It's the midsummer day of the ox, and even though there have been many days when I didn't eat eel, this time I had it at Hanayu Koji Edo River. Eel is delicious, but compared to the past, it has become quite expensive and the hurdle to eat it has increased. I ordered the eel bowl (pine) for 4,500 yen with soup and pickles, and changed the soup to liver soup for an additional 100 yen. While waiting, the scent of grilling eel wafted through the restaurant, making it even more delicious. The bowl that came out had a large piece of eel on top, looking delicious. When you eat it as it is, the soft and delicious taste of the eel spreads in your mouth. The eel is easy to eat with just the right amount of fat on it. The sauce is placed on the table so you can add it according to your preference, and you can also sprinkle as much sansho pepper as you like. Eel is definitely delicious. I wish I could eat it more often.

I was planning to go to the ramen shop upstairs, but ended up at this eel restaurant instead. I decided to splurge and order the expensive dish. Hmm, it wasn't really to my liking... I'm not sure, the flavor seemed blurry and it didn't feel worth the price. I was really looking forward to it, so it was a shock. There are plenty of cheaper and tastier restaurants in Osaka.

There is a small street area called Hanayu Koji on the east side of Shinkyogoku, offering Kanto-style eel dishes. The restaurant also has a tenant in the Kyoto Takashimaya basement food market. I visited the restaurant during lunchtime and I was the only customer. The low awareness of the restaurant may be affecting its popularity. The taste was not bad, but the prices were too high. Looking at the menu, I noticed various skewered eel dishes that seemed like they would be good as a side dish with alcohol. The chances of me revisiting the restaurant at night are low.

The eel course was truly impressive. At a dinner party, we enjoyed a variety of eel dishes: liver sashimi, grilled eel, skewers, deep-fried loach, steamed eel, all delicious. Goes well with alcohol.

I was taken out for an eel lunch (^O^). It was delicious!

The photo is of lunch. The sauce is spicier than sweet! The eel is a fluffy type that is not crispy! The amount of rice is just right for a woman who eats a little. The eel is expensive, but I felt it was a bit pricey.

I wish the sauce was a little sweeter.

You can enjoy various parts of eel grilled on skewers at this restaurant that specializes in eel dishes. They have a limited selection of alcoholic beverages, and the sauce is lightly spicy and savory.

It's just okay....

Edogawa, an eel restaurant located in Hanayu Kojiro. As the name suggests, they offer Kanto-style eel dishes. Due to the recent "eel fever," I decided to give it a try (lol). Here are some of the popular menu items: - Eel bowl (bamboo) 3140 yen - Eel bowl (plum) 2520 yen - Eel set meal (bamboo) 4320 yen (including appetizers, liver, pickles) I tried the eel bowl (bamboo) for 3140 yen. Eel dishes tend to be quite pricey wherever you go. The market price for this rank is usually around 3000 to 3500 yen. The cooking process involves grilling the eel, skewering it, and then freezing it. When ordered, they finish cooking it in Kanto style by grilling and steaming it multiple times. The eel bowl I ordered had almost a whole eel in it. However, the taste was quite disappointing, possibly due to the frozen storage. The eel lacked flavor and depth, and the sauce was too soy sauce-heavy and salty. It also had a lot of sauce pooled at the bottom of the bowl, which didn't suit my taste. I prefer restaurants that take the time to grill the eel properly after ordering. It's interesting how different the impression of a restaurant can be based on the cooking process.

I visited with little prior knowledge, but it was the most delicious eel I have ever had. It is prepared Tokyo style, steamed and then grilled. The sauce was light and very easy to eat. The menu is also varied, and the grilled eel liver is exquisite. The proprietress and the grill chef were friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere despite being an old-established shop that has been around for over 100 years. The cost performance was also good, as we ordered quite a lot but it ended up being only about a third of what we expected. This eel restaurant is definitely a place you will become addicted to after visiting once.

After finishing my business in Kyoto, I decided to have lunch at an eel specialty restaurant that resembled a traditional Japanese inn. The restaurant seemed to have recently relocated, as the interior had a new feel to it. As expected from an eel specialty restaurant, the menu was quite extensive. I ordered the "Unakama," which is eel over rice cooked in a small pot. The restaurant prides itself on serving dishes with plenty of vegetables, which is probably why it came with a salad. When the dish arrived, I was surprised by how small the pot was. I cautiously lifted the lid to find a small piece of eel inside, about the size of four 10-yen coins. Although the dish did come with vegetables and liver, the amount of eel was quite disappointing for those who came specifically for eel. The taste was delicious, with a smoky flavor from the charcoal grill, so I had no complaints there. However, if you're looking to indulge in eel, this dish may not be the best choice. The eel bowl might be a better option if you want to enjoy a more generous portion of eel. In conclusion, if you're looking to savor a good amount of eel, I wouldn't recommend the "Unakama" dish.

That day, I had made plans to visit Arashiyama with a friend. We were originally going to make a reservation at a certain eel restaurant in Arashiyama that was listed in the Michelin guide for dinner. However, my friend strongly opposed this idea and insisted that the eel in Edogawa was cheaper and tastier. In the end, we ended up going to the restaurant recommended by my friend. We ordered the eel liver grill and the eel rice set course. The course came with three side dishes: eel bone senbei, simmered eel liver, and eel liver grill. The eel was plump and delicious, and we enjoyed it heartily. The eel liver soup was also delicious. However, as someone from Kyushu, I personally prefer eel steamed in a steamer like in Yanagawa, which is sweeter and even more plump. That's what I always think of as the ideal "eel."

I'm not sure when it was renovated last year, but it seemed to have been refurbished and I visited the newly opened store for the first time. The store seems to have been significantly reduced in size, with only about 10 seats at the counter and three four-person tables. You can see the kitchen chef cooking, so even if you go alone, you won't get bored. The menu seems to have increased with items like "skewers" that were not available before, making it possible to visit even just for drinking. However, when I visited on New Year's Day evening, it was initially empty but quickly became full, so I couldn't relax as much as before. Also, the alcohol seemed quite expensive, perhaps due to the New Year's holiday pricing. I understand that eel is expensive, but it would be helpful if they could offer alcohol at a slightly cheaper price, which would make me want to visit more often.