Horumon Aoki, Ueno: Offal Over a Shichirin

A note on the words: horumon means offal cuts grilled at the table, a whole genre of its own in Japan. A shichirin is a small charcoal brazier set on the table to grill over. Harami is the diaphragm, sold as a tender, juicy cut. Mino is the first stomach of the cow, prized for its crunch, and jo- is a grade marker meaning the better-quality version of a cut. Tare is the soy-based dipping sauce that comes with grilled meat. Ameyoko is the market street beside Ueno station.

Horumon Aoki Ueno

Horumon Aoki Ueno on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.

Right, this is Hangover Meshi. So there is a Horumon Aoki in Ueno too. I only ever come to the Ameyoko side, but near Matsuya in Ueno there was a spot with a bit of a line, and when I looked to see what it was: Horumon Aoki. I am guessing this is part of the same group! The “Kameido” on the sign gives off a faintly dubious air, ha. Looked it up, and yes, it really is Horumon Aoki!

Horumon Aoki Ueno

I have never been to the Kameido place, but I have been eating a lot of horumon lately, so I decided to drop in.

広告
ウコンの力 ウコンエキスドリンク 100ml×6本
¥1,274 前後 Amazon 楽天市場
遊月亭 しじみの力 汁の素
¥6,480 前後 Amazon 楽天市場

A la carte

You grill over a shichirin. It sits solidly on the table and takes up a fair bit of space.
Knocking it over would be dangerous, so let us eat carefully ^^

Beef liver (770 yen)

Beef liver (770 yen)

When it comes to horumon, liver is not to be skipped!
Careful not to overcook it, but cook it through properly. Liver grilled just right has a distinctive texture and aroma, and it is delicious.
I do love liver. So good.

Beef harami (1,430 yen)

Beef harami (1,430 yen)

And this one is not to be skipped either. Harami, with salt.
The reasoning is presumably that it is the diaphragm, so it counts as horumon, but I end up treating it just like lean cuts.
It bursts with juice, yet the fat is not cloying — it feels clean. I want at least one plate of it every time.

Jo-mino (979 yen)

Jo-mino (979 yen)

This one is a horumon classic too. That distinctive crunchy texture is irresistible.
Mino grilled at home is delicious as well, of course, but grilling on a grate that lets the fat and the excess tare drip away feels like the best.
Because it is cooked over charcoal, the edges getting slightly charred makes it fragrant and delicious.

Jo-mino (979 yen)
Jo-mino (979 yen)

Yes, that was good! I am satisfied.

Thank you for the meal!

Horumon really is delicious, is it not. The smell does cling to you a bit so it makes you think about what you wear, but with horumon plus drinks and meat, I am confident I could keep drinking for a good long while. Maybe I should go looking for good horumon places and work my way around them. Lately I hear you can even buy frozen horumon from vending machines. Could a little horumon boom be underway?!
And one day I would like to visit the original Horumon Aoki as well!

Horumon Aoki Ueno (Horumon / Ueno-hirokoji Station, Ueno-okachimachi Station, Okachimachi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4

I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.