koutagawa
(12/15/2021) About a 5-minute walk from Yakuin Station, in the quiet residential area of Shirogane, there are many charming shops hidden away. Today, I will be visiting "Shimogama," a restaurant specializing in chawanmushi as their signature dish. While there is parking space in front of the entrance, if a car is parked there, the shop's face, adorned with a traditional Japanese umbrella often seen at tea ceremonies, may be hidden, causing some to overlook the shop. Upon opening the sliding door, you will find counter seats facing the kitchen and table seats, but despite being alone, I was able to secure a semi-private table in a slightly raised area. The lunch menu includes course meals that require reservations by the previous day, but I was there for their signature dish, the "Chawanmushi Set Meal," which comes with a rice bowl. The ingredients vary depending on the day's supply, and today's selection included sea bream, sea bass, amberjack, octopus, and shrimp on a seafood bowl that caught my eye. However, with three types of oyakodon available - the classic oyakodon, a white version with chicken meatballs using tofu and cheese, and a red version with a tomato base - I decided to go with the classic oyakodon. This oyakodon used chicken meatballs with a crunchy cartilage texture instead of chunky chicken, and the dish was so flavorful and delicious that I couldn't resist using a spoon to scoop up the juicy rice bowl. As for the chawanmushi, it is an original creation by the chef, who hails from Nagasaki and was inspired by the famous restaurant "Yoshimune." It contains 10 different ingredients such as chicken, shrimp, bamboo shoots, lotus root, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and ginkgo nuts, providing a delightful smooth and silky texture to savor. The broth is also richly flavored to complement the dish, allowing for a truly blissful dining experience.