Sumptuously superheated seafood

Burning straw instead of charcoal gives a far higher temperature for cooking whatever you desire, 900 degrees Celsius to be precise. And high temperature for short durations in the culinary world pretty much imparts smoky deliciousness upon anything the flame is unleashed upon.

Warayakiya is an izakaya in Roppongi specialises in the fine art of burning straw to sear your food, a practice from the Kouchi prefecture in south-west Japan. This video depicts this fine art in action:

Cutting to the chase: go for their house speciality of seared bonito. Tender and medium rare on the inside, smoky and charred on the outside, this is something truly special. And the charred flavour is different to that of charcoal; it is more woody, and earthy, as one would expect from straw.

Also indulge in the seared unagi. Again, even though it looks like the chefs have burnt the food to a crisp whilst cooking it, the result is again spectacular. Tender unagi, marinated in a slightly sweet sauce, seared to perfection in that smoky straw-based flame.

Again, not cheap but definitely not unaffordable. Reservations recommended.

http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/restaurant-reviews/warayakiya-2/

http://www.diamond-dining.com/shop_info/warayakiya/

Address: 6-8-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
3-4 minutes from Roppongi station
Budget: JPY 3,500-5,000
Mon-Fri 17:00-5:00 (L.O. 4:00)
Sun 17:00-23:00

+81 (0) 3 5410 5560