TOKYO: Iroriya Higashiginzaten いろり家 東銀座店 2nd visit

Read about our first visit here ( click) 

Nick and I always love to find new restaurants to visit, hence we try to avoid going back to places we have already tried unless we REALLY LOVE it so so so much i.e Matsukan where we have not 1, not 2 but THREE posts. Check them out here Matsukan 1 ( click), Matsukan 2 ( click), Matsukan 3 ( click)

Of course need to find new places la, otherwise how will this blog survive? Nobody wants to read repeated post on a certain restaurant right? Unless the blog becomes an official website of the restaurant....

We had so much fun previously in Iroriya shouting " Yoisho" for the overflowing ikura don and we have been recommending this place to many of our friends who have also come back a few times bringing other friends. So yeah, this is a good restaurant worth coming back multiple times for. The only downside is that reservation is needed and they do not take reservation in English ): So yeah, I think the best thing to do is to get your concierge to book it for you if you're unable to hijack a native japanese on the streets to make that reservation call :p

And if you manage to make a reservation, there's both Japanese menu and English menu. I highly recommend you to take a look at the Japanese menu as well if you are alright with reading chinese characters.
The english and japanese menu are quite different. The english menu offers items that can be made/found every day i.e non seasonal, but the japanese menu changes daily depending on what they can find at the market. So for example, if there's a super highly energetic prawn which the chef deems will be excellent on the table, he will purchase it, it will be reflected on the Japanese menu but not the english.

Beer in an izakaya is a MUST!

 An example of what is on the Japanese menu and not on the english menu. Fresh oysters

Potato salad is really nice here 380yen

YOU MUST ORDER THIS YAM BALLS! 630 yen

You can either eat it as it is or wrap it up in Nori ( seaweed) with some wasabi

Shitake mushrooms - please do not eat the stalk lol

This 3 different types of clams is another example of what is on the Japanese menu but not the english menu

Grilled atka mackeral 930yen

Grilled chicken 1280yen

Broiled fish head 1280yen

This is SO good, I highly recommend everybody to order this

THE LEGENDARY OVERFLOWING IKURA DON

Large 3480yen

Agadeshi Tofu 

Another example of what's on the japanese menu but not the english

The starchy broth was really good

VERY VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PLACE ! And please remember to enthusiastically shout Yoisho for the overflowing ikura don if you don't want to end up with just white rice :p 

Iroriya Higashiginzaten いろり家 東銀座店

Ginza third hall 2 B1,3-11-11, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,104-0061

+81 3 3547 7901 ( they speak english) 

open everyday 6pm -3am except sat and sunday 6pm -11pm

TOKYO: Iroriya Higashiginzaten いろり家 東銀座店

Recently a new craze has appeared in Singapore - overflowing Ikura don.

I admit, I'm a trend chaser, I like to chase new things so that I can update my instagram and appear very cool hahaha. But unfortunately because I'm mostly based in Adelaide... which is a..... quiet a relaxing city.. I can't really pursue my hobby of trend chasing on a daily or weekly basis. 

So I just have to put in all my efforts when I'm travelling. 

I love Ikura. I love Ikura so much that whenever there's an Ikura sushi, Nick doesn't get to eat it. He probably hasn't eaten an ikura sushi for the last 7 years actually hahahahahaha. 

So when I heard about this izakaya with overflowing Ikura.. I was like NICHOLAS CHIA WE HAVE TO GO. STAT. 

Unfortunately, the first time we went, we were politely ushered out because they were all booked out.

I was so stressed that time, I remember looking thru all our dinner reservations and finding an empty dinner slot over the next few days. It's actually super difficult because if you see how I plan our travel itinerary, I usually have all our meals planned out with reservations confirmed at least a month before. That night was probably the only free night we didn't have a reservation for because we were meeting my friend for dinner. I can't remember which dinner we cut out in the end to make a booking for this place. I did not have any regrets. 

We highly recommended this place to some other friends who were recently in Tokyo and they also gave thumbs up for this place

How can you go to an izakaya  ( Izakayas are essentially Japanese taverns – drinking houses with a menu of small dishes for snacking while drinking. It literally means “stay sake shop” so traditionally this was a place where you could sit and drink on the premises. ... A place where you can linger with good friends, good food, and good drinks.) without drinking?

Food service may be a little slow, but please understand because there's only 1 chef cooking for the whole place !

starting my meal off with sashimi :D

 2 serves of vegetable and fruits is very important for a healthy diet ok?

Grilled Mushroom 

 YAM BALLS. SO GOOD

I am a huge fish eater, and this fish is so good! Nicholas and I were probably the most unskilled fish eater in this izakaya. We were peeling off the meat and taking the bone out of the meat and telling each other " eh eat fish don't talk" wah, there were so many small bones. Then from the corner of our eye, we saw 2 japanese ladies they just grab the 2 ends of the bones of the fish and lifted it up. and perfect, does not leave any small bones anywhere and you can enjoy your fish while eating without being scared of choking on a fish bone. 

Chicken looks ordinary but tasted really good

I have to say this beef also tasted so good

I was actually already very full, but HOW CAN I SAY NO TO OVERFLOWING IKURA DON WHICH IS WHAT I CAME HERE FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE ???

So it comes served as a bowl of plain rice. then the chef will shout something like ikura bowl i have no idea what is he shouting to be honest, then the service staff will come marching up with a gong and you have to chant after them. The louder you chant, the more scoops of ikura they give you. 

You better repeat "YOISHO" loudly then, otherwise if you're a shy patron you may end up with just white rice :/ heheheh

Iroriya Higashiginzaten いろり家 東銀座店

Ginza third hall 2 B1,3-11-11, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,104-0061

+81 3 3547 7901 ( they speak english) 

open everyday 6pm -3am except sat and sunday 6pm -11pm