Kakibee

A warm shellfish soup or sake-steamed shellfish arrives as the opening dish at 貝酒場かきべえ赤羽本店, making for a gentle start to the meal. That broth, enriched with the flavour of shellfish, can also be turned into egg rice porridge, udon or sea urchin porridge at the end of the meal—a way to enjoy every last bit.

Oysters take centre stage in several forms: simply grilled or steamed, as large house-made fried oysters, or grilled with inventive toppings such as rich crab miso, escargot butter or double sea urchin. For a more expansive oyster meal, an all-you-can-eat course brings together raw, grilled and steamed oysters, as well as fried oysters.

There is plenty beyond oysters, including shellfish sashimi, an assortment of fresh fish and shellfish, and snow crab namerō. Hand rolls and thin sushi rolls make for easy bites at your own pace. Chablis by the glass and aromatic kai-zake made with seared torigai (Japanese cockle) are among the drinks that complement the seafood, giving you reason to linger over the meal.