Okitsu

For a meal centred on fish, お魚のうまい店 おきつ in Minami-Otsuka is a reassuring choice. At lunchtime, set meals built around grilled fish and sashimi are a favourite. The generous combinations and chef’s-choice sets, which bring several fish dishes together, are especially well regarded. The fish is grilled until its skin is fragrant, while the flesh flakes apart easily. Small sides such as tempura, grated yam and dressed greens round out the tray, with plenty to pair with rice.

A personal hot pot, served in the cooler months, is another of the restaurant’s seasonal pleasures. The small pot is heated right at the table. Steam rises from beneath the lid as it bubbles away, cooking pork, chicken, crisp napa cabbage and enoki mushrooms in a flavourful broth. A set pairing grilled fish with this warming pot makes for a meal that leaves both appetite and spirits comfortably satisfied.

In the evening, the izakaya menu offers sashimi with a choice of fish, freshly fried tempura, and à la carte dishes such as rolled omelette and grilled rice balls. There is draft and bottled beer, along with sake such as Ōyama from Yamagata, shochu and highballs. Settle in over dishes that reflect the day’s ingredients.

With counter and table seating, the restaurant has a calm, relaxed atmosphere, and solo diners can feel at ease. The proprietress’s warm, friendly welcome adds to the pleasure of lingering over the carefully prepared home-style dishes.