The restaurant stands quietly in Suehirocho, a short walk from Akihabara, situated very close to the Tsumakoi-zaka Hill crossing.
Ishibashi is the oldest sukiyaki restaurant in Tokyo which has been around since the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912). Established in 1872 as a butcher shop, Ishibashi started serving Sukiyaki in 1879. The quaint two-story building with traditional Japanese roof tiles, known as kawara, was rebuilt in 1950 after being destroyed in an air raid. The first-floor features a butcher shop, while the second floor is dedicated to dining. As you go through the sliding wood-framed shoji door, you will be guided up to a private room on the second floor. In a figurative sense, the ambience will throw you back in time, as if you had made a trip through a time tunnel.
The restaurant is run by Shinsuke Ishibashi, a fifth-generation chef, who, at the age of 25, took over the family business from his father, a fourth-generation chef. Shinsuke’s father instructed him to serve an apprenticeship in commerce before taking up the family business. This led Shinsuke to work for a travel agency upon graduating from university.
Most customers order the shimofuri (marbled beef) course which features the highest quality kuroge wagyu. Cooking will be done by the okami (proprietress) on an iron pan, which has been in use since 1950. The dish is prepared in the Kanto style by mixing warishita (a type of sweet sauce) with sugar, shoyu, mirin and sake. The warishita is simmered together with ingredients consisting of thinly sliced kuroge wagyu, grilled tofu, negi, shungiku (crown daisy), onions, enoki mushrooms, and shirataki noodles. The warishita is an establishment secret handed down only to the okami. To end the course, an exquisite egg rice (ojiya), is prepared utilizing leftovers from the iron pan. Don’t overlook the crispy scorched rice, known as "okoge," left on the bottom of the iron pan!
The restaurant, which has only private rooms, is ideal for entertaining business clients.
Reservation recommended!
昭和レトロな佇まいに懐かしさで、気持ちが和らぎました。すき焼きのお肉は霜降りとロースを頼みました。仲居さんが丁寧に一枚ずつ焼いて盛り付けてくれます。肉の厚み、柔らかさが最高に良く、美味しかったです。〆に食べるおじやは食べきれない場合はお持ち帰りにしてくれました。 お肉の販売は17時までなので、割下を買って帰りました。 Quote from Google Map Review
Photographers:raybrandeis
