A note on the words: himono is fish that has been salted and dried in the sun or wind to concentrate its flavor, and ichiya-boshi is fish dried only overnight so that the flesh stays plump and tender when grilled. Kakiage is a style of tempura where shrimp or vegetables are fried together into a crisp fritter, and sayori (halfbeak) is a slender, delicate fish outside the set course.
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Anbai on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Today I visited “Anbai”, an izakaya (Japanese pub) right near Azabu-juban Station. Apparently it is known for its himono, dried and cured fish, and the exterior has plenty of weathered character, which really raises expectations!
It’s also neat how they sell prepared side dishes out front.
Stepping inside, there are three tables. I was thinking it was quite a small place,
but when I went to the restroom later, I noticed a counter and several seats further back. In fact, the back is the main area, ha.
Kaori — 7,000 yen
Hana — 10,000 yen
There are two kinds of courses, and this time I chose the “Kaori” course.
The difference from Kaori is that soup, a vinegared dish, and dessert are included. I wonder if the grilled dish changes too.
Well, Kaori looks just fine!
Now then, I ordered a beer and waited for the first dish.
Two dishes: simmered cabbage and hotaru-ika (firefly squid) with vinegared miso. They go well with beer and make a great start.
Shrimp kakiage and… what was it? I think it was sansai, mountain vegetables.
Around here the Japanese flavors grew stronger, so I switched to shochu! When it comes to shochu, Kanehachi is delicious, isn’t it?
Tuna and sea bream, I think; they pair wonderfully with the Kanehachi shochu.
This wasn’t part of the course, but something ordered separately because we wanted just one more dish. Sayori (halfbeak) isn’t something I eat very often, so it was unusual, but delicate and delicious.
And then, the grilled dish. You can choose from three kinds, and this time I picked ichiya-boshi, mackerel dried overnight.
As expected of a restaurant proud of its himono. The inside is plump, tender, and delicious. Rice and miso soup made an appearance too, and
even after having quite a bit to drink, I polished it off in no time.
And so, a day of thoroughly enjoying Japanese cuisine. The drinks were great and the food was delightful.
The himono at the end was thoroughly delicious, and overall it was very satisfying. The price is on the nicer side, but for Azabu-juban it might actually be on the reasonable end. When you want Japanese food, this restaurant comes recommended!
Anbai (Japanese Cuisine / Azabu-juban Station, Akabanebashi Station, Roppongi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
