Shukuzu, Ningyocho (酒喰洲)

For a sizable segment of the Japanese population, the definition of ‘heaven’ would be ‘cheap drinks and cheaper fish’. Quality doesn’t necessarily enter into it, and standing up is fine too. So if you can offer decent produce across the board like Shukuzu, that’s a winner.

Standing isn’t really my thing, but I was here with Poshand, Woodfellow, and Chestnuts for a Tohoku benefit. That meant we didn’t get to sample the food menu on the wall here, but we did get to stand up with a bunch of our closest new friend.

And the owner and mama, who presides over everything with a slow, peaceful demeanor. You’ll get what you ordered, but she won’t make a big deal of confirming it or jumping to get it. Then again, there isn’t room to jump.

Being a special all-you-can event, we were limited to three varieties of the pretty good sake listed above her head. Needless to say, I had an amazing hangover the next day. Surprisingly, I only had thre drinks. I’d like to blame the fact that one of the varieties was not ‘pure rice’, but the problem is more likely in the 16-ounce paper cups that mama poured until they were almost ‘full’. As we say in my country, ooog.

The vegetarian-friendly menu for the event featured fish (and seriously, you could pay Y2.5k for that plate at many fine establishments all over the city; we had two of them between 4 people, and repeats of the two brown plates on the right too. I don’t think Tohoku got that much benefit from the event.), grilled lamb, grilled chicken (parts, mostly), and fried…meat. I thought it was chicken, Chestnuts later said it was tuna, but the relative difficulty of distinguishment is all you need to know.

Still, cheap drinks, decent food…see above definition. Now if you could just sit down, and not end up immobile.
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