Oysters Ahoy!

Time for some Tokyo Oysters. 

Welcome to Chika no Iki.  Roughly translated it means Basement Chic...which is a really cute name once you see the place.  This is one of the best places to have oysters in Tokyo.  It is across the street from the Tsukiji Fish Market.  The largest fish and wholesale foods market in the world.  They specialize in serving Oysters that are caught daily from across the different coastal waters around Japan.  If you are not into oysters skip this post because this is going to get a little funky.  Funky as an oyster to be exact.

All right, if you're into oysters prepare to be amazed.  Chika no Iki are not messing around with this stuff.  They serve some serious oysters.

Before I bore you with the details of how the restaurant works lets just drool at some seafood photos.

For starters we ordered Shirasu Tomato Salad and Oyster Cream Cheese Pate and the first round of drinks was some DOC Prosecco.  If you ever see a DOC Label on a bottle of something from Italy just know that it means Magnifico.

Oyster and Cream Cheese Pate is pretty self explanatory and freaking delicious, give it a go.  It may not look like much but a little goes a long way.  

So, what the hell is a Shirasu you ask?  Well, buckle up.

These are baby Japanese Sardines...and they have their eye on you.  They are blanched not raw(doused in boiling water).This may look a bit extreme but they have a vary delicate flavor and the texture is similar to thin sliced green beans. More like a vegetable than a fish meat.  They go great with tomatoes and are used in a lot of Japanese/Italian fusion dishes. 

Get to the Oysters already!

Here is flight number 1.  It's hard to appreciate how large these are from the photos.  They're huge.  "But Richard! I heard big oysters are the least flavorful!  Screw this place!"  Dear reader, you heard correctly but according to the Oyster shucker at Chika no Iki it is large FARMED oysters that lose a bit of the flavor.  Oysters that had a happy life in the wild can become quite large while still keeping that wonderful briny flavor.   

An oyster so large it needed 2 lemons.

Flight number 2.  The big boys.  See those cards on the plate with the writing on them?  Both flights had them. These cards are telling you which Prefecture and which city in that Prefecture the oysters came from.  It's essentially a tasting flight with oysters. Typically but NOT always the first oyster will be the farmed oyster.  The remaining oysters, which will most likely be larger, are the wild oysters.

The major difference you might notice eating oysters here, across the street from the world's largest fish market, is that the set flights will ONLY be served raw with lemon.  They will not offer other sauces (tabasco for example).  You wont need any.  Eating these oysters has a profound effect on me.  I'd always enjoyed oysters but had never experienced them this way.  Part of what makes it so special is the size.  It forces you to eat the oyster in multiple bites giving you the chance to taste what the different "cuts" are like.  We eat tuna and cow in cuts with certain parts being more "prized" than others.  Oysters are the same in a sense, they are just limited by size.  When eating them at this scale I like to start with the "muscley" part of the oyster, it has more texture to it and a stronger flavor.  The next part is my favorite though!  The remaining "fatty" part is where its at.  I like to take this in one bite. Then before swallowing it thats when I drink the remaining brine in the shell.  It's phenomenal, creamy, delicate and oceany (like an ocean breeze not rotting seaweed).  Once finished and secured safely in my tummy I feel a coolness come from inside.  Kind of the opposite of when you eat something spicy and you feel heat radiating from your stomach.  I know that sounds nuts but I think, similar to chocolates and off the vine strawberries or xanax, eating a perfect oyster makes the brain do a happy dance.

You'll probably be ready for some more drinks at this point.  I strongly recommend the Claude Val.  It's super duper dry and at 1800 yen (16USD) a bottle you can't go wrong.  It goes perfectly with the rich oysters.

For my third and final act I bring you Saikyo Miso Butter Steamed and Grilled Oysters.  These are AMAZING and not something you would normally (ever?) find outside of Japan.  Saikyo Miso is a type of White Miso from Kyoto.  The Miso is steamed with the oysters in the brine to make a miso sauce thats cooked in the shell.  They are then placed on the grill where they are topped off with a dollop of butter and nnnngggghhhhhhhh....scuse me. Got a little excited there.  These are so good and I demand you try them.  Order them last and you'll leave happy.

I'm sold! How do I get there!

I'll post the map at the bottom.

First you'll need to line up here at 16:00, 16:20 if you are only 2 people.

Took this photo while eating at the already full restaurant.

The place opens at 17:00 and will be immediately full.  They do not accept bookings.  If you want a table to sit at be sure to get in line.  We typically line up at 16:00 and have no trouble.  At 16:20 people trickle in and at 16:30 the line is up the stairs.

How it works:

I'm guessing it says oysters...

Don't worry about all that stuff on there.  The starter menu is not extensive and takes up valuable tummy real estate that should be reserved for more oysters.  I recommend the starters pictured above but if those don't tempt you then you'll probably just want to dive into the oysters.  Keep it simple and start with Set A.  One person, one set because each oyster is from a different location and who shares an oyster?

Set A will come with 3 oysters ranging from large to "WTF".  Of the 3, if there is one you really liked and would like to order again, save the little card that came on the plate and when the waiter comes round you can point to it and specify how many more you want (if they're available)

OR!

Just order set B.

Set B is the same price as Set A but only comes with 2 oysters.  These 2 oysters will be of a higher quality than the set A oysters.  Set A ranges in size from "WTF" to "How on earth...?"  They're big.

I ate the whole thing.

If you're getting full at this point order the "Saikyo Miso Butter" and some more wine.  If you have room left keep eating and know that I love you.

Enjoy!