Don't go unless you're really hungry! The all-you-can-eat mentaiko (spicy cod roe) sounds tempting, but the volume of fried chicken is overwhelming. The mentaiko fried chicken set for 1300 yen left me thirsty after all that fried food, but the tea I had afterwards was really delicious.

In December, during my business trip to Tokyo, I finished a meeting with a client and headed to Shinbashi for dinner. I was taken to a motsunabe (offal hot pot) restaurant run by Yama-ya, known for its mentaiko (spicy cod roe). It was not unusual to see foreign staff in restaurants even in rural areas, but it was a common sight in Tokyo, even in the kitchen. Their Japanese was very good, better than some Japanese people, making communication easy (laughs). I tried the Hakata highball, which was quite addictive. The motsunabe was delicious, with a rich soup made from fish broth. It was quickly filled with customers as it was the season for year-end parties. With its taste and value for money, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Near Shinbashi Station, there is a restaurant located on the second floor that you reach by stairs, not an elevator. I forgot to take a photo, but we ordered motsunabe, miso stir-fried motsu, mentaiko (spicy cod roe) omelette, and karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The motsunabe had soft vegetables that you shouldn't mix until they sink, allowing the sweetness of the cabbage to come out and create a delicious soup. The miso stir-fried motsu was hot and delicious, with the combination of miso, green onions, and motsu being excellent. The mentaiko omelette, though a lump of purine, was so tasty that you shouldn't worry about it! It was delicious and could be eaten whole. The karaage was crispy and tasty. The atmosphere of the restaurant is welcoming for women to visit alone.

On August 28, 2019, I visited Yamaya, a famous restaurant known for its mentaiko in Hakata. Located on the second floor of a building near Ginza, closer to Shinbashi, Yamaya is set up as an izakaya-style eatery, with motsunabe as the main dish and a variety of set meals available for lunch. You can enjoy as much mentaiko and karashi takana as you like, with unlimited rice refills. While just rice and mentaiko alone would be satisfying, the restaurant also offers other dishes to complement the meal. I ordered the mackerel mirin-dried fish set meal, which came with rice, miso soup, and a side dish. The mackerel was well-marinated in mirin, giving it a reddish color and a delicious fatty flavor. The side dish was hijiki with a shiso flavor. The portion of rice was generous, but I couldn't resist getting a half serving more due to the delicious mentaiko and karashi takana.

Located on the second floor of a restaurant building near the Ginza exit of Shinbashi Station, this chain restaurant specializes in motsunabe (offal hot pot). Upon seeing available seats by the window, I climbed the stairs and joined a line of five people for the lunch service, which was priced at a seemingly higher rate of 1280 yen compared to Yurakucho. After waiting for 8 minutes, I ordered the gamenabe (Chikuzen stew) from the lunch menu, which includes unlimited servings of mentaiko, karashi takana, and rice. I was promptly seated at a counter for two and my tray arrived within a minute. I enjoyed the gamenabe with karashi takana and mentaiko on rice, adding shichimi togarashi from the table to the stew and miso soup. The dish had a generous portion of vegetables and chicken, and I ended up skipping the rice refill with mentaiko. The meal lasted for 19 minutes.

For lunch, there was all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takana pickles. I had known about it before, but it felt like a forbidden meal. I hesitated, but around 10 in the morning, I started feeling hungry. I decided to go for it and headed upstairs. As soon as I reached the stairs, I saw a line. I debated whether to go or not, but the restaurant looked spacious and I was alone, so I decided to join the line. Luckily, the wait wasn't too long. I ordered at the front of the line and found a seat. It took a bit of time for the food to arrive. When it did, I was surprised by the portion size. The fried chicken was the first item on the menu. I didn't think about it, but all items were the same price, which probably explained the quick turnover. The taste was not too strong, and the mentaiko had a refined flavor. However, I ate too much and my mouth felt spicy. It was definitely a forbidden meal, but I might go back again.

When I was a child, I was impressed when I first learned about palindromes, which read the same forwards and backwards. Some famous examples include "How many agile kittens are there?" and "In this world, is it all about looks or money?" In the current season, you can also find ones like "Santa, delivering everything by yourself!? Definitely a disaster." So, today's lunch was at #Yamaya. The reason why their lunch is the best is because you can eat unlimited #spicy mentaiko. I ordered the #minced meat hamburger set, but to be honest, the hamburger feels like a side dish. First, I pile up the thick #mentaiko from the pot onto the rice. Thanks to the crunchy texture of the #mentaiko, the perfect spiciness, and the exquisite saltiness, the rice quickly disappears. Oh, I got so caught up that I forgot to eat the hamburger. The hamburger is also delicious with a Japanese taste of grated ponzu sauce and shiso, but the star is definitely the #mentaiko. I eat the #mentaiko at a ratio of 3 to the hamburger 1, and quickly get a refill of rice. As a result, the contents of the pot disappeared completely. I started to worry that I might suddenly get gout from eating the amount of fish roe that I consumed over the past year in just one day, but so far, I seem to be fine. The pasta shop on the first floor that also had mentaiko pasta looked delicious, so I'll save that for next year's enjoyment.

I felt like having a hearty lunch, so I decided to go to a restaurant managed by YamaYa, known for their mentaiko (spicy cod roe) dishes. They offer all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takana (pickled mustard greens) with rice and miso soup. I had a hard time choosing between mentaiko-flavored fried chicken and salt-grilled mackerel, but since I have a health check-up coming up, I opted for the mackerel. The thick-cut salt-grilled mackerel was delicious with its rich flavor. I couldn't stop eating the rice with mentaiko. This restaurant is a great value for those who love to eat heartily.

I was taken to a Japanese restaurant by my senior where you can eat unlimited mentaiko (spicy cod roe), but the set meal itself was just a regular set meal. I chose the fried chicken set meal and it was delicious! Although I described it as normal, it was actually really good. The psychological satisfaction of having unlimited mentaiko was great! Even though I couldn't eat a lot, I was happy. The rice just kept going down so smoothly! My senior, who loves mentaiko, just focused on eating mentaiko rice, leaving the side dishes behind. This would be especially satisfying for men! I felt like it was a good deal. It seems like a popular restaurant, so it might be better to go at a slightly different time to avoid the crowds. Thank you for the meal!

Mentaiko‼️ This time, I visited Yama-ya for lunch. I chose the ginger pork from the lunch menu‼️ I was torn between the minced cutlet and grilled hokke, but I went with the ginger pork. The ginger pork was completely cold. It was disappointing❗ Cold ginger pork is no good‼️ Putting mentaiko on the rice makes it go down smoothly‼️ Mentaiko is delicious after all❗ The price felt a bit high at 1,100 yen‼️

Mentaiko and spicy pickled vegetables, rice to your heart's content! The specialty here is a lunch where you can have unlimited refills of spicy pickled vegetables, mentaiko, and rice. Today, I chose the daily special of mackerel marinated in sweet soy sauce. Most people ask for refills of spicy pickled vegetables and mentaiko before even touching their main dish. I do the same. If you can eat it, you can have as many bowls as you want. The highlight is that the refills go perfectly with the rice. It gets crowded quickly, so it's important to come early!

The mentaiko here is delicious but it feels a bit expensive. The fried chicken was tasty.

People are waiting, so I wish they would move a little faster. The taste is okay, nothing special.

Mentaiko is the best. It wasn't too spicy today.

The Mentaiko Dashi Tamagoyaki, Sesame Kanpachi, and Hakata motsunabe (miso) were all delicious. The shime ramen at the end was really tasty.

I had heard about this place before, but it was my first visit as I was invited by a colleague from work. Despite arriving around 11:50, there were already 5 or 6 people lined up at the staircase to the 2nd floor entrance. Seeing the popularity, I started to feel excited about what to expect. In the end, I only had to wait about 10 minutes to get in. They had several lunch set options, all priced at 1100 yen. I chose the daily grilled fish set (half a grilled saury on that day). The order arrived in about 10 minutes. The set included rice, miso soup, the grilled saury, and a side dish of sautéed burdock. The rice had two large pieces of spicy cod roe on top. The saury was delicious and piping hot, and I quickly finished the rice with the cod roe. It was so good that I wanted to have a second serving with unlimited cod roe and pickled greens, but... I had to give up on that idea because I couldn't afford to not fit into my pants anymore (cries). It was very tasty, but in terms of cost performance, it was a bit questionable. Thank you for the meal.

I remember stopping by this restaurant for a quick bite before going to the movies. I love mentaiko and Italian food, and since I'm from Fukuoka, I had high expectations for this "Yamaya" restaurant. However, the mentaiko pasta I ordered had these hard, pink, freeze-dried-like bits in it, along with sautéed onions, making it watery and bland. It just wasn't delicious at all. I sometimes make mentaiko pasta at home using store-bought mentaiko, but it never has those pink freeze-dried bits in it. Also, they brought out an appetizer even though we didn't ask for it, and the prices seemed a bit high. I couldn't bring myself to pay over 2000 yen for one plate of pasta, an unwanted appetizer, and a drink, so we left early. They have a second floor, so it might be good for people looking for a hearty izakaya experience, but I won't be going back.

I used to go to the Shinbashi location often, but this was my first time at the Ginza branch. I arrived after 1 pm and was able to get a seat easily, maybe because they have a lot of seating and good turnover. I usually get the fried chicken, but the portion was huge and the mentaiko sauce made me really thirsty later on... and bloated. So, I decided to try the simmered dish for the first time. It was also a big portion, but not too rich in flavor, and I could get some vegetables in too, so I think I'll go for this from now on. I was trying to cut back on rice, but when I saw the mentaiko from YamaYa, I couldn't resist... I didn't get a refill, but I probably had about 3 servings of mentaiko... and ended up bloated again. Haha.

Satisfying all-you-can-eat mentaiko experience.