Founded in 1978 in Shimoda City, the restaurant later moved to Kazamatsuri. In December 2014, it established its current location (within the same premises). The reason for the relocation was the "water." They successfully drilled down 100 meters to reach an ideal water layer, analyzing the components of underground water through boring, and received approval from the health department to move here.You can enjoy top-class blue eel (farmed) with their exquisite sauce. When I first visited around 2017, they were already serving farmed eel, but by sourcing the best quality eel of the day regardless of the origin, you can savor this exceptional dish.---I visited my number one eel restaurant, "Tomoei," for the first time in four years. On a whim the day before, I called Tomoei to secure some eel (reservations for seats are not available at Tomoei. You must call to reserve eel and then register at the restaurant on the day to wait for your turn. They will call you when your time is near). I learned that the liver was sold out due to reservations except for August 16-18, so I had to give up... but!To get here, I stayed overnight at the Kintaro no Sato roadside station. I heard that the registration paper is available around 7 AM, so I left the roadside station at 6:30 AM to head there. Thanks to that, I secured my registration!After that, I went to "Natural Hot Spring Odawara Corona no Yu," which is a 17-minute drive away. The morning price is a reasonable JPY 800. After enjoying a relaxing soak, I returned to Tomoei.Around 9:55 AM, they started calling people in order. At this time, there was a crowd of about 15 people. I waited for over an hour. I was the first to be called in among the customers! ■ Unaju (Eel Rice Bowl) ¥8,000 Includes a clear soup and pickles (Cucumber, Japanese radish, Carrot, Sakura radish, Pickled cucumber)- Today's blue eel is from Hamamatsu. I enjoyed the super fluffy eel with their sweet special sauce. It was truly melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the sauce was fantastic! Eating it with rice made me so happy! The coarsely ground sansho pepper was exquisite! The liver soup was also refined and delicious without any off-flavors.■ Freshly sliced liver (with sauce) ¥1,400 - I was able to get the liver that was canceled! When I made the phone reservation, they asked, "What would you like to do if there’s a cancellation for the liver?" So I was glad I ordered it! The size is large! I dipped it in egg yolk. It seems that connoisseurs often enjoy it with wasabi instead of sauce, so I’ll try that next time!For reference, here’s the price trend for Unaju. Four years ago, it was JPY 5,940, and when I first visited around 2017, it was under JPY 5,000. The liver was JPY 880 four years ago. Even so, it’s quite affordable for a top-class eel restaurant.In conclusion, this is definitely my number one eel place! I heard a female staff member say, "Thank you for coming so early in the morning," which was a lovely gesture as I left. This restaurant truly excels in hospitality.---【Tomoei Strategy】 - If you register at 7 AM, there’s no wait. (In exchange, you’ll eat at 10 AM) - Spend time sightseeing until opening (I went to a super sento). - If you arrive early, there’s a chance to receive any canceled liver.* I’ve heard rumors that next year, eel will be more available and market prices will drop.
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