Official

・History of Nihonbashi Tamai
・Where do you buy anago? How can I save it?
・What is the taste of the signboard menu "Hakomeshi"? What is "Oh?"
・The secret story of the development of "Fully Boiled Anago"
・Reason for choosing "Fully Boiled Anago" as a souvenir or gift
・Is it true that the building is about 70 years old? What are the highlights of Japanese houses?
・The episodes of customers talked about by logos and packaging
・Yeah
・Information on Tokyo Mannaka ippindo
・Introduction Store Information

Nihonbashi Tamai is an anago specialty store founded in June 2005.
The opening of the business was supported by Mr. Sato's senior sushi chef, Mr. Tamai, the founder of this restaurant, and his fellow craftsmen.
As of June 2022, which celebrates its 17th anniversary, we are aiming to become a "long-established store born in Heisei" by developing a total of seven stores, including six stores in Chuo-ku (including on-site specialty stores) and one store in Taipei, Taiwan.

The reason why I chose anago from a number of sushi ingredients was that a customer who came to eat Edomae sushi said, "I wish I had an anago specialty store."
However, considering the search for properties and product development, it is not possible to open a shop so easily.
However, another customer who accidentally heard the exchange said, "I'll rent a store because I just knock down the store."
The customer was the manager of Kawaguchi liquor store, the building owner of the current Nihonbashi Tamai Honten!

For a long time, Mr. Sato and others who wanted to respond to customer requests and do something delightful, came up at this time!
In addition to making use of the skills of Edomae sushi craftsmen, we also created Nihonbashi Tamai, a stage where senior craftsmen who went behind at sushi restaurants can also be active.
In addition, after understanding the handicap that purchases are greatly affected by the season and weather, we narrowed down to one eel and established the position of the famous restaurant by differentiating from other stores in Nihonbashi and Ginza, where sushi restaurants are crowded.
Various efforts have been successful since the opening of the business, and in 2015 it was first selected as Michelin's Bib Gourman.

The Edo period. Eel, a synonymous from Edo, was a food that the common people couldn't afford.
Instead, cheap and delicious Edomae anago is popular!
In modern times, Nihonbashi Tamai, which offers delicious anago cuisine at a concentric price and increases the number of regular customers, seems to still have the spirit and values of Edokko about 400 years ago.

With the desire to deliver the most delicious anago, we purchase seasonal anago from production areas that vary depending on the season, such as Setouchi, Edomae, Tokiwa, Sendai, and Tsushima.
In particular, from the Bon Festival to late autumn, several tons of eel caught in those production areas are purchased, processed while fresh, and stored in a freezer at minus 60 degrees.
Fishing is greatly affected by the weather, so preserving it in this way can stably provide delicious eel all year round.

The source of concern is Toyosu Market.
When you contract with a fishing boat in each production area, you have to purchase everything from good quality to those that are not, and you dare to go through the market and have only good products.
Anago can vary from large to small, but among them, they are purchased in 300g and 70cm class, or anago called "meso", which is small even in adult fish.
So why were these chosen?
There was a hidden wisdom and consideration unique to a former sushi chef.

Usually, 120g for tempura and 150-180g for sushi are used.
As a result of taking care not to affect those specialty stores and thinking about making something with an eel of a size that everyone does not use, a signboard menu "box meshi" was born.
"Hakomeshi" is a menu that is friendly to other specialty stores and fishermen.

And all the eels offered at Nihonbashi Tamai are natural!
Unlike eels, eel cultivation is currently in the research stage and has not yet been put into practical use or commercialization.
I want to say, "From the eyes!", But the fact that there are no scales in the eel is also different from eels.

"To be honest, the quality of anago is almost the same at Nihonbashi Tamai and other stores," says Sato.
However, what other stores can't imitate is the sweet sauce "Tsumedare" on anago.
This is a condensed of thousands of eel extracts, and its umami spread in sugar and soy sauce is exactly the lifeline of Tamai.

At 17 o'clock, I've been eating eel dishes since the evening club started at Nihonbashi Tamai Honten.
The menu includes "Anako soup stock", "Anako chirashi", "Anako chirashi", "Anako Sasamaki pressed sushi", and "Anashi", which are often ordered as a set with "Hakomeshi" and "Hakomeshi".

The signboard menu "box meshi" can be selected from small boxes, medium boxes, large boxes, "meso box meshi" using small eels, and "back comparison" limited to the head office where you can compare and compare eels of different sizes.

How to order regulars, such as regulars, is "She put a box inside!" 。
As you can see in the menu, you can choose from two types of "Boiled" and fragrant "Bryed" as you can see in the menu, but in the middle box and the large box, you can taste both There is a luxurious option.

This time, I ordered "box meshi" (small box, boiled) and "anako soup stock" as left to me in the future to order "meat the middle box!"
This "box meshi" seems to have devised a new name instead of "Anago Shige" with the aim of improving brand power.
We are looking forward to the day when Tamai Nihonbashi will be introduced as the birthplace of "Hakomeshi".♪

On the back of the menu of Anago cuisine, there are a variety of sake brands.
At the local nature of Nihonbashi, exchange meetings with peers, drinking parties between colleagues, etc., many people were able to taste the eel with alcohol.
I heard conversations such as "I've been worried about it for a long time at a shop where you can line up", "I was able to enter miraculously", "I'm good", and every group was luxurious at the end of work It seemed to be spending time.
There is also a calm counter seat, so I'm glad that you can use it alone.

In the meantime, "Hakomeshi" arrived. Thank you!
According to the clerk's explanation of how to eat, it is recommended that you first taste two and three mouth eels themselves, and then enjoy the change in taste with sesame, wasabi, green onion, yuzu skin, and powdered sansho.

Anago has a good aroma and is so soft that it collapses when you try to lift it with chopsticks, so you don't have to worry about bones.
A gem that can be enjoyed by children and the elderly because it melts in the mouth without chewing.
Compared to eel kabayaki sauce, "Tsumedare" is thin and smooth, but it is tasty, and enhances the goodness of the ingredients without disturbing the texture and taste of the eel itself.
The chopped and chopped large leaves are sandwiched between the eel and the tasted rice, which is also rich in flavor.

"Anako soup stock" has been carried in an iron bottle with a good timing and taste.
Transfer about one-third of "Hakomeshi" to another bowl, and pour plenty of broth from bonito and grilled eel bones.
The soup stock has a clear salty taste, and it is delicious even if you drink it as it is! Thank you very much for your feast.

Like me this time, I think that there are many people who actually go to the store and get "box meshi", but those who want to enjoy eel slowly at home, those who are far away, and consider anago as a gift It is good news for those who are considering!
If you order "Fully Boiled Anago" online, you can always enjoy the taste of the shop at home.
It was released in 2003 and has been loved by many people for the past 19 years, but in fact it has a longer history than Nihonbashi Tamai, which was founded in 2005.
What do you mean?

In fact, since Mr. Sato was a sushi chef, there was a request from a customer that he wanted to bring home a boiled eel (good with sake), and that voice triggered the development of this product.
However, it is said that commercialization was not as easy as simply packing boiled anago in a vacuum pack.
This is because the characteristic of this boiled eel is that it is soft anyway.
In particular, it was difficult to take it out of the bag cleanly after warming it in a microwave, etc., and it seems that customers sometimes received strict opinions.

So, by putting the boiled eel on a thin plastic plate and packing it in a bag, it became possible to take out the eel with a beautiful appearance just by pulling the plate after warming!
This kind of ingenuity, which is often taken for granted by consumers, was realized after trial and error of the developer.

Expressing the characteristics of such "fluffy boiled eel" in an easy-to-understand manner, "delicious, soft, no scissors", "fluffy than it looks", and " melting in the mouth".
If you are hungry after hearing so, please try it once.♪

By the way, when is "Fully Boiled Anago" purchased?

According to Mr. Sato, the number of orders will increase on Father's Day and Mother's Day.
People who taste this anago in Tokyo often choose to send it to rural fathers and mothers.
For this reason, there are times when a thank-you letter arrives from the local area saying, "If you go to Tokyo, I would like to ask Tamai-san."
Some of them were happy to develop this product when their family reported that those who had poor physical condition and had thinned food had happily completed three eels. It seems to have been.
Indeed, it is a stylish Edo souvenir where you can feel happy with the taste.

This year's Father's Day is June 19th (Sun), so if you're wondering what to do for a present, it's still in time!
Things to commemorate are good, but the memories of delicious things remain quite forever.

In addition, some people use it as a thank-you item to those who take care of them on a daily basis.
It lasts a week for refrigeration and one month for freezing, so there is no need to worry about eating it.

In addition, I think there are times when you consider it as a souvenir for yourself.
The shop is served with rice, but Mr. Sato says that it goes well with bread and pie, and when there was an oven at the shop, he sometimes offered anago pie.
"Pluffy boiled anago" which can be ordered can be eaten at home in a combination of your choice.

When you visit Nihonbashi Tamai Honten, pay attention not only to delicious anago but also to tasteful buildings!
Because it uses a Japanese house built as an estuary liquor store in 1953 (Showa 28), you can see signs reminiscent of the liquor era on the back of the signboard at the top of the entrance and on the street on the right side of the shop.
Many people are fascinated by the appearance of the copper-plated roof and stop or take photos, but I would like you to use the store and see the inside of the store.
Because when you step into the store, there is a space that seems to have slipped back in time to Showa more than half a century ago in an instant!

All 25 seats in the store are chair seats, but the remnants of the parlor remain.
If you raise your eyes up, you will notice the height of the ceiling and see the thick beams that have supported the building for about 70 years.
In fact, some people use the shop for the purpose of this quaint building.
The table seats are separated by stiguous walls, creating a cozy atmosphere like a family group.
There are many highlights in the store, but this time, Mr. Sato introduced two things that have been there since 1953.

The first is an active safe with the seasons located under the stairs, near the table seats in the middle of the store.
Even though it is sturdy, it has gorgeousness such as red flowers drawn!
That's not the case if you have such a safe in the store.
And the other is the stairs leading to the basement on the right side of the men's restroom door.
This is a remnant of the liquor store where liquor was stored underground, and is now used as a warehouse or changing room for employees.
Other than those involved can use the stairs, but there are some people who are worried and look into it from above.

Although it is located in Nihonbashi, where redevelopment is progressing, it is a recommended shop for foreign tourists visiting Japan because you can enjoy exquisite eel while feeling the atmosphere of a Japanese house a long time ago.

Among those who like history and walking around the town, many people may be concerned about the origin of family crests, temple crests, and shop seals (logos).
The letters and logos found on the signboards and packaging were designed by Maho Toyota, an actress who was a regular employee of the Edomae sushi shop where Sato worked.
The character of "Anago" with a stretch reminiscent of the figure of anago and the cute anago picture feel somewhat familiar.
It is said that the logo, which looks like a combination of two circles, may be inspired by Tamai's "ball".

Earlier, senior correspondent Edamame, wrote an article about Ehomaki of Nihonbashi Tamai.
The wrapping paper of Ehomaki depicts the exterior of Nihonbashi Tamai Honten, similar to the wrapping paper of "Anago plenty of thick rolls" in the photo above.
Do you have any episodes here too?

Before Nihonbashi Takashimaya was built, the opposite side of Nihonbashi Tamai Honten was a vacant lot.
On a sunny day, people with canvas gathered in the vacant lot and painted the quaint Japanese house.
Many people donate the finished picture to the shop, one of which will be used for wrapping paper design, which is not found in Mr. Sato's glasses.

Although there was a sign on the adopted picture, there was no contact information.
However, in February this year, in response to the COVID-19 infection, the scale of product development was expanded to department stores nationwide, and when anago lunch box was sold in Osaka, a customer who saw the picture said, "I think it's a picture of a deceased father."
When I actually checked the original picture, there was a miracle that the painter was identified.
While I was listening to the story, I couldn't help but goose bumps. There's something like this.

The person who drew the picture died a few years ago, but for that person and his wife, he delivered "box meshi" in a bag covered with Cairo.
This is an episode unique to Nihonbashi Tamai, who has cherished exchanges with people for a long time and has spun bonds.

Redevelopment is taking place here and there around the building of the main store.
If you are worried about a building with a good atmosphere, please use it as soon as possible at "I thought it was good day".

We have introduced the history and commitment of Nihonbashi Tamai, "Hakomeshi" on the signboard menu, and "Full-ni Anago", which has been certified as a recommended souvenir in Chuo-ku.
We hope that we will be able to fully convey the charm of Nihonbashi Tamai through opening and product development, interaction with customers found on the store's logo and wrapping paper, the characteristics of Anago and sauce, and the highlights of the building.
Mr. Sato, Representative Director, thank you again for your valuable story.

I myself used an eel specialty store for the first time, but I was impressed by its softness and thickness, saying, "If it's a specialty store, it's so plump!"
I often ate in a hurry recently, but this time I thought it was a waste to eat quickly, so I chewed it well and tasted it over time.
Above all, as a correspondent, it is irresistible to be able to enjoy the food loved by the common people of the Edo period in Nihonbashi, once on the fish shore!

In addition, I think that it was usually 20 to 30 years that I realized the charm of long-established stores and Japanese food and became familiar with many famous shops, but in recent years I thought it was a shop that I would definitely recommend to younger generations because the old folk house Café and living in old folk house, which were renovated from a historic Japanese house.
The anago provided is soft and doesn't care about bones, so you can enjoy it for three generations, from children to the elderly, and you can order "fluffly boiled anago" online, so it's easy to arrange gifts, stylish Edo souvenirs, and luxurious home time.

Currently, stores are disinfecting and ventilation to prevent COVID-19 infection, introducing a two-hour system, and thoroughly disinfecting tables and seats after use.
When using the shop, please try to taste the proof of interaction with the candy, buildings, and customers studded by the shop.

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Continuing from last year, online sales of assortment of recommended souvenirs from Chuo-ku will begin at "Tokyo Mannaka ippindo" from July 1 (Fri).
This assortment also includes Nihonbashi Tamai's "Fully Boiled Anago", which was introduced this time.
Fortunately, the Chuo-ku Tourism Association subsidizes half the price! Free shipping!
Please take advantage of this opportunity.♪

Nihonbashi Tamai Head Office
Address: Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 2-9-9
TEL: 03-3272-3227
Business hours Weekday 11:00～14:30（LO.14:00）、17:00～21:30（LO.21:00）
　　　　　[Saturday, Sundays and public holidays] 11:00～15:30（LO.15:00）、16:30～21:00（LO.20:30）
Official Website: https://anago-tamai.com
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/anago_tamai (opened in May 2022)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anagotamai
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anago.tamai