Today I went to a tuna bowl restaurant called Xibi in Ogawa Town. I always passed by this place but the exterior was not very clear so I never went in. However, I noticed the sign outside today and decided to give it a try. The menu specializes in tuna bowls. I ordered the Bintoro marinated tuna bowl. The presentation may not be flashy, but it looked delicious! The tenderness of the Bintoro tuna and the combination with the rice was excellent! The rice had chopped seaweed and soy sauce sprinkled on top, which added a perfect touch. The side dish of pickles also had a great taste! There was a generous amount of rice served, so I didn't feel like it was lacking. Overall, this place is definitely worth a visit!

When I thought of going to a nearby shop, it turned out to be closed. I was unsure what to do, but then I saw the menu outside the nearby shop and noticed that they specialize in tuna dishes. I decided to enter for the first time, and it turned out to be a stroke of luck as it was an amazing restaurant. The place had a counter and chair seating, with most of the chairs occupied. The master was busy cooking and making drinks all by himself. The menu indeed had many tuna dishes. The tuna tempura had a great flavor, and the tuna sashimi wrapped in Yamagata dashi was a unique dish that I found surprisingly delicious. The tuna simmered in sauce was also incredibly tasty. And then there was a dish called "Kuro Hanpen," a Shizuoka-style dried fish tempura, which was topped with sauce and tasted like a ham cutlet - it was amazing. Overall, the food was incredibly delicious! They also had a wide selection of drinks at reasonable prices. It was the beginning of the week, so I resisted the temptation to drink the sake I wanted. I will definitely come back next time to try the recommended sake from the owner who is from Shizuoka!

I visited this restaurant for the first time during a weekday lunch hour in between classes at George Washington University. I was originally craving ramen and tried to go to a nearby tsukemen restaurant, but it was too crowded. As I walked around, I stumbled upon this place. It had a cozy cafe-like atmosphere, so I thought they served curry, pasta, or maybe some light hamburgers for lunch. To my surprise, it turned out to be a tuna and seafood bowl restaurant! They had a variety of options like akami, bincho, negitoro, and tuna tartare bowls. I decided to order the "Shibi-don," which was a bowl with akami and bincho tuna. I asked for extra rice, which was a free service, and I was shocked by the amount of rice they gave me. The bowl looked small and stylish, but it was actually very filling. The tuna was delicious and not too fatty, with a nice marinade. The staff, especially the female server, was friendly. I would love to visit again if I have the chance. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

Xibi, a tuna-focused restaurant, opened in December 2019 at the location where the long-standing German coffee shop used to be. The owner, Akio Numano, originally from Shizuoka, decided to open the restaurant in Kanda Ogawamachi 12 years ago to offer delicious Shizuoka tuna at an affordable price in Tokyo. The restaurant has now relocated to this new location, with his wife, Shiori, managing the floor. The name "Xibi" means tuna, which is also mentioned in ancient Japanese texts. The restaurant offers a variety of tuna dishes, and on this visit, we enjoyed a tuna sashimi dish, fried tuna bites, and Shizuoka sake. The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, making it a great place to enjoy a tuna-centric meal.

I don't have much of an image of tuna in Shizuoka, but Bintcho maguro and Kihada maguro are famous. There are plenty of voluminous menus such as sashimi, tonkatsu, and tempura. Shizuoka local sake is lined up for Japanese sake. Bintoro has a cheap image of conveyor belt sushi, but the real thing is different! This is delicious! There are also rice bowl dishes, making it a restaurant that can be used for both lunch and dinner.

In early September 2022, for lunch. While browsing through Tabelog, I came across a photo of a Negitoro bowl with plenty of Negitoro on top, and it looked delicious so I decided to come here. The restaurant is located near Ogawamachi. I walked from JR Kanda, but it's still hot to walk around. I arrived a little after 1 pm and there were about 4 customers already there. It seems like it's a lull after the lunch rush. While I was eating, another group came in and there was one takeout order. It seems easy to get in at this time, but when I was leaving, they were already preparing to close, so I guess the last order is around 1:30 pm. I ordered the "Negitoro bowl" and you can hear the sound of tuna being chopped from the counter. It's nice to be able to have freshly made Negitoro. After a short wait, the dish arrived. It came with miso soup, pickles, and pickled ginger on the side. Just like in the photos I saw in reviews, there was a huge amount of tuna. It's as big as a baseball haha. First, I tried the Negitoro on its own with soy sauce, and it's mixed well with a good balance of paste-like texture and the outline of the fish. It's not the high-grade tuna like toro or otoro, but with this much, you can enjoy it without holding back, so the satisfaction level is high. Then I made wasabi soy sauce and poured it over the bowl. The rice is a gentle vinegared rice that doesn't overpower the tuna's flavor, which is nice. And since there's so much tuna, extra soy sauce is a must. I am completely satisfied with the tuna. According to the information from before the relocation, is lunch only available on weekdays? I'm not sure about now, but it would be even better if they also serve on Saturdays. I will definitely visit again.

Over the past 10 years, the price of fish has been steadily increasing. Recently, on TV, it was mentioned that the prices of the top 3 popular fish - salmon, tuna, and yellowtail - have increased by around 100 yen per 100 grams (about 30%) over the past 10 years. This increase in prices is mainly due to factors such as the scarcity of resources and changes in fishing yields. In Japan, there has been a trend of moving away from rice and fish in diets, but the issue of fish resources is also significant, especially with the high demand for popular fish species affecting price formation. In the midst of this, businesses focusing on utilizing the large amount of unused fish that is being discarded (some estimates say up to 30% of fishing yields) have been gaining attention in recent years, with ventures such as subscription services and online sales starting to emerge. Thinking about all this, I suddenly felt like eating fish one day and after exploring a new restaurant near my workplace, I came across this place located in a back alley in Ogawamachi, Kanda (address: Kanda Tsukasamachi 2-chome). The owner of this restaurant, Akio Numano, hails from Shizuoka's Yaizu, which boasts the highest fish haul in Japan. After graduating from university, Numano jumped into the food and beverage industry, but as his desire for independence grew, he began to consider returning to his hometown to start his own business. However, as he pondered various ideas, he felt a strong urge to offer affordable Yaizu tuna to the people of Tokyo, leading him to open a tuna izakaya in Kanda Ogawamachi 1-chome in 2008 (formerly Xibi). The name "Xibi" means "tuna" in Portuguese, so it's quite straightforward. Later, due to the demolition of the building, the shop was forced to relocate, and in December 2019, it reopened in a new location nearby, retaining the same name from the previous shop. The new location of the shop is just off Hongo Street, a short distance from "Ministop Kanda Mitodomachi Store," on the right after turning left at the intersection about 100 meters towards Sotobori Street. There is a popular tsukemen restaurant, "Tsukemen Kinryu," nearby. Recently, my workplace had a somewhat relaxed atmosphere after a major event, but such peaceful times never seem to last long. On this day, I had a busy morning with multiple consultations, so I ended up having lunch a bit late and visited this restaurant around 12:30. Although it was the peak lunch hour, the restaurant was surprisingly lively, with about 80% of the seats occupied. The interior of the restaurant has a kitchen on the right side with a counter seating for 6, and table seating for 16 on the left side. I was seated at the available counter seat. The shop is run by the owner, Mr. Numano, and a woman who appears to be his wife. There is a small lunch menu with photos on the table, which is very simple, consisting of only 5 types of rice bowls (all related to tuna) priced from 850 yen to 1,200 yen, which is reasonable for lunch. However, as a tuna specialty store, there are no premium cuts like chutoro, and the main menu consists of akami, bincho, and yukke. At that time, I didn't quite understand the menu strategy. I ordered the top menu item, the Sibi Don for 950 yen. The Sibi Don is a marinated rice bowl with tuna akami and bincho. It took quite a while to prepare, and after waiting for about 11 minutes, my Sibi Don was finally served. The Sibi Don consisted of 6 slices of tuna akami and bincho.

Xibi restaurant in Awajicho serves a delicious tuna bowl called Shibi Don. I had the large size with extra tuna head for an additional 200 yen, which cost 1150 yen in total. The bowl was beautifully presented with fresh binnaga and honmaguro tuna. It was so tasty! I highly recommend this place. Awajicho and Ogawamachi have so many great restaurants.

Today, the weather is nice so I decided to go to Xibi for lunch. After some hesitation, I ordered my usual tuna yukke bowl with a side of egg udon. When the food arrived, the tuna yukke was piled high as usual. It seemed like there was more yukke than rice! I topped the yukke with the sweet and savory sauce and daikon radish sprouts, and with each bite, I quickly felt full. The texture of the yukke seemed a bit different this time, but maybe it's just my imagination. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I saw a post from a foodie friend saying that Xibe, which had closed due to the demolition of the building in Kanda Ogawamachi, has reopened in Kanda Tsukijicho. I decided to give it another try and ordered the Chirashi Bowl for 950 yen with a free upgrade to a large size. The bowl came with marinated akami and binchotan tuna, accompanied by wasabi and pickled ginger. Adding a bit of wasabi on the rice and tasting the binchotan tuna, the richness of the fish spread in my mouth. Trying the akami next, the fresh akami from Yaizu had a sticky texture and the aroma of the seaweed on the rice filled my mouth. I enjoyed the side dish of wheat gluten and fish cake soup, as well as the pickles as a palate cleanser. Overall, it was a delicious meal.

I used to frequent this shop and wondered what happened to it after the old store closed due to building reconstruction. It turns out they relocated nearby. The new shop is three times bigger and has a very open and pleasant atmosphere. The tuna yukhoe bowl that I used to enjoy is still priced at 850 yen, or 900 yen with an egg added. The generous portion of tuna yukhoe with a slightly spicy Korean-style sauce is a great match. It's a bit salty, but still very satisfying. Next time, I'll try the spicy tuna bowl. Thank you for the meal.

Tuna specialty store! You can also use it as an izakaya at night, but lunch is also recommended. The tuna yukke and negitoro are very delicious, but the Xibi Don named after the restaurant is the best! The exquisite sauce is addictive.

I tried the Shibidon. It had akami and bintoro. Bintoro, I wonder if it's the fatty part of the albacore tuna? It was very tender, with a good amount of fat, making it easy to eat with rice. Thank you for the meal.

Xibi@Kanda Tsukasamachi Sibidon 950 yen

This was my second visit since they relocated, and the food is still delicious! Although it's a tuna-focused restaurant, all the dishes besides tuna have a nostalgic, comforting taste that is delicious! The wasabi skewers, tuna tempura salad, rice with egg, and the side dishes displayed in front of the counter were all tasty. The customers all seemed relaxed and comfortable, creating a cozy, homely atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer. I definitely want to go back again soon.