Lamb Shabu

I honestly cannot say enough about the restaurant scene in Japan. It’s diverse, it’s high in quality, and you will find great places to eat everywhere you go. And when I say everywhere, I mean it – from the obvious places like the department store or sidewalk vendor to the less apparent like the unassuming building next door. A great example was Lamb Shabu, a small, intimate restaurant nestled inconspicuously in one of Ginza’s low-rises.

During my stay in Tokyo, I couldn’t help but notice how discreet so many restaurants were, tucked away on, say, the fifth or sixth floor in one of the thousands of low-rises in the city. If you weren’t in the know, you’d miss out on some great meals because where some of these places are located, you’d never think twice about looking. Lamb Shabu was a perfect example - I could have easily mistaken it for some whole-in-the-wall.

In this regard, Japan is a lot different from the States where promotion and advertising rule. To me it seems that American restaurant owners adopt a really aggressive style with huge banners and neon lights outside their storefronts, almost screaming to any joe-schmo to come in and spend some money.

The Japanese seem to have a different approach that is more mild-mannered, perhaps even elitist you could say. A lot of Japanese restaurants don’t care to serve just anyone. They don’t intend on rapidly expanding, franchising the brand to the next guy who wants a piece of the action. Their main form of marketing is not the loud, blaring lights of blue neon, but rather the positive word-of-mouth spread by real gourmands, foodies who truly appreciate the quality the restaurants achieve by keeping operations small and who return religiously because they know the next dining experience will be as good as the last.

I can’t say which approach is better or worse. Both are certainly different, and they really have to be since the competitive landscape in each country is so different. In Japan, restaurant owners face a more discerning food-eating public who have grown accustomed to the high quality of food served at the multitude of fine establishments throughout the country. They must differentiate and continually impress in order to keep customers coming back. Meanwhile, in the States, Americans grow up on a steady diet of hamburgers and hotdogs. It’s no wonder then that fine dining comprises such a small percentage of the American market. American restaurateurs can afford to be less exacting when it comes to their product offering.

While in Japan, I had several great meals at a number of restaurants, but I’d have to say that Lamb Shabu was definitely near the top of my list. Lamb Shabu, as its name implies, specializes in lamb rather than beef or pork found more commonly at most shabu shabu restaurants.

Our meal started off with a number of small plates, including edamame, rice rolls, and pickled vegetables. Since we opted for the all-you-can-eat deal, we could have as much lamb and as many of the side dishes as we desired.

The quality of the lamb meat was fantastic. The meat came served on trays as shown above and was semi-frozen so the meat could be shaved ultra-thin. The lamb was really fresh and you could eat it raw if you so desired. A lot of people don’t like lamb because of its gamey nature, but there was no such odor with this lamb.

I never ate a lot of shabu shabu before but having tried it a few times now, I can see why it’s such a hit among the Japanese and Asians in general. It’s simple, satisfying, and extremely healthy too. Overall, I was really pleased by the meal at Lamb Shabu and grateful that the Miyake family took me there because the lamb variation is quite unique. The meal at Lamb Shabu was fantastic, and it’s no wonder that it recently won an award for best new restaurant in Ginza.

Miyajima

When Sarah and I visited Hiroshima, we made a day trip to Miyajima, a small island located a short ferry ride from the city. Miyajima is considered one of the country’s most scenic islands, and naturally it is a huge attraction in Japan with thousands of tourists from around the world visiting yearly. Miyajima is best known for its massive red tori gate, built just off the island which gives it the appearance of floating on water during high tide. According to what I’ve read, the temples and shrines were built in similar fashion to avoid offending the Gods since the land on Miyajima was considered that sacred.

While the times have changed and it is no longer forbidden to tread ashore, there’s really not much on the island besides the few temples and shrines located on the coast. The majority of the action is concentrated in and around a few main streets close to the ferry dock where small shops and restaurants are located.

Being an island completely surrounded by water with access to some of the best fish and crustacean available, Japan naturally is a seafood-consuming nation. While it’s fair to say that a love for seafood is universal throughout Japan, each area specializes in different items. Miyajima happens to be famous for oysters.

There were quite a few restaurants to choose from and they all looked more or less the same, but Sarah had visited Miyajima before on a school trip and wanted to return to the place she had eaten at years ago. After some searching, we finally found it (or so we think).


We were hungry so in addition to the oysters, we ordered a bowl of cold soba noodles that came with some soy sauce, seaweed, wasabi, scallions, and a raw egg. Originally when placing the order, I thought the egg would be semi-cooked but I should known better - the Japanese love their stuff raw! We ended up mixing all the ingredients together, and it turned out so-so. I think I would have preferred it warm, and I really could have done without the egg.

So on to the good stuff – the oysters. We ordered two different preparations – raw and grilled. I’ll admit that I haven’t eaten a lot of raw oysters in my lifetime, but these in Miyajima were about as fresh and good as any I’ve had previously. They were salty, briny, just delicious. Some grated radish, scallion, and a soy-based sauce also accompanied the dish, which you could add as you so pleased.

My favorite of the two, however, was the grilled oysters. They weren’t actually grilled but more so placed on top a charcoal grill and steamed open from the heat. These were fantastic. They had a firmer bite, and because they were steamed in shell, all the wonderful natural juice – what many people refer to as the oyster liquor – was retained.

Overall, I really enjoyed the meal, though I could have passed on the soba. However, I didn’t mind too much because I didn’t come for the soba – I came for the oysters, and they were everything they were billed to be. It was a great example of how superior ingredients don’t need elaborate preparations or loads of seasoning. They are great on their own, enjoyed best simply.