Go Fish!!!

      This post is a bit different from what I had planned, but we had a very big and busy day on Friday.  I had not planned an entire post on the subject of fish but, from morning until midnight,  Friday was A Day in the Life of Andy's Fish....so I must share!   We were treated to an educational adventure in seafood, from ocean to dinner table...a day we will never forget!  (Especially if I don't do the laundry soon... The Tide label doesn't mention tuna and squid juice....)
     Bright and early, the four kids (yes, they ALL participated!) and I biked to the subway, then hopped a train to Tsukigi, home of the world's largest fish market.

Tsukiji

Andy, chef and owner of Andy's Shinhinomoto, was incredibly generous to invite us on a behind-the-scenes, personal tour of his daily fish market shopping experience.

Andy, Chef, Andy's Shinhinomoto,Tokyo

         Andy shops every morning in Tsukiji to choose fresh-off-the-boat seafood and only the best in-season produce for his restaurant's menu that evening.  The day typically starts around 5am, but we were lucky enough to do the later, 8:30 am version.

    
Before you start thinking, "Well, so what, a seafood restaurant in Tokyo...big deal..."  It IS a big deal!!! This experience is well worth sharing!!!!

     Andy is the ONLY Western buyer at Tsukiji, as I mentioned, the largest fish market in the world, which has been operating since 1935.  The Tsukiji market is 56 acres of land covered with 1,200 stalls of fish vendors, in addition to a separate market of fresh produce as well as a restaurant supply section.  Five million pounds of fish are sold every day, which amounts to about $20 million/day. 
    Fluent in Japanese after living here 27 years, Andy stands out as a very tall, bald, outgoing Brit. The market follows decades of tradition and the auction is not open to tourists or visitors. Impressively, Andy has managed to develop friendly relationships with these Japanese vendors in a market where he is known popularly as the "foreign chef."

JE holds a live shrimp!

Octopus

Flying Fish

JE holds the tuna head...ewwww!

Those are Octopus egg sacs...ewww again.

   

     Andy's Shinhinomoto is a very foriegner-friendly, Japanese Seafood izakaya (pub) built under the JR tracks at the Yurakucho station in Ginza, not far from Bic Camera.  Look for the Guinness Banner and the giant Andy's lantern outside or you may never find it.  The main attraction here is the fresh seafood, but Andy's keeps you coming back for the ambience as well.  Don't expect glitz and glamour...Andy's is a casual atmosphere with low ceilings shaped by the arches of the train bridge, with trains rumbling overhead every few minutes.  The downstairs, small and filled with local Japan businessmen, is run by Andy's in-laws.  Same menu on both levels, just very different clientele.  Andy runs the upstairs where the crowd is a laughing mix of locals and tourists, casual decor, almost a boat-like feel, with long wooden benches and tables...every one of them packed.      
         Andy has the personality fit for his trade:  friendly, outgoing, welcoming and knowledgeable.  He is very present for the diners, as he greets, advises, serves, and even pauses for photo ops!!
     So, anyway...on Friday night eight of us sat down for an impressive evening of entertainment "Andy-style."  After sending out enormous, chilled mugs of beer, Andy checked in on us and got the green light to take charge.  
Instead of ordering from the menu,  we went with "chef knows best", and hot platters of Andy's creations arrived every few minutes until we could hardly stand up to waddle home.   After meeting my kids that morning, Andy knew who was squeamish and who was adventurous.  

Before and After!!!!

Okay, this WAS the coolest video of fiddler crabs (the size of medium strawberries) running around in a box..and I botched it.

Seems if you click on the picture (or maybe the words above it), you will see the crabs in the plastic box.  Maybe even a few seconds of their angry wiggling.  I will eventually learn the technology...promise.

On his shopping spree, he had picked up this box of fiddler crabs, which he could not wait to prepare for us, calling them the "favorite appetizer of all Japanese children."  I must still have some child in me yet, I LOVED these delicately fried, crispy bites...no matter how scary they looked!!!  You pop the whole thing in your mouth, claws and all!!

JE gives me her "Are you kidding me?" face

  Next came the massive platter of King Crab legs and knuckles, full of perfectly cooked chunks of flaky crab meat.  He also brought out a regular crowd favorite, the tempura veggie platter with his famous asparagus as a centerpiece...crisp, tender and just delicious.  We also enjoyed the most tender giant scallops I have ever eaten, as well as mammoth oysters on the half-shell.  The oyster shells were bigger than my hands!!

Giant oysters at Tsukiji Market

The skittish child, E, received a lightly fried fish fillet, with a perfectly crisp-thin layer of skin on one side.

No one was disappointed, and everyone wants to go back soon!!!



TIPS:

1. Do not go without a reservation!!! Tables book well in advance, often weeks ahead.
Call 03-3214-8021 to get your spot.

2. Andy knows best! Don't bother with ordering!!! The menu is in English (not always the case around here,) but for the best experience, we just let Andy bring it on. He bought it that morning, he prepared the menu, and all he needs to know is how hungry you are!!!

3. Andy's does not take credit cards. Bring your yen!!!!

JE at entrance to Andy's

Ohhh and THANK YOU, Andy, for a wonderful day!!!!!