Yoshikami ヨシカミ:1951 The Not Yet Matured Taste

A walk through Asakusa brings one to many traditional craft shops and restaurants. Besides the usual Japanese tempura don or sushi, there is a special shop hidden at a corner off the busy road of Kamimondori.  Yoshikami is a western restaurant that has been opened since 1951. The shop prepares everything from scratch and cooks the dishes in an open kitchen in front of all the customers.
Looks like a traditional barber shop in Singapore
Not easy to spot it but we did it with iPhone GPS. There were already queues outside and the chef-cum-owner was taking down names.
This is the 店長 who was featured in the magazine found inside their small restaurant. The picture features the four signature dishes of their shop, namely beef stew, beef steak, crab salad and omelette rice.
Well...while waiting for your turn, why not take a look at the picture menu outside their shop? This is especially useful for tourists or first-timers who don't know what they should order

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Perhaps another reason why the shop is so famous is because many stars have frequented the shop before.
Some examples are 中村狮童,山崎邦正
Another reason might be because of the limited space inside the shop. Hence, queues during peak hours are unavoidable. But fortunately, the turnover rate of the tables are very fast (we waited less than the 20minutes that we were told). This is the friendly waiter who joked with us.
Since this is a Western cuisine restaurant, how can we miss not ordering its omu-rice?
(picture : cover of magazine in the shop)
Omelette Rice 1250 Yen 

This is a classic dish of Japanese style Western food. Many food shows have also featured how difficult it is for the chef to perfect the skill of wrapping the rice nicely around the rice. Indeed, the presentation of this is near perfect.
Paired with the classic tomato sauce. This version is not drizzled or drenched in ketchup sauce. Tastewise, the omelette is rather thin and dry, and is very different from the lighter and fluffier omelettes that we have tried before. The tomato flavoured rice meets the standard but is nothing exceptional. For the price and the waiting time, the quality of this dish can be improved.

カニコロッケ 1400Yen
Crab croquettes, potato salad and raw cabbage salad
Having tried many other crab croquettes ( cream filled-deep fried), this one was average and the portions were quite small. The seasoning was rather light and the cream filling was slightly too thick. Some may prefer those that are more luscious and flowy. No chunks of crab meat or distinct crab taste can be detected from this dish.

エマンセステーキ
スライスオニオンをのせた柔らかい牛ヒレのうす切りステーキ 2150Yen
Sliced steak with vegetables and onions
This is the shop's recommended dish but the portion was truly disappointing. For those who are looking for a full meal, they would have to order the rice for 300Yen per plate. 

The verdict is that the food here is rather pricey considering the quality and the portion of the food. Perhaps the food was better previously but fell as the fame rose. Nonetheless, it was another unique experience to dine in a traditional western house that reminds me of some old coffeehouse in 90's Japanese dramas or even still in some locations in Singapore.

the busy open kitchen surrounded with bar seatings.

ヨシカミ
東京都台東区浅草1-41-4 六区ブロードウェイ
AM11:45~PM10:30(L.O=PM10:00)
http://www.yoshikami.co.jp

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