A note on the words: the shop is called Ore no Sakana o Kutte Miro!!, which means “Try eating my fish!!”. Izakaya is a Japanese pub; otoshi is the small appetizer you are charged for on sitting down, which is the cover charge rather than a scam. Aji is horse mackerel, and an aji fry is the crumbed, deep-fried version of it; takokara is octopus done karaage-style, dredged in starch and deep-fried; sansho is the citrus-scented Japanese pepper that leaves a faint tingle. Honmaguro is bluefin tuna and akami its lean red meat, and tamatebako is the treasure box of the old Japanese folk tale. Toyosu is Tokyo’s central fish market. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Ore no Sakana o Kutte Miro!!, Nishi-Shinjuku, on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
Today, a fish festival in Shinjuku. Ore no Sakana o Kutte Miro!! — “Try eating my fish!!” — I have a feeling there used to be one in Akasaka, though my faint memory of it is of a shop closed more often than open. I never did go in. Is it still there, I wonder? Anyway, I was invited along to the Nishi-Shinjuku branch of that same Ore no Sakana o Kutte Miro!!, and off I went.
As the name promises, fish is the selling point: a seafood izakaya (Japanese pub) that buys in whatever is in season, day by day, without tying itself to any one fishing ground. The headline item is the sashimi assortment called the tamatebako, the treasure box — which comes, apparently, with the lid opening in a cloud of dry ice. That has to be ordered, obviously!
Right — first thing once you are in your seat:
Beer. The strongest drink on earth!
Now then, let us order briskly.
Raimei-dofu, billed on the menu as the shop’s hidden speciality. Raimei means thunderclap, and the name comes, it seems, from the crackling the sauce makes as it is poured over the scorching vessel. A thick block of tofu in a searing stone pot, with a generous quantity of fried onion. The sauce carries sansho pepper but is not too hot, lending fragrance and a lingering finish to something as plain as tofu. Tofu wrapped in a thickened sauce, set against the crisp bite of the fried onion — the pair of them are fun together!
I filmed it as well, but that is over on Google Maps.
Here it is, the headline tamatebako! The lid lifts in a cloud of dry ice, and the day’s sashimi appears from inside. Opening the famous treasure box is a set piece in itself, so the staff play it up for you as well!! Inside: honmaguro (bluefin tuna), sea bass, scallop, flounder, sea bream, salmon and more — fish and shellfish from different waters gathered onto one plate, and the line-up changes by the day.
The thickness of each slice and the amount of fat on it differ one to the next: the lean akami is clean and cuts neatly at the tooth, while the fattier pieces cling thickly to the tongue. The scent of the sea rises the longer you chew, and the sweetness shifts in strength from cut to cut — lovely. They know their fish here, clearly: every piece is fresh and glistening, and the quality of the sashimi is genuinely high!! This one you should absolutely order.
And this must not be forgotten either! The house speciality rare aji fry, which goes by the nickname “best-before: 60 seconds!?”. As the name says, the moment it comes out of the fryer is said to be the moment to eat it, so eat quickly! The crust is light and crisp, the flesh inside deliberately left short of cooked through, and the instant it goes in the mouth a melting texture spreads. A light crust and a melting middle: a way of cooking made possible only by fish sent straight from Toyosu, killed that morning, fresh enough to be eaten raw! Have it plain first, for the sweetness and the fat of the fish itself, then try it partway through with salt or lemon. Good.
And last, takokara. It is a favourite, so I order it wherever it is to be had, and at 680 yen for this quantity it feels like good value. Bite in and the crisp crust gives way to that dense, springy resistance particular to octopus. The sweetness of the octopus seeps out as you chew, set against the fragrant fried batter — that contrast is the good part! Octopus ought to be deep-fried! Quite so.
So: snacks in moderation, and a considerable quantity of drink. The sashimi is good, the fried things are good, and I can see why they say “try eating my fish!!”. More than anything, the shape of the menu, the plating, the names of the dishes — all of it is unusual enough that the place is enjoyable as entertainment too! Nishi-Shinjuku is easy to get to, so it comes well recommended.
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Ore no Sakana o Kutte Miro!!, Nishi-Shinjuku branch (Izakaya / Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station, Seibu-Shinjuku Station, Shinjuku 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?
