Three nights at the seafood capital of Matsue, and we managed to sample two of the city's oldest Izakaya, or Japanese gastropubs, including one of the most anticipated eateries of our entire 16-day trip. Not cheap, but definitely worthwhile. The first restaurant is essentially by reservation only, as it is well-known to be fully booked most nights of the year.
Food Review: KAWAKYO (Matsue)
Address: Suetsugu-Honmachi 65, Matsue-shi, Shimane Prefecture
Hours: 18:00-22:30, Monday to Saturday
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: From the train station, walk west for two blocks and turn north, crossing the Shin-Ohashi bridge. After the bridge, turn left at the traffic light (2nd block). Kawakyo is about 300m down the street, on the left hand side.
This was one of the toughest reservations to make for our 16-day West Japan trip. I had to call from Canada, in my broken Japanese, two weeks ahead of departure. And sure enough every available seat was booked on the night of our visit, exactly as I had been warned by Japanese websites.
With empty beer crates and buckets haphazardly stashed at its scruffy storefront, this inconspicuous Izakaya has been a Matsue institution for nearly 50 years, serving Japanese celebrities and local foodies alike. Aside from the paper lantern and stacks of menu sheets, a permanent fixture at the door is a sign that states "Reserved Guests Only" in Japanese.
"Yoyaku no Gaikokujin desu." We're the foreigners who made reservation, I proclaimed as we took the last two spots at this cramped L-shaped counter with only 10 seats to be realistic, or perhaps 12 if everyone gets cozy. Between a couple of friendly Obasan to our left, two half-drunk salarymen at the opposite end and a live baseball game on TV, it doesn't get much more authentic than this.
We barely sat down when the chef's Okusan presented this curious plate of starters: roasted Firefly Squids (Hotaru Ika) from the nearby coastline, Edamame beans with Katsuobushi shavings, and roasted Wakame seaweed from the secluded Oki Islands, 80km to the north in the middle of the ocean. Definitely much more exotic than your typical Izakaya fare in Tokyo or Osaka!
We took the hint from the locals and ordered the so-called B Course, which turned out to be an extraordinary feast of Matsue's regional seafood in the chef's own interpretation, starting with this plate of Unagi-no-Tataki. These freshwater eels were steamed, hand-minced and combined with green scallions and a generous helping of Tonburi caviar that lent its caper-like sharpness to an unconventional and delicious dish.
This was just 10 days into the annual Matsuba-gani Crab season, and our chef had generously allocated a half crab for every two diners in this lavish plate of appetizers. Snow crab season is always a major event anywhere along the Sea of Japan coast, and when paired beside these alluring crab legs and crab caviar (Kanimiso), the gigantic Baigai conch almost became an afterthought.
Goose barnacles, known locally as Kame-no-Te or turtle hands, is one of those extremely rare delicacies that we had never seen elsewhere in Japan. Nothing more than a little Sashimi soy sauce was needed to bring the mild sweetness out of its chewy, Hokkigai-like texture.
Adding to the eccentricity of the tiny Izakaya, once in a while the chef would come out from behind the counter, megaphone in hand, to welcome every guest and introduce the local ingredients behind his dishes. Unfortunately I took no photos as my fingers were all sticky from peeling the sweet, firm flesh out of our Matsuba-gani crab.
Arriving next was arguably the Matsue's best known dish, local Shijimi clams harvested from Lake Shinji, steamed in a thick broth and served as a traditional hangover cure. Said to be rich in taurine, these clams are treasured by the Japanese for fortification of liver functions and are often concentrated into health supplement pills. The taste? Slightly underwhelming for such a highly anticipated dish to be honest.
My favorite dish of the night was this exceptional Sashimi plate of local catches: Sazae conch, my first taste of the Aji-like Shiira (mahi-mahi), Hiramasa (kingfish) and generous cuts of Hagatsuo (bonito) topped with the spiciest Yuzukosho paste I've ever had. That's a combination of rare regional fishes that one simply won't find in Tokyo, at first-rate freshness coming straight from the fishing boats.
I especially enjoyed the Sazae's deep, concentrated Umami flavor and crunchy bite, though my wife found the texture to be a too tough for her preference. But there's no disagreement on how perfectly it went with a sip of the local brew, a homemade Umeshu (plum wine) in my wife's case and a glass of Junmai Ginjo sake (a rare Oki Homare from the offshore islands) in mine.
In addition to the abundance of Matsuba-gani crabs and other catches from the Sea of Japan, what makes Matsue special to seafood lovers is the so-called Seven Delicacies of Lake Shinji, harvested from the shallow waters of Japan's largest brackish lake. At this point we already had the Unagi and the Shijimi clams, and a third traditional delicacy would arrive inside this fascinating package.
Gently roast-steamed inside an wrapping of Washi paper was another of Matsue's signature dishes, the centuries-old recipe of Suzuki Hoshoyaki or Sea Bass Roasted in Hosho Paper. While the flaky mild flesh went well with the conventional dipping of Momiji-oroshi and green scallions, I couldn't help detecting that slight "muddy flavor" in the meat. While this was likely the most prestigious dish aside from the Matsuba-gani, it was ironically the only dish that I didn't thoroughly appreciate.
Much more memorable to my tastebuds was another of the Seven Delicacies, flavorsome Kawaebi shrimps deep-fried to a delectable crisp to be consumed whole. Served with the freshwater shrimps was a surprisingly spicy version of local Kamaboko fish cake known as Akaten, designed to pair perfectly with some smooth Jizake wine. We actually had more than our own share as the neighboring gracious Obasan shared with us some of her own. Arigatou gozaimashita!
Remember the Shijimi clams from earlier? The remaining juices from the clams were added to the soupbase in this filling rice porridge, served with homemade Tsukemono pickles as a conclusion to this authentic feast of local seafood ... in a city famous within Japan for its local seafood! After 46 years this family-run Izakaya had become a minor legend in Matsue, and with good reason.
After dinner we stayed behind and chatted with the friendly chef and his daughter -- her in broken English and myself in broken Japanese -- who were intrigued to learn how two Canadians managed to find their phone number on the Japanese side of the Internet. To our surprise she started pouring us two small glasses of sweet local Doburoku on the house. For the first time ever my wife actually enjoyed unfiltered Sake, in this case a local brew curiously named Okuizumo D-269, as it went down somewhat like a cloudy Margarita, only sweeter and richer in flavor.
As we walked out the chef's daughter gave us these two seasonal persimmons as a parting souvenir, and at the same time I tried to thank them for one of our best dinners anywhere in Japan. The initial confusion and difficulties of calling from overseas for reservation turned out absolutely worthwhile for the parade of unforgettable dishes, including the half Matsuba-gani crab, the superb Sashimi platter and the Unagi-no-Tataki, for 4230 yen per person. Aside from the butcher shop / Wagyu beef restaurant of Kitagaki, this is my other recommendation for dinner in beautiful Matsue. Gochisosama Sonoyama-san!.
Bill for Two Persons
| "B" Course | 4230 yen |
| "B" Course | 4230 yen |
| Oki Homaru (Glass) | 650 yen |
| Homemade Umeshu (Glass) | 500 yen |
| Tax | 768 yen |
| TOTAL | 10378 yen (CAD$122) |
Two nights later we visited another long-standing Izakaya in Matsue. Reservation was not required and the food wasn't quite as meticulously prepared, but it did serve the one seasonal ingredient we craved, at very reasonable prices.
Food Review: HAKATA (Matsue)
Address: Isemiya-cho 517, Matsue-shi, Shimane Prefecture
Hours: 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-23:00, Daily
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: From the train station, walk west along the main road for one block then turn right at the San'in Godo Bank. Turn left after two small blocks into a rowdy little alley with neon signs overhead (and ladies in little clothing standing on the sidelines). Don't be deterred -- Hakata is on the left after about 50m.
Positioned in the midst of night clubs and hostess bars at the heart of Matsue's infamous pleasure district, Hakata is yet another 40-year-old fixture in Matsue's surprisingly competitive dining scene. Customers must first navigate past the distracting ladies along the alley, the kitschy music at the front door and a whole wall of haphazardly plastered menus, before entering a restaurant that turns out amazingly normal and sterile.
Among numerous seafood Izakaya in the same block -- the respected Teresuko being one of them -- we chose Hakata for one simple reason: cheap Matsuba-gani crabs hauled in daily from the nearby fishing port of Sakaiminato during harvest season. Prices ranged from 2800 yen for smaller crabs to a cool 15800 yen for ginormous ones, with the choice of Sashimi, Boiled, Yaki-gani (barbequed) or Kani-nabe (hotpot).
We might never revisit the San'in Coast during Matsuba-gani crab season again, we reasoned, and decided to splurge on two(!) crabs, one for Sashimi and one for Kani-nabe, at the cheapest price of 2800 yen each. And to take our crab feast to the max, we even started with several crab-themed starters such as this Chawan-mushi topped with crab leg.
Cholesterol intake notwithstanding, one of my usual indulgences is the Kanimiso, a luscious mixture of crab caviar and meat that typically accompanies Sake in Japan and incorporated into soup dumplings (i.e. XLB dumplings) in Eastern China. While these mild-tasting snow crab roes would never quite compare to the sweet, gelatinous mouthfeel of the golden-and-white caviar in mitten crabs (see our visit to a crab farm at Yangcheng Lake), at a cheap 430 yen (CAD$5) this was satisfying enough.
After a cheap (280 yen) but underwhelming Cream Croquette with Crab Filling, our waitress appeared again with the first of our two Matsuba-gani crabs ...
... half unshelled in Sashimi form. This was less than two weeks since the start of the annual Matsuba-gani season which runs from early November until mid March. Purposely unremoved from one of the legs was a little tag that certified the crab's fishing port of origin -- this one did hail from Sakaiminato, 20km northeast of Matsue and well-known as the snow crabs capital of Japan.
My first taste of Matsuba-gani Sashimi wasn't quite as sweet as, and much slimier than, I had imagined. While the mild Umami flavor still went well with my glass of fruity Junmai Ginjo, I probably would have spent my 2800 yen on a barbecued crab in retrospect.
Aside from Matsuba-gani crabs we ordered two more daily catches from the fishing boats of Sakaiminato, starting with this Aji Tsukuri served with the standard condiment of grated ginger, for 680 yen (CAD$8).
And a whole Shiro-ika squid at the same price. Despite Hakata's claim of daily deliveries from the fishing port, the freshness of their Sashimi was certainly a notch below Kawakyo from two nights ago.
Just before the arrival of our second crab, the waitress showed up with the kitchen's choice of Tempura Mori. Apparently our chef was confident enough to skip the Tentsuyu sauce and provided nothing but dipping salt and Oroshi radish. This was indeed better than the earlier Crab Croquette, and set the stage for ...
Our Kani-nabe hotpot with our second Matsuba-gani crab: claws, legs, roes and all, served with the typical assortment of cabbages, tofu, harusame noodles, bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms.
And it was worth the wait for what turned out to be the best dish of the night, by far! While the Umami flavor of the broth was tempting enough on its own, it was the distinctive aroma of the Yuzu citrus in the Ponzu that really accentuated the sweetness in any fresh crab. To be honest this was probably the only dish worthwhile of recommendation that evening. Oh well, better late than never.
Bill for Two Persons
| Matsuba-gani Crab (Kani-nabe) | 2800 yen |
| Matsuba-gani Crab (Sashimi) | 2800 yen |
| Crab Chawan-mushi x 2 | 760 yen |
| Crab Cream Croquette x 2 | 560 yen |
| Crab Caviar | 430 yen |
| Whole Squid (Tsukuri) | 680 yen |
| Whole Aji (Tsukuri) | 680 yen |
| Tempura Mori | 880 yen |
| Junmai Ginjo (1-Go) | 650 yen |
| Umeshu (Glass) | 500 yen |
| TOTAL | 10740 yen (CAD$126) |
There you have it, contrasting reviews of the two most expensive meals on our 16-day trip, at nearly 5500 yen per person including drinks. One was my favorite restaurant in Matsue and was worth every single yen; the other I wouldn't recommend outside of snow crab season. You know which one was which.
