masa84mo10
"Okoge" [Asagaya/Monjayaki] On Saturday night, I went out for dinner in Asagaya on my way back home. It happened to be during the Tanabata festival, and the unexpected crowd was quite a sight. I learned that this festival has been organized by the shopping street since Showa 29 (1954), and they had photos from the very first festival on display. The distinctive feature was the handmade paper-mache decorations put up every year. My goal was to try a meat bar, but I hadn't made a reservation, so I had to give up on that. I noticed a Monjayaki restaurant nearby and decided to check it out. There was a line outside, but I noticed some empty seats inside, so I thought I could get in quickly and joined the line. As I was looking at the restaurant from outside and wondering why the tables weren't getting cleared, I realized that the staff here were busy because they cook both Monjayaki and Okonomiyaki for customers. After waiting for a while, I finally got inside. While cooking an appetizer, I enjoyed a Hakushu Highball with cucumber and umeshiso. The first dish to be cooked was Baby Star Monjayaki. It tasted even better when the staff cooked it. Next was Tonpei-yaki. To my surprise, instead of the dish being brought to the table, they placed pork belly, raw egg, green onions, and tempura scraps on the table, and then they started cooking it right in front of us. It quickly turned into a perfect Tonpei-yaki. This restaurant prides itself on its seafood, being an old wholesaler from Tsukiji. So, I also ordered Seafood Ajillo. And Modern Yaki, of course, which was also prepared right at our table. Finally, we ended the meal with Black Honey Kinako Vanilla Ice Cream. The service and efficiency of the floor staff were excellent, and overall, it was a very satisfying experience for a walk-in restaurant.