Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2010

Photos by Keigo Moriyama

With the first cup of sake—a fruity Yuho junmai from Ishikawa (¥800), filled until it overflows into a catch-all cedar box—comes an otoshi of ankimo miso: a salty, savory, seamless blend of foie gras-like monkfish liver and miso paste spread onto a cool cucumber slice. One bite, and it’s clear this guy knows what he’s doing.

That guy is chef Agawa, in his blue samue work clothes, standing behind the long black lacquered hinoki counter, silently wielding metal chopsticks to arrange a grilled fish just so on a plate while watching over everything to make sure his customers are satisfied.

They are. It’s 7pm and the place is full, as it is almost every night. The food here is familiar yet inventive, and served in generous portions at reasonable prices. Agawa’s sake and shochu list is well-selected, as is the short wine list. Most people take their time ordering a dish at a time to match their mood or the sake they’ve selected.

The regular menu includes standard fare such as yakitori, shioyaki sakana or yaki onigiri, but the special daily menu features about 30 dishes based on the season’s best offerings.

Most people order a big white bowl of avocado-rice salad—a creamy, tart, smoky mix of diced yellowtail sashimi, avocado, tobiko (flying fish roe) and rice flecked with a green confetti of chopped chives (¥900). Another popular dish is the wagyu beef tataki. The cool slices of marbled beef, lightly grilled on the outside, are richly flavored with a yuzu and black pepper sauce accented with sliced myoga and daikon sprouts (¥1,500).

On cold evenings, try the small nabe of chicken tsukune with watercress and tofu and a condiment of yuzu kosho powder; the succulent meatballs are studded with chunks of crunchy lotus root (¥1,200). Some other dishes guaranteed to take the chill off your bones are the daikon and oysters simmered with yuzu miso (¥900); buta bara-niku (pork belly) slowly simmered with daikon (¥1,000); and buri shioyaki, yellowtail filet, with a squeeze of sudachi and a side of roughly grated daikon (¥800). With the fish, try a glass of Kikunoi junmai sake from Shizuoka (¥800).

The yaki onigiri here are really “yaki.” Chef Agawa expertly tends to each carefully formed ball of rice as yellow tongues of flame lick up and around it, charring it slightly on the top and bottom (¥300). Try one with a bowl of housemade pickles dusted with freshly ground sesame seeds.

Agawa is a friendly place. The soft light of two paper lanterns frames the counter in a golden glow. Later in the evening, you can snag a spot or two there without a reservation.