A note on the words: goma-saba is raw mackerel tossed with ground sesame and soy sauce, named in the article as a Miyazaki specialty. Basashi is raw horse meat sliced thin and dipped in soy sauce with grated garlic and ginger, and toku-bara is the name of one of the cuts on the platter. Chicken nanban is Miyazaki-style fried chicken, served here under a rich blanket of tartar sauce, and nabe is a communal tabletop hot pot, finished here with champon noodles that arrive already boiled and take up the broth.
Table of Contents hide
Sendai Zaka Himuka on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. On this day I was invited out for a drinking party. The venue was Sendai Zaka Himuka, a restaurant serving the cooking of Miyazaki located on Sendaizaka, a little ways from Azabu-juban Station. I do not often come out this far, so it felt quite fresh! There are actually quite a few good-looking places around here.
By the way, at this shop, right after you step in the entrance, the stairs down to the basement are immediately on your left.
If you rush in, you could easily tumble down, so you had better enter carefully.
Omakase course — 6,050 yen
Himuka course — 4,950 yen
I think we had the omakase course this time?
First up was the otoshi tofu.
When it comes to Miyazaki specialties, goma-saba (raw mackerel dressed with sesame)! It really is delicious. Or rather, being able to eat mackerel raw in the first place is something only freshness allows.
And then a three-variety platter of basashi (raw horse meat). Apparently there was a cut called toku-bara, which I had never had before, but the basashi was clean, refreshing, and delicious. It pairs so well with garlic and ginger that the drinks just keep flowing. Delicious.
Salt-grilled tachiuo (largehead hairtail). Come to think of it, I thought I had rarely eaten tachiuo, but it is such a wonderfully moist fish. Delicious. I had imagined the skin might be thicker, but it was richly fatty and juicy.
And then the chicken nanban. The rich tartar sauce is wonderful.
This is just the right amount, really, when it comes to chicken nanban. When you order it normally, an enormous portion comes out, doesn’t it? You really do not need that much, ha, so having just the right portion was very welcome!
And then at this point there was a nabe (hot pot)! A nabe!
I completely forgot to take a photo, but it was a very hearty hot pot—pork and vegetables, I think.
Once we had finished the hot pot, we could choose between ojiya (rice porridge) or champon noodles, and we chose champon. The champon noodles, brought out already boiled, soaked up the broth from the pot and were intensely delicious.
And so, although I made the mistake of forgetting to photograph the hot pot that was likely the main event of the course, it just goes to show how much fun we were having drinking! With its very welcoming, homey atmosphere, it was a great spot to drink without any pretense!
Sendai Zaka Himuka (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?
