Eating oysters in Hiroshima: Hayashi

We went to Hayashi for lunch after visiting Itsukushima Shrine. This restaurant is located in a shopping area on Miyajima island. There are lived oysters in a glass container in front of the restaurant. Therefore, this can guarantee the freshness of oysters selling here. Grilled oysters are cooked in front of this eating place. The aroma of grilled oysters was enough to tempt many tourists who walked pass by.

There are english menu provided at this restaurant. The menu has pictures as well as descriptions so it is very easy for us to place an order here.

This dish is called "namagaki" or "raw oysters" (1,300 Yen). There are 4 raw oysters served on a plate with a piece of lime, grated daikon, green onion, and ponzu sauce.

The oyster meat is so plump and juicy. These oysters are very fresh and rich in flavors. It's no wonder that oysters in Japan are called "Milk of the sea".

To enjoy this dish, you only need to sprinkle a raw oyster with lime and eat it together with grated daikon, green onion, and a little bit of ponzu sauce.

The second dish is called "yakigaki" or "grilled oysters" (1,050 Yen). This is the first time for me to try grilled oysters. The taste is so wonderful. You don't need to dip grilled oysters with any sauce.

The third dish is called "kakifural" or "fried oysters" (1,300 Yen). Cooking oysters this way is one of my favourite. The batter on the outside is crispy while the inside can maintain the freshness of the oyster meat. This dish comes with 2 kinds of sauce: tartar sauce and a sauce similar to tonkatsu sauce mixed with tomato sauce.

The next dish is called "anagomeshi" or "steamed rice with barbecued sea eel on the top" (1,600 Yen). Besides oysters, Hiroshima is also famous for its sea eal. An aroma of a grilled sea eal is so wonderful. The taste is beyond our expectation. It is very delicious. This dish is one of the recommended items on the menu.

Then, we ordered "Tonkatsu" or "fried pork cutlet" (900 Yen) which is a simple dish. It was very well prepared. The meat of the fried pork is not too dry.




Our last dish for this meal is called "Kakimeshi" or "steamed rice with boiled oysters" (980 Yen). This dish use a smaller size of oysters comparing to previous dishes. This is probably a style of cooking for kakimeshi. This set comes with a miso soup and preserved daikon. Even the rice was cooked in the soup but the taste is a little bit bland.




IMHO, a little bit of ground red chilli and soy sauce may enhance the flavor of this dish. However, if you don't like strong flavors, you can just eat this dish as-is.




*******************************************
Restaurant Name: Hayashi
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Price: 3,000 Yen/Person (Lunch)
*******************************************