Good

Excellent meal

「明神丸」 is on basement level 1 of パレスビル, directly connected to 竹橋駅. At 18 on a weekday, it was already completely full, including reservations. This lively 土佐 izakaya is enveloped in dramatic straw-grilling flames and fragrant smoke. My main target was the 「これやきセット（1,980円）」, offering an authentic taste of 高知. You can try both salted tataki and sauce tataki, but the salted version especially has wonderfully crisp, fragrant skin. Topped with sun-dried salt, sliced garlic, and wasabi, the thick, springy bonito fills your mouth with umami and makes you smile without thinking! A treasure trove of 高知 food, including the limited-quantity rare cut 「ハランボの藁焼き」 and 「炊き立てカツオ釜飯」, which is delicious a second way with dashi poured over it. With a yuzu highball in hand, this is a fantastic spot to fully enjoy a vacation feeling while still in 東京.

+3

Visited for lunch on a weekday. My first 明神丸 visit since ひろめ市場 in 高知. The flames rising from the straw grilling in the kitchen give it an exciting live-performance feel. The これやき定食 lets you try both salt and sauce versions; neither has bonito's characteristic fishiness, and both are delicious. The small dish of yuzu juice is a nice supporting touch. The slices are slightly different in thickness between the salt and sauce versions; I wonder if there's a reason? Well, who cares about the little details. Bonito tataki really makes you want a drink, so maybe I'll come in the evening after work next time.

At 明神丸, I enjoyed かつお三昧. In addition to salted tataki and sauce tataki, they said sashimi was available that day, so I ordered all three. As the photo shows, the sashimi was in good condition, and its freshness was clearly apparent. The salted tataki had a fragrant sear and a crisp saltiness, while the sauce tataki had pronounced sweetness and umami. Both had that “deliciousness characteristic of 明神丸,” and the combination of seared aroma and springy flesh made me feel that tataki really brings out bonito's appeal best. The sashimi was delicious, but compared with the tataki, its aroma and flavor definition were more subdued, leaving it a step behind. Comparing all three that evening reaffirmed “the strength of the salt and sauce tataki.