This is one of our favorite spot in Japan, we visited in 2016 and 2017. Ever since the first visit, we try to go to Isogiya every time we travel to Japan. We got to have a short visit to Japan this year, and of course, we made time for some yummy seafood at Isogiya! We got there right when they opened, so we were the first customers of the day. Nothing much has changed, still the no-frill, cozy, warm atmosphere.
They have complimentary water, green tea, and coffee, both self-service. They didn’t have the pot of coffee started yet, but they got it ready for us, which was nice.
They had all sorts of amazing sounding specials of the day, it was not easy to choose… Which is a great problem to have. There were four of us, and two of us chose Special Egg Omelet & Sashimi Platter (1,200 yen/about $12). First of all, look at all the things that comes with this platter, for about $12!!! This is crazy! Now, the Japanese “omotenashi” or consideration showed with this order. The two who ordered this platter happened to be a man and a woman. They adjusted the amount of rice accordingly, so that the man had more rice, and the lady had a little less. We didn’t ask them to do this, I thought it was so nice and considerate!
It comes with raw oyster, tuna, bonito, sardine, and octopus pieces. What a beauty!!! And I liked how the sashimi pieces were placed neatly on top of large sea shells. How cool is that!
The oyster was quite large and super fresh, as all the other sashimi pieces. They are not “fishy” but plump with great texture. Tuna pieces just melt in your mouth… So good!!!
Their homemade egg omelet was really nice. Fluffy and bouncy, with a nice sweetness to it without being too sweet. Thick and substantial size. Great with a nice hot rice!
It also came with a few side dishes, including salad, pickled vegetable, and a soup. The soup of the day was not seafood soup, but it was still quite tasty. It is a clear soup, not miso soup, with fluffy egg, seaweed and mitsuba leaves. Very earthy and comforting.
The other one of us went with Three Sashimi Donburi (1,000 yen/about $10). The price is really amazing here!
It comes with three kinds of sashimi; tuna, bonito, and sardine. It also had their special egg omelet. They were overflowing from the bowl! The quality of the sashimi pieces are top notch, thanks to being located at fish market.
it also came with similar side dishes, pasta salad, pickled vegetable and the soup of the day. Very home-y and yes, tasty!
Now, what did I order? Well, after looking at all the delectable menu, I went with Tuna, Salmon, Ikura Donburi (1,500 yen/about $15). Yes, I am fancy, I had to get a bit pricier item…but just look at this. It was totally worth it! With generous amount of firm yet velvety salmon, tuna that melt in your mouth, and of course, their special egg omelet. The ikura was interesting. It was smaller in size than the typical ikura, but it was still really tasty. The rice underneath had small bits of pickled daikon mixed in, giving an extra texture and flavor. It was simply amazing!
After visiting them three times, they are still one of our favorite spot in Japan. It is such a hidden gem, away from the busy city, loved by the locals. The service is friendly and homey, really love it here! I am sure we will continue to visit them every time we go to Japan…
Isogiya – 69-1 Wakashiba, Kashiwa Chiba, Japan 277-0871
いそぎや – 千葉県柏市若柴 69-1