The Amazing Sukiyaki at Asakusa Imahan
Today for lunch we wanted to venture out and try some legendary sukiyaki. The version we get in the states isn’t as refined as what you get in Tokyo. The quality of meat is higher, the service was impeccable, and having it dipped in raw eggs was supposed to be heavenly. I don’t think that last part would fly back home. But given the safety standards, in a country that serves poisonous fish without incident, I had to give it a try. That brings us to Asakusa Imahan.
The restaurant isn’t too far from the Asakusa station and away from the busy temple streets. When you come by you’ll see their menu posted on the wall. Unfortunately, it only helps if you can read Japanese. Don’t fret, they have English menus inside.
There were several lunch set options. They start at ¥3,800 for the basic sukiyaki set and go up from there. The differences are in extra dishes you get to the quality of beef. They have Kobe beef set here for ¥20,000. We did want fatty cuts but didn’t need the Kobe quality. so we got the Asakusa Imahan Special Lunch Gozen ¥10,000 per person, which includes appetizers, soup, sashimi, dessert, and either sukiyaki or shabu shabu,. Given the setup needed, each table can only pick one. And as you could guess, we got the sukiyaki.
Service was spectacular. Our waitress brought out each dish explaining the contents. When it came to the sukiyaki, she prepped the eggs and the stove. Then she made our first helping of this melt in your mouth wagyu. Oh, I was in love.
I really enjoyed this meal. It was a one of a kind experience and I will be looking forward to having it again. Now when is the next trip to Japan?
Asakusa Imahan (淺草今半 )
3 Chome-1-12 Nishiasakusa
Taito, Tokyo 111-0035, Japan
+81 3-3841-1114
www.asakusaimahan.co.jp
Verdict: The beef quality here is fantastic and I’d highly recommend it.
★ ★ ★ ☆
Ok, here’s the sukiyaki we all know and love. And exactly as you imagine, it was awesome. That sweet soy sauce soaked into those fresh vegetables and tofu. And of course, there’s the wonderful wagyu. I could hardly wait for this stuff to cook. There’s even some extra sauce on the side if things get low.
Here are the veggies you get to throw into the iron pot along with the tofu and rice cakes. What I really liked was the arugula. It added flavor rather than absorbing it.
As I mentioned, your server will serve you the first cut giving you a demonstration on what to do. It’s not too difficult. You do, however, want to be mindful of the sauce levels. If it starts to smoke, add more sauce.
Here’s the signature wagyu here. Look at that marbling. I can’t imagine having anything fattier. This stuff cooks so fast. It’s amazing.
Now the preparation for the sukiyaki come. It starts with these farm fresh eggs you’ll use to eat your beef with. Trust me, I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but it was so incredible. So hard to describe the velvety taste. You’re simply going to have to try it yourself.
If that cube of tuna wasn’t enough from the last dish, here was another, more royal piece swimming in a light soy sauce. I believe this may have been bluefin tuna given that deep red richness.
What a beautiful arrangement that was almost too pretty to eat. Luckily that didn’t hold me back from eating everything here. The edible flowers were a nice touch. Overall though, great selection of fish for this course.
I’m not usually in awe over soup, but this one was special. A delicate balance of summer vegetables with these unusual jelly like stems. It was a fascinating little bowl that I wanted more of. That’s doing it right.
Next up was this platter of seasoned cucumbers, grilled unagi nigiri, croquette, and what I can tell was some kind of jello. All pretty good and all getting things setup for the main event.
Here’s the start to the first set of appetizers to come. Small delicate cuts of fish, nicely grilled. Underneath were some seasoned jellyfish. It was a great little symphony of flavors punctuated by the mustard.