A note on the words: this is an omakase course built on the framework of a kaiseki meal, with each dish named for its place in the sequence. Sakizuke is the opening small course; hassun is a small assorted platter; yakimono is the grilled course; kobachi is a small side dish, here served in a seasonal rotation. Junsai (water shield) is a delicate aquatic plant harvested for its slippery, gel-coated stems, prized as a cooling summer ingredient. Nanbanzuke is fish or meat that’s been fried and then marinated in a sweet-tart vinegar with vegetables. Katsuo tataki is bonito that’s been quickly seared on the outside and left raw within, usually served with citrus and scallion. Shime is the dish that closes a drinking meal, usually rice or noodles. Ochazuke is rice with hot tea or dashi poured over it, a common way to close out a Japanese meal.
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Azabu Shu on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hi, this is Hangover Meshi. This time it’s a back alley in Azabu-juban! I stopped by a hideaway-style Japanese restaurant, “Azabu Shu.” It’s a Japanese place that apparently does oden too, which had me pretty excited! I actually used it for a small business dinner, and the private room inside turned out to be quite spacious — a room with a nice little garden view, which made for a really good atmosphere!
There’s a nice little garden just beyond this black screen, you know~
[Azabu Shu] Omakase Course — 11,000 yen
There’s only one course: the omakase.
A la carte looked like it would have worked too, but for a small business dinner it’s nicer to just let the kitchen bring things out for you, so I went with the course.
First, the sakizuke: junsai (water shield). Slippery, refreshingly cool, and delicious!
Simmered shellfish, fried tofu pouch, and richly seasoned edamame — perfect with that first beer. It’s a lovely atmosphere, picking at the hassun while you talk at ease. By the way, the owner has a seriously distinctive voice, lol. It caught me off guard at first, but he’s absolutely full of energy!
Something like nanbanzuke (vinegar-marinated fried fish).
Oden! Fish cake, konnyaku, and tomato oden — all really delicious!
Katsuo tataki (seared bonito). It goes beautifully with the tangy ponzu and the garnish of onion, myoga, and scallion.
Seasonal oden with chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake), mushrooms, and more. The dashi is wonderfully gentle and delicious~
Whatever that crisp scallion-looking oden is, it’s really good too. You can tell the whole thing is made with real care!
To finish, ochazuke with a really good dashi running through it. There were quite a lot of courses, so I ended up completely full!
So, all in all, it was really delicious! The private room has a great atmosphere too, and I thought this would be a perfect place for a business dinner. You wouldn’t guess it (sorry, lol) from how full of energy the owner is, but the food overall is gentle, delicate Japanese cooking that’s easy to eat. It seems like the kind of place that will keep the seasonal dishes changing, so next time I have a small dinner to arrange, I think I’ll come back here.
Azabu Shu (Japanese Cuisine / Azabu-juban Station, Akabanebashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
