Warayakiya Roppongi

A few minutes down Imoarai-zaka from Roppongi Crossing, flames regularly shoot up from the middle of a crowded dining room. They come from bundles of burning rice straw, and they last only a few seconds at a time. Sit near the open kitchen at Warayakiya Roppongi and you will see them every time another order of katsuo comes in.

This is warayaki, the cooking technique most closely associated with Kochi and the old Tosa region. Rice straw burns extremely hot, reaching around 800 degrees, allowing the cooks to sear the outside of the fish almost instantly while leaving the center rare. More important is the smoke. The burning straw leaves a distinctive toasted aroma on the surface that you simply do not get from an ordinary grill.

Start with the restaurant's signature katsuo warayaki shio tataki. The bonito is cut thick, its edges seared and smoky while the middle remains cool, moist, and deep red. Instead of the familiar combination of ponzu and sliced onion, it is served in the Tosa style with salt, wasabi, and raw garlic. Try the first piece with just salt. The seasoning brings the bonito's flavor forward while leaving the aroma from the straw completely intact. Add garlic to the next and it becomes a much more forceful bite, particularly good with beer or sake.

The flames are not reserved for bonito. Hachikin jidori, Kochi's local chicken, is also finished over burning straw. The skin takes on a smoky char while the meat underneath remains juicy and pleasantly firm. Depending on the menu, you may also find straw-seared eel, seafood, vegetables, or other seasonal ingredients. Utsubo, moray eel and a familiar ingredient in Kochi, sometimes appears as warayaki as well.

Then there are the dishes that make the restaurant feel less like a specialist grill and more like a night out in Kochi. Chikuwa stuffed with cucumber, known locally as chikukyu, is exactly as straightforward as it sounds. Niratama combines blanched garlic chives with a raw egg yolk and a generous covering of bonito flakes. Tosa-style oden comes in a bonito-based broth scented with yuzu. Fried sweet potato, straw-seared mentaiko, and salt-seasoned sweet potato sticks with mascarpone are easy additions when the table wants another round of drinks.

There is plenty to drink with all of it. The sake selection leans toward Kochi producers, a natural match for the salty, smoky food, while beer works particularly well with the first plate of katsuo. For something more specific to the restaurant, the Warayaki Buntan Sour uses the citrus fruit closely associated with Kochi, topped with buntan sorbet for a sharper, refreshing finish.

Save room if the shijimi ramen is available. After several rounds of grilled fish, chicken, garlic, and sake, the hot clam broth makes a particularly convincing final order.

The restaurant itself is casual and busy. A circular counter surrounds the cooking area, with additional raised seating and tables around it. The best seats are the ones with a clear view of the kitchen: every new order of tataki sends another column of flame above the counter, followed a moment later by the smell of burning straw. On warmer nights, the street-facing side can be opened up, giving the room an even livelier feel.

Warayakiya is not difficult to understand. Come hungry, order the katsuo shio tataki first, sit where you can see the fire, and have it with a cold beer or a glass of Kochi sake. By the time you finish, chances are the flames will have gone up several more times.

Reservations:

Warayakiya accepts direct online reservations, so travelers who simply need a table can book independently. For counter requests, larger groups, dietary requirements, or arrangements that need to be communicated in Japanese, TableEX can handle the booking.