01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Hanzaemon’s appeal lies in serving fish dishes alongside its kushikatsu. One diner described the skewers as light, with a thin coating of fine breadcrumbs, and recalled a choice of three sauces—tonkatsu (medium-thick) sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dashi soy sauce—with tartar sauce also available for some ingredients. Trying different sauces with different skewers makes a platter a good way to discover what you like. The menu also lists an assorted kushikatsu platter under “Creative dishes available!!”, alongside other fried options such as spicy fried chicken wings, fried Arita chicken thigh and tempura conger eel.
Some diners come for the fish, and have enjoyed sashimi, grilled fish and simmered fish. The menu’s selection of items sent directly from Obama includes grilled or fried gas shrimp and ete flounder, dried firefly squid and blackthroat seaperch dried with soy sauce. Start with sashimi, then add another dish of kushikatsu or fish. You can make fried food the focus, or build a dinner around seafood.
The sake list includes junmai ginjo from Jurakudai in Kyoto, as well as Kokuryu and Born from Fukui and Kikusui from Niigata. There are options for pairing sake with fish, and beer and wine are also listed. Whether you’re in the mood for both kushikatsu and seafood or want to linger over one or the other, there is plenty to choose from. Dinner reservations are recommended, so consider booking if you have plans.
