Receta [TOKYO] Day 20: Tsukiji Restaurant GEN-CHAN – awesome raw fish, shrimp and egg bowls
Dear Food Diary:
I’ve been here for almost 3 weeks and visited AkibaIchi UDX a handful of times. Every time I walk by Tsukiji Restaurant Gen-Chan, it always seems to be crowded. The vibe is super friendly and so are the prices.
The huge posters of awesome raw fish, shrimp and eggs bowls outside are as alluring as the teenage boy band posters I had on my bedroom wall. (NKOTB if you need to know)
As the name suggests, the ingredients here are fresh from the Tsukiji Fish Market.
No English menu but the photos and waiters try real hard to help.
Yuzu sake, so refreshing and summery. My drink of choice. Alcohol in Tokyo is fairly inexpensive, no wonder people get wasted left and right. I’ve seen it mid afternoon.
This is their Nigiwai set for about $11.
The bowl is topped generously with chopped tuna, salmon, mini shrimp and fish. Seaweed, pickles and a raw egg over a warm plump and fluffy rice.
First step is to toss it with some special sweet soy, and enjoy the mix as is. Second step, you pour a tea fish broth over it and drink it like soup rice. I’m not sure why they also have miso soup, seems redundant to me.
The sweet soy is low in sodium but it adds a really nice sweetness to the fresh ingredients.
A really messy Japanese style cold “paella” if you will. The flavors and textures are so naughty and fun. Umami drapes the tongue as you go through sweet, melt in your mouth textures of the fish and refreshingly crunchy pieces of sweet pickle. Toasted seaweed strips interfere with salty moments as scallions brightened the mouthful. I couldn’t stop eating it.
There was a lot of rice and I finished it all…
A closer look at the sexy mix. It still amazes me at how disproportianate the price is compared to the quality, not to mention how ridiculously delicious it is. Proving once again, you don’t have to break the bank to eat well in Tokyo.
The next step was to pour that nice hot broth into the bowl along with some of these toasted puffs.
The mixture is so soothing. And though I didn’t care for the chopped fish in my rice soup, the little fish and seaweed worked prefectly. Love the toasty crunch in between slurps.
The Uzu set is essentially snapper sashimi with Japanese sesame dressing. This wasn’t on their regular menu, but as a special on the poster by the window instead.
Fresh meaty pieces of fish, smothered with a sweet soy sesame sauce/paste. Topped with scallions and sesame. Seaweed and pickles on the side. $12.
It had a real creamy feel to it and I didn’t miss wasabi or soy sauce at all, which is a first for me. Raw fish in a new form. Nothing overly citrusy or strong. Just a mild aromatic sauce to compliment the delicate fish.
As with the other set, you get to eat it as it is and then pour broth over it. I think it balances all the cold food, with that tummy warming feeling at the end of the meal.
The yarn looking seaweed was a bit dry but worked really nicely in the soup as it absorbed all that yummy liquid. The broth itself is sweet and savory umami. I like ending a meal this way. Actually, I remember doing this as a kid, with pork or chicken soup my mama made. It’s a Chinese thing to end the meal with soup, at least at home.
For the less adventurous, they also have these beautiful seafood bowls. Raw and broiled. Loaded with freshness from $13-$23.
Prices are reasonable and quality is good. The rice as with most places in Tokyo is phenomenal. Did I mention I ate all of it?
This is a great place for a quick casual meal if you are around Akihabara and shopping at Yodabashi. Since it’s so close to us, I will be back for sure.
P.S. Chubby’s Rating: www.udx-akibaichi.jp
(by Akiharabara Station)