Denbe Kura, Ebisu 伝兵衛蔵、恵比寿

Kyushu ryori is a favourite. The combination of the usual subtle Japanese flavours with stronger ones makes for nice change now and then. The chance for some horsemeat should never be missed either.

Denbe Kura, an izakaya specialising in the cuisine of Kyushu surrounded by love hotels and Indian restaurants just a couple of minutes from the west exit of Ebisu station, provides a pleasant atmosphere, good food and slow service. The basashi, while being far superior to that on offer at Nakano’s Tabaruzaka, is not quite of the same standard as that at Bakuro, another splendid izakaya in Ebisu specialising in horsemeat.

Overall, Denbe Kura is far better than its surroundings might suggest. The interior is suitably dark and intimate, heavy wooden beams and equally solid looking rough-hewn tables dominate the dining area, while along the left of the space a long polished counter lined with colourful shochu bottles looks on to the open kitchen. Another feature of the counter are the little dishes bearing a rabbit motif set into the concrete below the counter shelf. Cute.

My dining partner and I arrived just before 7:45pm, without a reservation, and managed to secure a place at the counter. By 8pm, people were being turned away at the door. The crowd was fairly lively, trending toward those in their middle age rather than a younger cohort. The service, although polite, was painfully slow, especially in terms of the delivery of drinks. At least twice the staff forgot my order entirely. Despite this, all was not lost as the food went a good way to making up for the tardiness of the service.

Enjoying the long-awaited beer, the meal itself kicked off with an o-toshi of ganumo doki, fried tofu with pickled aubergine. Small, tasty, but perhaps a little plain, as fried tofu is wont to be. The menu is generally quite interesting, with plenty of Kyushu favourites to be had. Shochu also takes centre stage, and being that I know nothing about it, except that it makes my head hurt, I relied on the waiting staffs’ recommendations. First of all I had the Umi, which was described as being “easy to drink and not rough.” It came, after what seemed like an eternity, in a luscious looking blue bottle. Served on the rocks, it was certainly refreshing, and indeed was actually quite drinkable.

I couldn’t resist the Kyushu meibutsu moriawase (selection of Kyushu specialities), which turned out to be a large plate of assorted Satsuma-age – takanazuke, karashi renkon, mentaiko, kininabo and tsukiami – tastefully arranged. The karashi renkon was excellent, being perfectly crunchy and the mustard very hot. The mentaiko was of course hateful, although the kibinabo (little fish on skewers) were wonderfully chewy and flavoursome. In all, this was a nice dish, it certainly looked nice, although I would have been happier if there had been a bit more of it.

The basashi was good. Opting for the akami, it turned out be a gorgeous deep red, cut in thick, succulent slices served with the usual sliced daikon, ginger, shiso leaves and spring onion. Some of the best basashi I’ve had in Tokyo at any rate, although I would have liked it to be served with garlic. It’s always a good idea to be “healthy,” when indulging in izakaya, so in order to tick that particular box a salad seemed in order. A very simple, dynamic (i.e. big and chunky) affair, it was nothing more than tofu, tomato and lettuce smothered in goma (sesame) dressing. Hardly exciting, but it tasted good all the same.

Some rather non-descript shochu, the Tanabata, left me no choice but to try another, the Satsuma Ogojo, which was stronger tasting, a little too much so, and resulted in my returning to beer and the promise of a splitting headache the following morning.

Returning to the menu, we decided on some Kyushu gameni, basically a selection of somewhat uninspiring nimono (simmered foods) – carrot, renkon, gobo, imo and chicken – in a tasty broth. Again, this was little on the small side, and the chicken was very, very bland. Finally, some sui-gyoza in a misty-white tonkotsu (pork) soup riddled with onion and leaks. This was great, and again left me wanting more.

Denbe Kura is a pleasant enough izakaya, and worth the visit. The food is a little hit and miss, but generally pleasing. The basashi stood out in particular. For those who like to drink, in can be a little pricey. The service is painfully slow, but the atmosphere makes up for it. Will visit again.

Tel: 03-3711-7100 

Bakuro, Ebisu 馬喰ろう、恵比寿

Fortunately, my initial introduction to the delights of horsemeat occurred in Kumamoto, Kyushu, a region famed for the high quality and abundance of the rich tasting flesh.  There, heaps of the stuff, thickly cut and yet still tender, are served with garlic and ginger. Unfortunately my introduction was begun with basashi (raw horsemeat or “horsemeat sashimi” as some would have it), and delightful though that is, did not extend to the pleasures of cooked varieties.

Even more unfortunately, Tokyo is not renowned for either the quality or quantity of the servings of basashi, when it is available at all. The supposedly “excellent,” but actually rather mundane, Tabaruzaka in Nakano serves up miserly slices of the stuff, for instance, although Ebisu’s Denbe Kura provides a somewhat more generous plate.

As fortune would have it, however, another Ebisu izakaya, Bakuro, goes a long way to redressing the lack of quality horsemeat, both raw and cooked, and in an interesting variety of cuts.

Located just a stones throw from the west exit of Ebisu station, behind the Daimaru Peacock supermarket, this small izakaya is easily located and instantly recognizable for its rather charming façade of lattice and wooden panelling. Stepping in, I was immediately informed by a somewhat worried looking waiter that “this shop serves horsemeat, is that ok?” to which a replied “well that’s just what we’ve come for.” Such cultural divides safely bridged, I took a quick glance around the ground floor, utterly devoid of customers – to my horror – and rather Spartan. Thankfully, my dining partner and I were swiftly ushered upstairs (which are perilously steep, especially for dining partners fond of high heels) to the far more cosy confines of several semi-private dining areas, separated each from the other by dark wood lattices, shochu bottle-lined shelves, and various rustic looking horse themed decorations. 

Beers served, along with a delicious otoshi of rocket greens (these accompanied just about everything as it would turn out) topped with a kind of mayonnaise salad of sweet corn and some other bean, we spent quite some time browsing the menu. Although one might argue that vegetables and salads are perhaps underrepresented, there is a vast array of fried, charcoal grilled and boiled dishes available, as well as a gorgeous looking nabe (hot pot). As expected the main focus is on horsemeat. Lots of it, and to my uneducated eyes rather bewildering.

Determined as I was to sample the cooked meat, I couldn’t resist trying the basashi, as that would serve as my basis of comparison and, moreover, a variety of different cuts were on the menu. Taking the easy way out, we ordered the basashi moriawase, consisting of three reasonable slices of five different basashi. All were excellent. The usual rich red kind, a slightly buttery bacon-like offering, another slightly marbled beef-like one, and two waxy, heavily marbled varieties. All were taken with grated garlic, ginger or wasabi and dipped in soy sauce. 

After several beers (reasonably priced I might add), I skipped over the sake selection in favour of the shochu, which are abundant due to the Kyushu theme of the place. Knowing less than nothing about the drink, and still less than sure that I actually like the stuff, I went for the Tanabata just because I could read the kanji. Verdict? Not too bad, although as usual it disappeared far to quickly and left me feeling a little light headed.

Next up was the karubi (belly meat), charcoal grilled, sliced, topped with spring onion and served with rocket greens, salt, wasabi and lemon. Delightfully pink, tender and succulent, my only complaint would be that there should have been more of it. The highlight of the evening, especially if judged by the beaming smile of my dining partner, was the horsemeat karaage. Just like the chicken variety (i.e. like KFC), this was horsemeat fried in a light batter. Actually, the batter was very, very light, and oily in a good way. The meat itself was superb. Truly delicious. Lightly seared on the outside, the middle had a wonderful purple hue that reminded me of katsuo tataki. I could have had this again, and again and again.

Throughout the evening the service was excellent. The staff all looked barely out of nappies, with plenty of spiky quiffs, which made the prompt, well-spoken delivery of the waiters all the more surprising. The atmosphere was good enough – cosy, warm and fairly lively as the night went on. The cleverly concealed toilet door also provides added mirth…

I loved Bakuro. I will return again soon. And then probably some more. The menu is packed with delicious sounding dishes, and as my appetite declines as the years add up I’m not able to sample enough in one sitting. So, good location, good atmosphere, good service and excellent food, with plenty to draw you back for more. Well-priced too. Surprisingly so. Splendid!

Tel: 03-5459-8348

Tabaruzaka, Nakano 田原坂、中野

Nakano offers up another fine izakaya, specializing in Kumamoto style dishes, a little short of ten minutes stroll from the station, on Waseda Dōri. Named after the hill in Kumamoto prefecture upon which ‘The Last Samurai’, Saigo Takamori, fought one of the bloodiest campaigns of his Satsuma Rebellion, Tabaruzaka provides a good selection of shōchū, a few decent sakes, such as the Bishōnen, and tasty dishes that differ from the usual Tokyo fare.

The building itself is instantly recognizable for its old-fashioned white plaster namako kabe, diamond patterned, walls. Stepping through the dark entrance reveals a large open plan room; wood panels covered in yellowing hand written menu entries, fading photos, reproductions of Taishō period beer advertisements, and rows of small tables and chairs around a counter before the kitchen area. Everything about the interior décor and atmosphere of the place suggests times gone by, the recent past, better times. Charming in its simplicity, the reality is that Tabaruzaka is a bit shabby. Faded, like the photographs adorning the walls. Not that this in any way does the izakaya a disservice. Indeed the ambience created, in addition to the somewhat brusque welcome and treatment at the hand of the mistress of the house, all adds to the flavour. 

Although the place was heaving upon our arrival, service was prompt. The mistress was a little too impatient when taking our orders and the food arrived almost a little too quickly for my liking. Initial bottles of cold Yebisu beer were accompanied by an otsumami, appetizer, of komatsuna ohitashi, a green spinach like vegetable cooked in fish stock laced with soy sauce and mirin. Of the many dishes on offer, my dining partners and I readily agreed that the Kumamoto basashi, slices of raw horsemeat with grated garlic, ginger and soy sauce, was a must. Undoubtedly tasty and fresh it failed, however, to match the genuine article. Each slice was almost painfully thin, and small in all dimensions, compared with the thick juicy slices I have enjoyed in Kumamoto. Still, it is often said to be near impossible to find decent basashi in Tokyo, and that served at Tabaruzaka goes some way to dispelling the myth.

A delightfully hot karashi renkon, crunchy sliced renkon stuffed with a miso and mustard paste, came with a heat warning, while the kaisen sarada, seafood salad – a quotidian affair consisting of sashimi, lettuce and a forgettable dressing – came with a ‘but it’s raw fish’ warning aimed at the gaijin, myself, in the party. A literally steaming buri-daikon, stewed daikon and yellowtail, was delicious with the fish itself being particularly tender. In many ways the atmosphere, or rather perhaps the smell, of the place brings to mind Okajōki, another Nakano favourite. As the evening progressed the volume of customers thinned out and service provided by younger members of staff was friendlier. Throughout the meal the heavy-browed jowly face of Saigo-san glared down at us. Dining under his portrait was certainly a first.

An interesting izakaya, Tabaruzaka’s best feature is the regional, Kumamoto style, flavour and dishes. Not as wonderful as I had hoped, but enjoyable all the same. 

Tel: