Oku

At Oku, part of the pleasure of a course is tasting eel prepared in a different way with each dish. One diner who tried the lunch omakase described a meal that began with a creamy eel croquette, followed by shirayaki (eel grilled without sauce), sauced eel and fried eel, and finished with unaju, eel served over rice. The croquette’s creamy texture and a hint of straw smoke in the sauced eel also made an impression. Rather than sticking to familiar kabayaki or eel rice, this course lets diners explore the different character of each preparation.

The course ends with eel rice made using rice cooked in a clay pot. Another visitor singled it out as the highlight, describing eel that was lightly crisp on the surface and fluffy within. After several eel dishes, the meal culminates in a bowl served with freshly cooked rice.

The omakase course features two whole eels, combining seasonal dishes with both familiar preparations and eel dishes that diners may not often encounter. The listed menu price is 11,000 yen, while the lunch-only course is 6,600 yen. The lunch course is available by advance reservation only, so book ahead if you have it in mind.

The weekend lunch à la carte menu includes sauced eel and shirayaki, as well as eel escabeche, seasonal vegetables with tofu dressing and daikon topped with karasumi (dried mullet roe). Even without booking a full course, diners can compare the two eel preparations or choose a dish featuring eel.

Drinks include sake, wine by the glass and bottled beer. The sake selection changes with the season and availability. Whether settling in for a course featuring two eels or choosing a dish at lunch, diners can explore a range of ways to enjoy eel.