with sparkling water.
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Sumibiyaki Enso on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
To all the eel lovers out there, thank you for waiting! It is time for Hangover Meshi!
This time, I visited Sumibiyaki Enso, an eel restaurant in Kawaguchi. As the weather heated up, I thought about eating some eel to build up stamina—and then realized, today is Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the midsummer day when eating eel is customary in Japan! I checked on a whim to see if I could get a reservation, saw that this place in Kawaguchi seemed bookable, and went right over!
Arriving out front…
Thinking, ‘Wait, where is the shop?’ as I followed the signs…
Oh! Here it is! It is set back a bit, but trust the signs and you will be fine!
Now then, let’s get right to ordering some eel and a few snacks!
Now, because it was scorching hot outside!!
The beer tastes great!
The first snack is uzaku!
Strips of kabayaki eel with wakame seaweed and thinly sliced cucumber. The fragrance of the sanbaizu dressing drifts up gently, with the aroma of charcoal smoke trailing from behind. The sharp edge of the vinegar arrives first, followed by the rich fat of the eel spreading out. Leaning on the sweeter side, the sauce does not clash with the vinegar, leaving a mellow, refreshing finish. When your body is hot, having this first with a cold beer is irresistible!!
One more dish before the eel arrives.
Charcoal-grilled Oyama jidori chicken—it was quite a recommended menu item, so I ordered it.
It looks so good. The black char along the skin is direct proof of the charcoal grill, sending an appetizing aroma straight through your nose. Biting into it brings a firm bounce, followed by the sweet tare sauce and the fat from the skin seeping out. The bitterness of the char acts as an accent that elevates the sweetness of the tare. I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that switching to mugi soda, barley shochu with soda, right beforehand had been the right call.
And now, the unaju arrives!
The instant I lifted the lid, the scent of charcoal rose up, followed right behind by the sweet fragrance of kabayaki!! Looks delicious!
The tare is a pale amber. On the first bite, there is a crisp resistance from the grill marks on the skin, and once past that, the flesh tenderly flakes apart. The fat feels modest at first, but expands as you chew, blending into the refined sweetness of the tare. Because the tare is not overly sweet but crisp and clean, you can clearly taste the flavor of the eel itself.
The rice has not absorbed too much sauce, and each grain remains distinct. That is why even as it catches the fat of the eel, it never feels heavy in your mouth. This balance is said to be the craft of the okami, the proprietress, carrying on the techniques of a Kawaguchi establishment that has run for eighty years.
Midway through, as the richness builds, you can refresh your palate with the pickled cucumber, the suimono clear broth, and the mugi soda.
Yes, completely full and thoroughly satisfied. That was delicious eel!
It was a restaurant I came across after a quick search when a sudden craving hit, but it was an exceptionally refined unaju and a great experience. The Oyama jidori chicken, where you can fully appreciate the savory aroma of charcoal grilling, was delicious too, so I recommend it. Nibbling on charcoal-grilled snacks in the evening while enjoying shochu and eel might be nice as well. The staff were all women, and as a shop run by an okami, their thoughtful attentiveness was deeply comfortable!
May we encounter more delicious food today!
Sumibiyaki Enso (Unagi (Eel) / Kawaguchi Station, Kawaguchi-motogo Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
