01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Opening the menu at Funamachi Ichigo reveals an enticing selection built for lingering over drinks, ranging from seasonal sashimi and small drinking plates to hearty hot pots and meat dishes. Guest favorites include the deep-fried shrimp-paste sandwiches, fried until crisp and aromatic, and the slowly steamed beef tongue. Small dishes like freshly prepared dashi rolled omelets and ume-suishō cartilage with firefly squid pickled in soy sauce show the kitchen's steady, careful prep work.
For a more substantial meal, diners can turn to the pork shabu-shabu hot pot, which simmers pork loin and belly with vegetables, or the single-portion kamameshi cooked to order in iron pots. Steamed with seasoned broth, the rice comes in varieties such as red sea bream, chicken with burdock root, clam, salmon, and changing seasonal combinations. Each grain absorbs the savory essence of the meat or seafood, offering a grounding finish to a multi-course dinner or a complete meal on its own.
The drink selection keeps pace with the cooking. Alongside sake, the beverage list features Yebisu draft beer, diverse shochu, Arruga Branca Pipa barrel-fermented Japanese white wine, and whisky, allowing diners to tailor their drink to the richness of the meat or the lightness of the dashi broth.
Located on the 3th floor of a building in Funamachi, Shinjuku, Funamachi Ichigo maintains a calm izakaya ambiance with counter seating and well-spaced tables. Because the restaurant opens only for dinner and offers limited seating, reserving a table or a set course in advance is recommended. A clean scoop of homemade shiso sorbet makes for a quiet, refreshing close to the evening.
