A note on the words: robata is charcoal grilling done in front of you, with the raw ingredients laid out on the counter — you point at what you want.
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Robata Musashi on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hangover Meshi here. I had started drinking early in Shimbashi, and for the second stop I picked Robata Musashi, Shimbashi Karasumori-guchi. There is a charcoal grill right at the front of the shop, and you sit around it, order, watch it cook and eat — proper robata, and thoroughly Showa-era in feel. Apparently it had been featured somewhere and had drawn attention. Peering in from the entrance, it looked like a lot of fun. There is the counter around the grill and a few tables, but if you come here it has to be the counter.
This is what the place is like. Good, isn’t it? The counter.
There is plenty on offer, and you pick whatever looks good from the ingredients laid out in front of you and ask for it.
You order, they take it, grill it there and then, and when it is done they pass it over to your seat on a long wooden paddle. One man runs both the grilling and the serving. The smell coming off it is wonderful, and it makes choosing difficult.
A beer, obviously. Now, what to eat.
The otoshi — the small dish that arrives unordered and appears on the bill as a cover charge — turned out to be a couple of little dumplings. I came here for robata, I do not need this. If they need the money, I would rather they just charged a seat fee.
Hmm. Hard to decide.
First up, the anago, which looked good.
Grilled plump and soft, and very good — the fact that it comes straight off the charcoal is what does it. The sauce brushed on it is sweet and good.
Hot, fluffy anago is hard to beat.
If you like shellfish you have to order this. Tsubugai, whelk.
That slight resistance when you bite is exactly the point. It works with the sauce too. Excellent.
Grilled squid legs, with plenty of ginger, which suits them.
Shake shichimi — the seven-spice chilli blend — all over it and it goes beautifully with a drink.
Fresh off the charcoal, fragrant, and the squid has a good firm snap to it. Not to be missed. Definitely order this one.
Scallop in the shell as well. Hot, plump and very good.
They pour the broth over it as it grills, and that is what makes it.
Straight in from the head. Fresh off the grill, so it is soft and good.
Properly dried beforehand, so the flavour is concentrated. Good enough without any soy sauce on it.
Sazae, turban shell. This is turning into an all-shellfish evening, but there we are.
The meat has a good chew, but it is the liver that does it. It goes with a drink like almost nothing else.
Watching it grill is half the fun, and having it handed over on the paddle is the other half, so if you come here it has to be the counter. Which means it is not a place for a large group — two of you dropping in is about right. There are not many shops like this left, and I would like to introduce all sorts of people to it. Fun, and good to eat.
Robata Musashi, Shimbashi Karasumori-guchi (izakaya / Shimbashi Station, Shiodome Station, Uchisaiwaicho 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?
