Chanko Naruyama

After a long day of enjoying the wonders of the sea, urban hiking and a historic adventure into the life of a shogun, we were hungry.......

The pictures summarize our goal for the day.....to have our favorite chanko nabe in Japan.
























We returned to Chanko Naruyama in Asakusabashi again this year to visit with our friend Naruyama Taisho. The food is great but our friend Naruyama ("Taisho") and his staff make this meal truly special. The friendly atmosphere of this restaurant makes us local boys feel right at home. Naruyama Taisho always makes our visits memorable with his great food and hospitality.

Naruyama Taisho is a retired sumotori. He started his restaurant after retirement from the dohyo. His mother runs a more upscale chanko nabe restaurant sharing the name Naruyama.

As we walk under the noren, we are greeted with the fragrant aroma of the chanko nabe. The mix of vegetables, fish and meat make for a truly appetizing air.

Today we ordered a pre-set meal. We ate like.......rikishi.

We started out with a few small plates. This included a sea snail dish, some fish and pickles. We also each had a few plates of the freshest sashimi of the highest quality.

One of my favorites is the Katsuo no Tataki. This is a seared aku dish. Naruyama makes it with just the right combination of sauce (ponzu), garlic and onions. The flavors of his tataki accentuate the taste of the tuna. Most places just drown it. For myself, who enjoys eating aku, this tataki was cooked to perfection. The middle still had the deep red color and the fresh flavor of aku permeated with every bite.

Our next course was of course the chanko nabe. We shared two pots amongst us. One with miso and the other with a Kim Chee soup. Both overflowed with vegetables,pork tofu (and age) and chicken balls. I could not stop eating. The flavorful broth with the mixture of chicken, pork and vegetables was delicious. I had to stop myself to save soup for the one final course.

At Naruyama, you have a choice of either zosui (rice soup) or udon. We always choose udon to have with the broth. The udon in the chanko nabe is something I would take home if I were not travelling. I yearn for this after a night of drinking.

If you are ever in the Asakusabashi area, I would recommend Naruyama highly.

We were so stuffed, we decided to walk one station to Akihabara.

Gochandesu!!!!