Tasty Lunch Sets from “Big Sister”

Published: October 19, 2020

If you weren’t looking for it, you might easily miss Fukagawa Anegoya. What could be described as a “health food izakaya”, it is run by Ms. Mitsue Tsuneizumi, whose great-grandmother opened an izakaya (Japanese bar/pub) on the same Kiyosumi-dori Avenue site, near Monzen-nakacho subway station, in the early 1940s. Anegoya means “big sister’s place”. Ms. Tsuneizumi says that she doesn’t mind being referred to as an elder sister nowadays, but sometimes resented it when she was younger.

 

 

 

Ms. Tsuneizumi is an energetic lady, who has worked in various food-related establishments over the years, and whose current activities, in addition to running Fukagawa Anegoya, include teaching the shamisen and cooking for the attendees at a local old people’s day centre. A few months ago, she decided she was due for a change and embarked upon what she terms a “re-set” in her life.

 

 

This took the form of a “step up” of her izakaya: Ms. Tsuneizumi first obtained an Athlete Food Meister qualification, and armed with the information gleaned from this course, she set about creating a healthier menu. Out went the white rice to be replaced by genmai (brown rice), as part of a new gluten-free regime. She now places an emphasis on serving dishes containing fish and shellfish, includes vegetarian dishes in her menu, and has cut down on fatty foods; a tall order for an izakaya. She also looks to provide meals which contain vitamins and minerals.

 

In common with many izakaya in Tokyo, Fukagawa Anegoya’s interior layout is long and narrow: during the time of corona virus the counter sits three customers,

 

 

whilst a table area in the rear of the premises, graced by three retro beauties, sits up to another four.

 

 

There is also a pleasant “tachi-nomi” (drink standing) area near the entrance, set back from the main street and surrounded by large plants. Just the place, on an autumn evening, to stand and chat whilst having a drink.

 

 

I was greeted by a riot of colour when I stepped into Fukagawa Anegoya. Apart from the dining counter and tabletops, every surface seemed to be covered with piles of colourful plates and bowls in all shapes and sizes, as well as cups, glasses, and knick-knacks. I asked Ms. Tsuneizumi how she was able to find anything amongst the piles of crockery, but with a shrug she answered that it wasn’t a problem for her. In her defence, Ms. Tsuneizumi claims it is only like this due to having recently re-opened.

 

 

 

 

Even during the current lockdown, the diner is open in the evenings, although Ms. Tsuneizumi says she has seen a fall-off in numbers of customers. Still, she shows me her extensive izakaya evening menu, which includes several dishes which she can make up as bento (lunch boxes) for passing customers to take away.

 

These days she focuses on her lunchtime menu which includes a selection of healthy lunch sets, of which she makes 10 every day, as well as bento for those wishing to stop by and grab a take-away.

 

 

I still don’t know how she conjured them up from amongst all the clutter behind the counter, but Ms. Tsuneizuni suddenly produced some of her most popular dishes. The first up was:

• Magowayasashii.

As Ms. Tsuneizumi explained, the word magowayasashii stands for the contents of this traditional dish:

“ma” represents mame (beans)

“go” represents goma (sesame) or nuts

“wa” represents wakame (seaweed)

“ya” represents yasai (vegetables)

“sa” represents sakana (fish)

“shi” represents shiitake (mushrooms)

“i” represents imo (sweet potato) and potato

Including the above ingredients, Ms. Tsuneizumi prepares nine or more items for this dish, which comes with them all carefully arranged on a vividly coloured plate, for eye-catching effect.

 

 

Next came:

• Fukagawa chahan, a dish of tasty genmai mixed with asari (clams), umeboshi (pickled dried plum), and a sprinkling of aonori (dried seaweed), served up on a beautiful, delicate English Minton crockery plate and accompanied by a large bowl of miso shiro (soybean paste soup), with agedofu (fried tofu), wakame and umeboshi swimming in it.

 

 

This was followed by:

• Bukkake, a dish which the Fukagawa area of Koto Ward is famous for. This large bowl consists of shimeji (mushrooms), tofu (bean curd), naganegi (green onion), aonori, asari, and aburaage (deep fried tofu) all served in a rice soup with a side plate of ginger to add to the soup. This looked enticing and very filling.

 

 

And the final dish produced by Ms. Tsuneizumi was:

• Fukagawa curry omu (rice omelette) meshi set, with a bottle of homemade togarashi (hot pepper) sauce made to Ms. Tsuneizumi’s own recipe, to give it that extra kick.

 

 

To wash it down, why not order a cup of hot marsala chai? Marsala chai typically consists of five spices, such as crushed Kochi ginger, crushed cardamom, lemon grass, cloves, and cinnamon. The mixture is brought to a boil and loose black tea is added. You can have it served as iced tea, but Ms. Tsuneizumi’s advice is that the drink should be taken hot as it is better as a de-tox. She brought me some to try, served in a delicate chinaware cup (also Minton), which I found refreshing, with its own distinctive aroma and taste.

 

 

So, if you are in the area and fancy a healthy filling lunch or bento, why not give Fukagawa Anegoya a try? I’m sure “big sister” will be happy to help you decide what to choose.

 

 

 

 

Story and photographs by Jeremy Hutchinson