Parma and prosciutto. Peking and roast duck. Some destinations have become so synonymous with their culinary inventions that no serious foodie would pass through without indulging too much. And that was our main focus as we planned our visit to the sacred island of Miyajima which, to Japanese foodies, is synonymous with the dual gastronomic delights of Anagomeshi and Japan's best oysters.
For the sake of ... ahem ... research, we visited the nationally-renowned originators of the two revered recipes -- the 120-year-old restaurant of Ueno for traditional Anagomeshi, and the 70-year-old Hayashi for Yakigaki (barbecued oysters).
Food Review: UENO (Miyajima-guchi)
Address: Miyajima-guchi 1-5-11, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hours: Thursday to Tuesday 11:00-19:00; Wednesdays take-out only
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: Starting from Miyajima-guchi Station, walk straight out of the station for 50m. Ueno is on the right side of the road.
First opened during the reign of Emperor Meiji, Ueno falls into the category of venerated Japanese restaurants that epitomize their own genres of cuisine, in its case the time-honoured delicacy of Anagomeshi, or Broiled Sea Eels on Rice. Back in the day Anago was a peasant's fish, and Anagomeshi was invented as a cheap take-out Bento box for pilgrims hurrying between the train station and the ferry pier for Miyajima. More than a hundred years later Ueno still stands at the same location, steps from the station and still keeping its century-old recipe for slow, hand-turned barbecued eels that has become one of the best-known dishes of the Seto Inland Sea.
Waiting for a table at Ueno is one of those collective memories of all Japanese who has ever visited Miyajima. This is one of the most famous restaurants in West Japan after all, and stopping here for Anagomeshi -- or grabbing a Bento box bearing Ueno's name -- has become somewhat of a ritual for pilgrims through the decades. Every diner goes through the procedure of queuing for a number from the front desk, then sitting in the adjacent waiting room for the number to be called, now in both Japanese and in English, akin to a doctor's office.
One word of caution: this wasn't even lunchtime -- it was 10:45 on a regular Thursday and we waited a good 25 minutes. Don't even consider lunch hour on weekends without at least an hour-long wait.
Ordering is straightforward as the small menu hasn't changed much for the past hundred years: the illustrious glazed Anago Eels on Rice in small, medium or large, plus the pictured side order of Anago in Shirayaki, literally white-broiled, format without the sweet glaze (1296 yen or CAD$15.2). The deep smokiness of the slow-broiled eels was especially pronounced when seasoned with nothing but sea salt, and Ueno makes it even more enjoyable by offering a pairing of chilled local Sake at a cheap 110 yen (CAD$1.3) a shot.
At last, Ueno's legendary Anagomeshi from its 120-year-old secret recipe: hand deboned, brushed with a light soy-mirin glaze, slow-broiled to perfection in small batches over a charcoal fire, then finally layered on top of rice cooked in a Dashi broth derived from the leftover bones of Anago eels. The firmness of texture was night-and-day from the mushiness of steamed Anago usually presented as a Sushi topping, and the wonderful smoky aroma was undoubtedly one of the characteristics that helped propel Ueno to Michelin star status.
Everything from appetizer to entrees to Tsukemono pickles was top notch, which made the prices -- 1750 yen for a 3/4 size Anagomeshi and 2000 yen for full-size -- even more reasonable considering Ueno's prestige and unbeatable location. I would have gladly waited an hour for the privilege, though it was a good call to arrive early for brunch before taking the ferry.
Bill for Two Persons
| Anagomeshi (Medium) | 2000 yen |
| Anagomeshi (Small) | 1750 yen |
| Anago Shirayaki | 1296 yen |
| Reishu (Shot Glass) | 110 yen |
| TOTAL | 5156 yen (CAD$60.7) |
That was just one of Miyajima's two famed gastronomic specialties, the other being its prominent aquaculture of oysters -- long considered best of Japan -- in the pristine waters opposite Seto Naikai National Park.
This is the undisputed oyster capital of Japan where you can find two highly popular oyster bars competing head-to-head for supremacy, 20 metres from each other in the same block amongst dozens of oyster-themed eateries on the island. Both leading restaurants, Kaki-ya and Hayashi, feature nearly identical menus of oysters in various forms: raw, smoked, Panko-crusted, Tempura, in soy-vinegar dressing, steamed on top of rice, in soup, and of course barbecued as Yakigaki.
We had a hard time picking between the two as both were well-known local institutions each boasting its own legions of supporters, as evidenced by the substantial line-ups at their storefronts. But most importantly, both sourced from the same locale in Hiroshima Bay known for some of the best oysters in the Pacific. At the end the decision was made easy as Kaki-ya's barbecued oysters had run out when we arrived for an early dinner.
Food Review: YAKIGAKI-NO-HAYASHI(Miyajima)
Address: Miyajima-cho 505-1, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hours: 10:30-17:00; closed Wednesdays
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: Starting from the Miyajima pier, walk south and follow the shopping crowd to the Omotesando Shopping Street. Hayashi is in the middle of the block, on the left side.
Properly known as Yakigaki-no-Hayashi or Hayashi Barbecued Oysters, this 70-year-old restaurant boasts to have pioneered adapting the local fishermen's recipe of barbecuing oysters in their shells, and turning it into a obligatory draw for tourists visiting Miyajima. Nowadays numerous roadside stands offer takeout barbecued oysters as quick cash grabs, but Hayashi still insists on serving its proud oysters only in proper sit-down meals.
To maximize our sampling of dishes we chose to share two different Teishoku meals: a Sankei Teishoku featuring classic Yakigaki (barbecued) and Kaki Fry (Panko-crusted), and a Miyajima Teishoku featuring an appy in Soy-Vinegar Dressing and an entree of Tempura. Both combos came with the staples of Namagaki (raw oysters) and Kakimeshi (steamed oysters on top of rice). Ordering had to be swift as last order was at 16:30 -- neither Hayashi nor Kaki-ya opens for dinner on a small island where 99% of visitors arrive on day-trips.
Kitschy toy Torii aside, these were some of the most delicious oysters either of us had ever sampled.
Highly treasured in the domestic market and therefore rarely available overseas -- much like Wagyu Beef -- Hiroshima Bay's oysters are loved for exactly the kind of complex sweetness and crisp yet luscious mouthfeel craved by the Japanese palate. Upon first sip the oyster liquor was packed full of briny minerals, and the surprisingly plump flesh started out elegant and clean-tasting before hitting home with a concentrated punch of ... hmm ... Wakame seaweed(!?) and a refreshing long finish. As purists we both concurred that it was our favorite out of the six preparations of oysters.
Almost just as good was Hayashi's claim to fame, the original Yakigaki oysters barbecued within their own shells to a succulent perfection as revealed by the shells' burnt edges. The briny essence of the meat became even more condensed by the grilling, more to the liking of my taste buds rather than my wife's.
Also arriving as part of the Sankei Teishoku were three Panko-crusted oysters, utterly bursting with juice and served with a dipping of Mayo and what seemed to be a form of Hiroshima-style Okonomi Sauce, a local favorite for everything from croquettes to Omu-Rice to Tamagoyaki. This was another winner and a definite step-up from the ubiquitous Kaki Fry served at family eateries across Japan.
Compared with the Sankei Teishoku, the more expensive Miyajima Teishoku swapped the Panko for Tempura batter and served up three oysters with Shishito peppers, accompanied by a minimalist sea salt rather than Ten-Tsuyu for dipping. To be honest I found the Panko-Okonomi-Sauce combination to be a much better match for these full-flavored local oysters, harvested just a few kilometres to the north at the floating oyster beds of Jigozen.
The Miyajima Teishoku also came with two oysters in a traditional Sujoyu-Ae of rice vinegar, soy sauce, green scallions and grated Daikon Oroshi. My verdict was ready -- the Sankei Teishoku proved a much better deal in terms of both price (2780 yen vs. 3150 yen) and the range of dishes (Kaki Fry vs. Tempura; Yakigaki vs. Sujoyu-Ae).
Standard to both Teishoku meals were small bowls of Kakimeshi, the Japanese winter favorite of baby oysters on steamed rice. Like a good Spanish Paella it's never the topping that makes or breaks a good Kakimeshi, but the rice underneath that absorbs the Umami essence from the juices. This was a satisfying finish to the combined six different courses, for which my wife had waited years since her initial taste of Hiroshima Oysters as a Soba topping at faraway Odawara, more than a decade ago.
Towards the end we simply could not resist asking for our favorite Namagaki again. 350 yen (CAD$4) per shuck was a small price to pay for possibly the best oysters we had yet to savour, and savour we did with that mineral-laden aftertaste lingering deliciously on our palate for the next half hour or so.
Bill for Two Persons
| Miyajima Teishoku | 3150 yen |
| Sankei Teishoku | 2780 yen |
| Namagaki (4 oysters) | 1400 yen |
| TOTAL | 7330 yen (CAD$86.2) |
Finishing dinner at 17:00 also meant shopping for cheap evening snacks that we could bring back to our Ryokan, which happened to be located next door at the tourist favorite of BigSet, a local bakery best known for its Oyster Curry Pan. While 400 yen wasn't exactly cheap for a ubiquitous on-the-run train station snack, the two oysters inside were legit and the sauce wasn't bad.
Even more filling was the Miyajima specialty of Nigiriten, a form of deep-fried Kamaboko fishcakes wrapped around a skewer and re-grilled upon order. Izakaya regulars would immediately recognize its similarity to Chicken Tsukune, which was in fact one of the Nigiriten flavors along with Edamame beans, Shoga ginger and green onions, and our choice of Negitako or Green Scallions and Octopus.
But this was just a filler -- our assignment of the day had already been accomplished in visiting two venerable gastronomic institutions best representing Miyajima's contributions to Japan's culinary scene. In retrospect I can't even decide which one I enjoyed more, Hayashi's oysters versus Ueno's Anagomeshi. I would have loved a third meal in town for a showdown between Hayashi and its archrival Kaki-ya, though that would be too much to wish for over a short 16 days that covered 16 destinations in West Japan.
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