Tsugumi-an

This is one of the top three Eal restaurants according to the Japanese foodie website tablelog and absolutely worth your trip. If you like Eel, this is the place you should visit, even if it is a bit of a commute.

Please beware however that you will need a reservation in order to eat there and the person on the phone only speaks Japanese.

Reservations accepted per day are extremely limited, with a maximum of 2 groups of 4 people for day and night.
Honestly, the ingredients used are normal, and even though the cooking is done over a gas fire instead of charcoal, it takes a lot of time and effort to bring out the dishes that make you think, "Huh!?"
I'm even impressed by the kabayaki, which has no small bones.

"Tsugumi-an" is a restaurant where you can eat chicken and eel dishes, located a 7-8 minute walk from Komagome Station on the JR Yamanote Line. It was closed for a long time until it reopened in May 2022.

The store is only open for three days on weekends. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to make reservations, as it is limited to one group (two people) each for lunch and dinner.

On this day, two of us made a reservation at 12:00 on Saturday.

The shop is run in a corner of an old private house. From the counter seats, you can watch your meal being prepared by the chef and his wife.

The only menu available for both lunch and dinner is the Omakase Course (14,000 yen including tax).

The lineup of Omakase courses is as follows:
■Appetizers - Soaked cucumber, pot-fried whitebait, mullet and dried squid, pickled wasabi, and shallots.
■Yakitori-Liver-
■Yakitori-chicken wings-
■ Grilled eel fillet and liver
■ Grilled eel from chestnuts
■Shirayaki eel
■Unaju
■Suimono/Pickles
The course started with an assortment of appetizers that went perfectly with alcohol, followed by two yakitori dishes and four eel dishes, including eel jus.

When I asked the owner why he was serving yakitori, he told me that when he first opened the restaurant, he used to cook and sell wild bird thrush instead of eel dishes, and as a result of that tradition, he still serves yakitori today. It seems that there are.

The ``liver'' was ``pretty'' and had no odor, and was delicious with a rich flavor that filled your mouth.

"Chicken wings" are served with the bones removed. The "crispy" texture of the skin was addictive, and the amount of salt was perfect. I would like to order more if possible.

``Unagi no Kurikarayaki'' is a dish made by wrapping eel end meat around a skewer and grilling it. It was delicious with a chewy texture and an easy-to-eat taste with no bitterness.

``Shirayaki eel'' comes in two types: the fatty belly part and the bland tail part. I ate it with salt and Japanese pepper instead of wasabi.

The main dish, ``Unajyu,'' is a Kanto-style dish that is steamed and then grilled. Also, after the eel is grilled, the bones are carefully pulled out with tweezers before being served. When eating Kanto-style eel jus, you are often concerned about the bones, but you can eat Tsugumi-an's eel jus without worrying at all.

The eel was grilled over gas rather than charcoal, but that didn't bother me at all. According to the general, adding charcoal to the water used to cook rice neutralizes the distinctive gas smell when you eat it.

Despite being such a legendary restaurant, I was moved by the way the owner and his wife put the customers first, such as saying, ``We apologize for the expensive lunch.''

If I can go this year, I would like to visit again.