Izayoi
To grill or not to grill, that is the question at this Azabu hideaway

Like so many of Tokyo’s wonderful haunts, Izayoi is tucked away in the city’s backstreets—in this case between Hiroo and Azabu-Juban, on the second floor of a newly built apartment block. Behind the heavy black door, which could well have led to the building’s boiler room, a serene and refined drinking den awaits. Light lime walls offset the dark furniture and the bar counter, which houses a yakitori grill and the room’s centerpiece: a leg of cured Iberico ham.

During a recent visit, the patrons were either young suited Japanese men chatting over a shared hot pot, or couples on second dates—and what a great place to seal the deal. I suspect that most of the men, who had to have booked their seats in advance, were smug in the knowledge that Izayoi (whose name translates as “night after a full moon”) ticked many of the boxes. The sophisticated bar features minimalist décor, plenty of candles that create a relaxed hideaway, and prices so low they rival what you might find at a street market.

From the starting blocks we ordered two shochu varieties, which arrived in solid tumblers on ice: a light Okinawan Awamori brewed from long-grain rice (¥630) and a powerful, potato-based Tenshi no Yuuwaku (meaning “seduced by an angel”) from Kagoshima in Kyushu (¥1,260).
After navigating the menu, we kicked off with flash-grilled chicken with plum and wasabi (¥270), which was soft and subtle in taste and texture. As we hit our stride, we enjoyed a number of suggestions from the bar’s specials page, including a melt-in-your-mouth honeyed foie gras and banana (¥320).

Next down the track was a sampler plate of horse sashimi (¥1,260). White meat from the neck was surprisingly good, but needed a chew or two more than we had expected, and the dark red liver was apparently “very good for us”—we’ll leave it at that. The meat from the hide was marbled with fat, and delicious when dipped in a soy sauce with minced garlic and julienne leek threads.

As if we needed an excuse to drink something red to accompany a plate of the Iberico ham (¥400), we enjoyed a bottle of 1994 Villa Tonino, a good Sicilian plonk at a very agreeable ¥4,500. Red clam miso soup (on the house) was rustled up especially for us as we neared the finish line, where we had our meal’s pièce de résistance: a simple skewer of grilled beef with citrus pepper (¥300).

It would be wrong to classify Izayoi as a straight bar, just as it would hardly do its alcohol selection justice to call it a mere restaurant. Whatever it is, if you want to drink like a fish or could eat a horse, this is the place to go.

1-4-5 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5442-0965. Open 6pm-midnight (Fri, Sat until 2am). Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban, exit 1. Reservations required. www.izayoi.cc

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