A note on the words: dashimaki tamago is a tender Japanese rolled omelette made from eggs beaten with savory dashi broth. Yudofu is fresh tofu gently simmered in hot water with kelp, and tororo-meshi is steamed rice topped with grated mountain yam. Ohitsu is a wooden rice tub used to keep steamed rice at the right moisture, oshinko are lightly salted pickles, and akadashi is a rich soup brewed with aged red miso and dashi.
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Yagenbori Akasaka on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Thinking dashimaki tamago would be nice after a long absence, I headed to “Yagenbori” in Akasaka.
It sits in a slightly tucked-away alley, and just looking at the facade you would never guess it was in Akasaka, ha.
I framed the photo nicely, but when you actually show up here, it is not like that at all — just plain old Akasaka, ha.
Step inside, however, and it feels Kyoto-like, or rather like a storied establishment: you start by taking off your shoes at the genkan entrance.
Inside, incense is burning and smells lovely. There is also an oiled-paper bangasa umbrella on display, which only adds to that Kyoto feel.
They open at 11:30 and the place fills up right away, but arriving ten minutes late, they said there was room at the counter.
The “okoshiyasu” Kyoto greeting of welcome is lovely too!
At the tables you sometimes end up sharing with other guests, so the counter is actually more comfortable.
Yasaka dashimaki tamago — 1,500 yen
Sagano yudofu — 1,500 yen
Kamogawa tororo-meshi — 1,500 yen
Omakase course — 4,800 yen
Dashimaki tamago, yudofu, tororo over rice.
What a healthy lineup for lunch! I was wondering if everyone had come for the Yasaka dashimaki tamago, and looking around, everyone indeed had the dashimaki tamago. Well, of course they would, I thought, though there was one solitary person having the Kamogawa.
Then again, I suppose there are people who feel they cannot eat rice with just dashimaki tamago or yudofu, ha.
Naturally, I opted for the Yasaka dashimaki tamago.
Glancing into the kitchen, three chefs are cooking dashimaki tamago with single-minded focus.
When it is this popular, that is just what it takes!
First, the rice arrives. Served in a wooden ohitsu tub, which is a nice touch.
Taking a closer look, it is an ohitsu from Kiya. They sell them normally at places like Midtown, so you kind of want one, ha.
Here it comes, the egg! Steaming hot and appetizing. To the eye, it is fluffy and jiggly.
For now, a bite while it is burning hot.
Delicious!
Pop it into your mouth, and dashi broth gushes right out.
It is hot enough that you could burn the roof of your mouth, but even so, you just want to wolf it down piping hot!
It is not the sort of assertive flavor that makes you plow through mounds of rice, yet eating it together with rice is delicious.
The natural accompaniment to the rice is, after all, oshinko. Having an assortment of different pickles is wonderful.
The pickles themselves are not overly salty and very easy to eat. The akadashi red-miso soup is refined and thoroughly satisfying.
If you ate meals like this every day, you would surely become remarkably healthy! That is just how gentle and soothing this lunch tasted.
That dashimaki tamago in particular was superb. I have never seen dashimaki tamago this good, so I could see wanting to drop by once in a while just for this egg. It gets pretty crowded, so if you are aiming to visit, coming early is best, ha.
Yagenbori Akasaka (Japanese Cuisine / Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Akasaka Station, Nagatacho Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
