Ishibashi Unagi-ya (Ishibashi Eel Restaurant)
We tried out a different eel restaurant for lunch yesterday, instead of the one that we tend to frequent. The restaurant, Ishibashi, is ranked #1 online for Shizuoka eel restaurants; our usual one being #2. While an eel meal set at our regular restaurant costs about 2000 yen, the one yesterday was 2400 yen, so we'd been debating on whether it was worth the extra money. Figuring that we might as well try the place at least once, we packed up Keila and headed across town to see what all the hype was about.
Upon arrival, the place was packed, so we waited about 15 minutes for a table in the tatami section, although seats at the counter did open up faster than that. Ordering was quite easy, seeing as there is just one meal offered: grilled eel (complete with the head!) with rice, soup, and pickled vegetables on the side. The only choice to make was whether to opt for extra rice (50 yen more) or not.
Our meals arrived rather quickly, considering that the eels are quite fresh and take a bit of time to grill. We were so hungry by that point that we even devised a great way to feed Keila her bottle at the same time: Yuki held her in his left arm while I held the bottle with my right, leaving both of us with free hands to eat. Being left-handed pays off sometimes!
Sadly though, while the eel looked gorgeous, it just wasn't to our liking. The sauce, which is basted onto the eel during grilling and varies by restaurant, was just too strong and sweet, while the eel itself was somehow too greasy. I'm sure that some people would argue it was delicious, but we were both somewhat disappointed. Not that it wasn't good, but we were expecting 'amazing', coming from the #1 ranked restaurant in the area. I'm glad that we tasted it once, but next time we'll stick with the usual!
Entrance. I love how the う in うなぎ is always an eel
It was William Shatner's lunch-time, too
On the shoulder again
The head!!! And no, you don't eat it
Keila and her triple chin
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