Yamadaya, Japanese Eel Cuisine

[Enjoy Yanagawa steamed dishes in a spacious and elegant restaurant]

The restaurant was founded in 1979. At first, the owner’s father ran a udon restaurant and an eel restaurant separately on the same premises. In 1989, the two stores were combined to form the restaurant we see today. Walking along the stone pavement leading to the restaurant and opening the swinging front door, you will find a spacious space with rooms facing the courtyard, making the most of the buildings and premises that were once separate stores. Since January, the restaurant has been decorated with colorful sagemon and Yanagawa balls, giving it a gorgeous and luxurious feel. The decorations are all handmade by a woman who is a relative of the owner, and are all very elaborate. The Yanagawa balls on display in the restaurant are particularly beautiful, with intricate patterns sewn into them, and you never tire of looking at them, wondering “how much effort went into making them.”

The restaurant’s private rooms are spaciously arranged, and there is enough space between the rooms and tables that no special COVID-19 countermeasures are necessary. “We want our customers to eat delicious food in a spacious and elegant space and leave with a smile on their face. That is also our joy as a restaurant,” says the owner, whose recommendations are the “Steamed eel” (with soup) and the “Hina Gozen” set of 12 dishes including sashimi, tempura, and chawanmushi. In particular, the “Steamed eel” is made using only domestically produced eels, and the sauce is made using a unique method of making stock using the eel’s head. When the eel’s head is boiled down, the gelatin solidifies and becomes jelly-like. Starch syrup and granulated sugar are added to the mixture to create the restaurant’s unique sauce.

“In the Kanto region, kabayaki is steamed to remove the fat and then grilled, but in Yanagawa it is grilled and then steamed. It’s a unique Yanagawa way of eating it that preserves the fat and flavor of the eel.” As I listened to the owner, I realized how different the ways of preparing the same eel dish can be in the east and west of Japan.