Monkfish specialty restaurant Isegen

With the weather turning colder, it’s officially the season when we start craving hot pot. I visited one of Tokyo’s most renowned monkfish hot pot (ankō-nabe) restaurants, just as monkfish season begins. The moment you step inside, you’re greeted by a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere and the comforting aroma of dashi simmering in the air — a scent that’s becoming harder to find these days. Since I had been eating and drinking around town beforehand, I opted for one of the lighter courses this time. À la carte ordering is also available. What I had Shiosai Course – ¥8,500 ◆ Appetizers ◆ Monkfish skin and flesh with vinegar miso ◆ Monkfish roe in aspic ◆ Monkfish liver tofu ◆ Monkfish hot pot ◆ Ojiya — rice simmered in the leftover hot pot broth (similar to Japanese-style rice porridge called zōsui) It was truly a full monkfish experience. The flesh was incredibly firm and springy, the liver intensely rich — amazing how many ways one fish can be enjoyed. To finish, the remaining broth was turned into ojiya. For those unfamiliar, ojiya is a comforting style of Japanese rice porridge, similar to zōsui, where cooked rice is simmered in the soup of the hot pot. The monkfish flavor had melted into the rich broth, making it an absolutely perfect ending. Though I didn’t drink alcohol this time, the entire course is clearly made to pair beautifully with sake or beer. From start to finish, it was deeply satisfying. ごちそうさまでした — thank you for the wonderful meal.

Just AMAZING from the first bite to the end! And our waitress's service exceeded all expectations! She was not only extremely kind, she answered our questions and gave us advice on how to better enjoy every bite. THE BEST!!!

Monkfish!!! If you like to try unique Japanese food, try this place. Monkfish or angerfish is a fish living under a deep sea and looks ugly but its meat has unique texture and flavor. This restaurant is an only store in Tokyo serving only this fish as a main ingredient. Their full course includes appetizers and hotpot’s and you will enjoy every part of this fish. The atmosphere of the building is also awesome.

My husband and I are particularly fond of monkfish/ankou based specialties: we were thrilled by the tasting menu (summer edition) here! Everything amazing, cooked and served by the kindest people, in a lovely environment. We will back for sure!

We're in Japan to celebrate my wife's birthday/Babymoon and this was a highlight of our trip. We both love Monkfish liver and were excited to try the other parts of the fish and it was amazing. We got the 8 course set and enjoyed every moment of the experience.

Amazing place! We had a very pleasant dinner here. Historic decoration, high quality food and friendly services, their service sup is like an artist, and our table service is very nice lady very assistive. We will come back in our next Tokyo visit.

After trying it a few times back home, monkfish always caught my attention since it is rarely seen on the menu. I have only had it as Western dishes, so once I saw the YouTube clip that introduced this generation monkfish japanese cuisine restaurant. I had all intention to try out how it is prepared. Especially after watching Food Wars, learning that it is very tricky and tiring to cut a monkfish, it makes me appreciate the dish a lot more. I made an online reservation for seating a while back to ensure i have a seat. It was early in the morning as it opened, and there was already a lineup. The staff are very welcoming. They have a record of my reservation and the chosen food. I advised them that I must leave within 2 hours since i needed to leave for the airport afterward. The service was pace very nicely. The staff are very friendly and tried their best to communicate with me in English, which i am very grateful as i can only speak vert minimal japanese. The foods were very interesting and tasty. I'm glad that I was able to learn of this place. I may come back to refresh my memory in the future. After all, I would love to support a restaurant that has been passing down from one generation after another for 8 generations since Edo period.

Almost a century of history specializing in monkfish, this restaurant is a gem that not many lnow about. We booked it from the web a few days before we came for their special JPY15000 per person menu. When we arrived, it was as if we went back in time to a traditional Japanese restaurant. Near the door, a monkfish was lying on ice facing the door with its sharp teeth agape. What a monster. We were welcomed by the hostess and asked to take off our shoes before entering our private room. The decor was a subtle Japanese style with a simple inked painting of a monkfish on the wall along with other antiquated items. The table was slightly raised above the floor with an opening underneath for our legs. We chatted to a few drinks as we waited for our feast, a feast featuring monkfish with every dish. We started off with a sashimi featuring filet meat, cheek meat, fish skin, and fish liver. Afterward, we were greeted with a big hotpot of various fish parts and veggies, etc. Various dishes continued to be brought in: wasabi flavored monkfish, sliced monkfish liver with ponzu sauce, fried monkfish... Near the end of the meal, the hostess came back in and poured some rice into the rich soup left from the hotpot. She then cracked open and scrambled some eggs into the mixture. It became a heavenly flavored porridge that warmed our souls. The meal ended with a gelatinous pudding, which, while not too sweet, soothed our palate after this intense experience. It was near 9:30 pm and we were politely but strongly suggested to leave soon. How time flies when we have such good food and such good company. As we stepped out of the restaurant, we noticed that the monkfish displayed near the entrance was gone. It turns out to be the very monfish we enjoyed. They had even provided us with a certificate as to the origin of the monkfish. Definitely not the usual Japanese restaurant experience and well worth the price. Our party of 5 ended up spending around JPY90000 for the food and drinks. If you ask what was the most memorable part of the meal, it has to be the creamy fish liver with ponzu sauce.