A note on the words: kappo is the counter-style end of Japanese fine dining, where the chef cooks in front of you and the menu follows the season. A gozen is a tray set with many small dishes at once. Surinagashi is a vegetable puree loosened with dashi and served as a soup. Shinjo is a light steamed dumpling of pounded fish or shrimp. Tamago kake gohan is a raw egg stirred into hot rice with a little soy sauce — a plain, much-loved breakfast. Sakekasu is the lees left after pressing sake.
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Azabudai Sui Inaba on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Right, this is Hangover Meshi. Lunch this time takes me to Azabudai Hills! I still cannot get used to it — or rather I cannot get a feel for which building is where, ha. That said, there are a great many places inside Azabudai Hills that look rather good, and it puts you in the mood to conquer the lot. So on this day I decided to have the kappo lunch at “Azabudai Sui Inaba,” full-blooded Japanese cooking for the first time in a while!
[Midday meal] Kazen, 6,930 yen
Lunch is the Kazen at 6,930 yen! Fairly lavish, but a kappo lunch where you can take in their world of “yuzu-muge” — free and unobstructed.
Something to look forward to!
Right, I order a cold-brewed green tea, and since with the Kazen you get to choose the dish of the day, I make my choice and settle in to wait.
![[Midday meal] Kazen (6,930 yen)](https://cimg.eat.hangover.work/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/17065313/th_DSC09633.jpg.webp "The Kazen Kappo Lunch at Sui Inaba, Azabudai Hills 8")
The soup bowl is already extraordinarily beautiful.
A faint sweetness that is extremely good. Surinagashi of new-season onion. So this is what new onions can become.
A gentle flavor and very delicious.
And next out came the gozen! A lavish tray with a whole row of dishes lined up on it!
It comes with wakame rice from Uonuma and a miso soup of asari clams. The rice is a single mouthful, but you can have a refill!
Although with this many dishes I rather think I shall end up full anyway.
And this is buri daikon made with winter yellowtail!
Carefully seasoned and very delicious!
The small bowls!
Mentaiko cured kobujime-style with lotus root, konjac dressed with a little chili heat, chicken tsukune, and pickles. And kumquats simmered in — white wine?!
Shinjo, deep-fried.
Marinated tuna under grated yam.
Sesame tofu.
Every one of them made with great care, and they all go with rice. Delicious.
And here you choose one of three — a fish dish, tempura, or a small hotpot — and this time I picked the fish.
Saikyo-miso-marinated Spanish mackerel, I think it was. The coarsely grated oni-oroshi daikon and the sweet-vinegared garnish suit the deep, rich fish and it is delicious!
It goes tremendously well with rice. The salt level is just right and the fish is grilled beautifully plump. Superb.
And here comes a welcome bit of service, ha.
Order a rice refill and you are given an egg and dashi soy sauce so you can make the finest possible tamago kake gohan!
The rich egg is extremely good!!!
Dashimaki tamago!
For dessert you choose between a strawberry monaka, sakekasu ice cream and fresh fruit, and this time I picked the sakekasu ice cream! Lovely.
It had been a while since I had proper Japanese food, and this very careful, delicate seasoning was delicious! Food like this now and then is a fine thing. It gave me that thoroughly satisfied feeling you get from breakfast at a ryokan. I imagine they put out whatever is good each season, so the next time I feel like Japanese food I may well come back for this lunch.
Azabudai Sui Inaba (Japanese Cuisine / Kamiyacho Station, Roppongi-itchome Station, Azabu-juban 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?
