Narita is known amongst most travellers as an international gateway into Tokyo .
But not many know what the town is famous for .
Grilled eels .
There are 2 eel restaurants within a stones throw of each other , more small ones further away and open for business at night.
Right now, I've reached Kawatoyo Honten first , so I'm gonna take a look around .
Behind this plastic tarp is where the eels are grilled .
While over on this side , men are skewering eels by bucket loads .
The man in the black bandana is very handsome ....
Anyway , they're not open for business yet ,so let's see the other shop .
Less men involved . One cutely uniformed waitress spotted so far .
What a bloody table that is indeed .
Wander around for a bit before heading back to ( less bloodied ) Kawatoyo Honten . Omg ....one minute ago , there was no customer and all of a sudden boom . The shop has filled up both downstairs and upstairs , so I have to squeeze in over here .
Before I could even sit down , I had to place my order then settle the bill .
Hard cardboard tickets ( the size of a bus ticket stub ) were issued to me and placed on the table as an indicator .
From then on , all I had to do was pour myself my own cup of tea and wait .
This kitchen scene reminds me of olden day China . The restaurant is located on a cobblestone street that harks back to the Edo era , so hopefully that explains it .
Pace inside is getting more and more frantic yet more customers trickle in . It is not lunch time yet , but soon there will be no more place to sit and a polite queue will form to halve the tiny street the outside .
My order was chosen based on the picture menu they gave me .
Despite how unfancy the place looks , let me tell you , the prices are not exactly cheap .
Carp soup .
Cooked in a miso like base , there are plenty of bones so do take care if you decide to try this .
What I came here for .
Forget all the eels you have ever had before this . These eels are as fatty as winter caught salmon and the marinade tastes like a cross between bak kwa and char siew sauce , except that it's eel instead of pork .
Coming to the rice , I really enjoyed every single rice meal I had in Narita . The grains they serve here are so exquisite , they simply take your breathe away with each mouthful ( think somewhere along the lines of Thai jasmine rice 20 years back )
Verdict : if you think you know what fresh eel and rice ought to taste like , this outlet will be an eye opening experience . Don't just stick to this outlet. Make sure you try other small nooks scattered around the JR Station but don't you ever leave Narita without tasting a hot bowl of rice .
It's that good , ok ?
Location : Narita , Japan
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