Maekawa: Serving Traditional Eel Dishes for 200 Years
Maekawa is an Asakusa restaurant specializing in eel, established at the start of 19th century. As its sixth-generation owner, Ōhashi Hajime, explains, the restaurant can trace its origins back to a meager stall located on the banks of the Sumida River that sold eel and sake to the locals:
“Back then, many customers would come to the area by boat. Eating eel and sipping a cup of sake while gazing out on the river was a popular pastime, especially when the cherry blossoms were in bloom. The place was also said to be a popular rendezvous for lovers.”
These days it is common to cook eel quite lightly before serving, but that only started in the middle of the Edo period. Compared to western Japan, the eel in the area around Edo had a thicker skin. This made it necessary to gently steam the eel first, and then coat it with sauce and grill over charcoal. That is the cooking style used at Maekawa to prepare eel. The key to the taste is the sauce, which has been passed down and enhanced over the generations.
“I think the charm of Asakusa is how its culture and scenery combine the old with the new,” Ōhashi notes. “Just across the Sumida River, for instance, we now have a spectacular view of the ultra-modern tower, Tokyo Skytree, which opened in June 2012,”
Ōhashi Hajime, the sixth-generation owner of Maekawa, with Tokyo Skytree in the background.
The eel dish “unajū” at Maekawa (from ¥4,095). It takes 30 minutes for the eel to arrive because it is steamed after each individual order is placed. The appetizer “kimoyaki” (¥1,260), which goes great with beer, can fill the gap while you’re waiting.
Sauce is poured over the eel three times during the roasting process.
The sauce’s recipe has been honed to perfection over the generations.
Maekawa
Address: 2-1-29 Komagata, Taitō-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3841-6314
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (every day of the year)
Reservations possible.
English menu available.
Average prices: ¥5,000; set courses from ¥9,450
http://www.unagi-maekawa.com/
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