A note on the words: izakaya is an informal Japanese drinking tavern serving a wide variety of dishes to share. Kiriboshi daikon is sun-dried shredded daikon radish simmered in light broth, served here as the otoshi (table-charge appetizer). Hamukatsu is a breaded, deep-fried cutlet of sliced ham, and korokke is a fried mashed-potato croquette — uniquely combined here by sandwiching the potato filling inside sliced ham. Kuro-shichimi is a dark, aromatic seven-spice blend, and iburigakko is smoked, pickled daikon from Akita, served here under a lavish mound of cream cheese. Mentaiko is cured, spiced pollack roe, lightly seared.
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Bunten Nakamura Shokudo on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time I dropped into Bunten Nakamura Shokudo, tucked away in a back lane in Akasaka. I had visited once for lunch, but this was my first time going for dinner. Arriving with a reservation, the place was completely full! A sizable drinking party seemed to be underway, and it was quite lively. I was shown to a two-person table near the counter. I wondered if it might feel a little cramped, but perhaps because the restaurant makes clever use of its space, it did not bother me much.
First, a toast with beer!
The otoshi (table-charge appetizer) was kiriboshi daikon (simmered dried shredded daikon). Delicious.
A platter of hon-maguro (bluefin tuna), matsukawa garei (a flounder), and tako-butsu (chunks of octopus).
The bluefin tuna is wonderfully proper and delicious! Both the flounder and the octopus are genuine, quality sashimi too. Delicious.
Next came salad. A salad packed with autumn vegetables, boasting quite a variety of ingredients.
Shiitake, enoki, bacon, greens, persimmon, lotus root chips, and so on. Generously filled and very hearty.
This simmered beef sinew is delicious too. It is not simmered into mush, and the burdock retains a pleasant firm texture, which is great.
The seasoning is not overly heavy, struck at just the right balance so that while it goes great with drinks, it is thoroughly delicious eaten on its own.
When I tried to order two of these, the staff told me, “I think one will be plenty!”
Indeed, even half is quite substantial, so one is more than enough! It has the mashed potato filling of a croquette sandwiched between slices of ham, and even putting it mildly, it is delicious. In a sense, isn’t this practically an invention?
How should I put it — every single dish so far has been delicious.
Remarkably substantial fried chicken cartilage. It is fried crisp without any greasiness, making it delicious.
This is supremely delicious, ha. Word has it that somewhere there is a local specialty where this is served over rice, and chashu pork and egg really do pair wonderfully. I can completely understand wanting to heap it over rice. This is not just a must-buy, but a must-eat.
Delicious! The kick of kuro-shichimi (dark seven-spice blend) makes it an ideal accompaniment for drinks. I felt like I could eat any number of them.
That is an extraordinary amount of cream cheese, ha.
Serving it like this is unusual, isn’t it! Usually people go much lighter on the cream cheese. It makes a visual impact that is fun to see, and I definitely recommend ordering this too. The iburigakko (smoked pickled daikon) buried beneath all that cream cheese is thoroughly delicious.
Simple items like this are wonderful too, aren’t they! It keeps the drinks flowing!
Packed with meat and delicious.
Freshly steamed, so it is juicy and wonderful! Being able to order them starting from just one piece is great. You can order without hesitation even toward the end of the meal.
So then, eating and drinking this much, it came to under 9,000 yen per person. What is more, every dish served was delicious. You can clearly tell everything is prepared with care and precision. At this quality for this price, I think it offers superb value! It reached the level where I regretted never having visited for dinner until now. A return visit to this restaurant is definitely settled! I am sure I will go again. It was delicious. Highly recommended!
Bunten Nakamura Shokudo (Izakaya / Akasaka Station, Nogizaka Station, Roppongi Itchome 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?
