Hakken Sakaba: An Izakaya, but You Have To Try the TKG!

T.K.G is short for tamago kake gohan, a dish that takes just seconds to put together and is loved by all Japanese. It's mostly associated with something you eat at home because it is so simple. Take a raw egg, or just the yolk, place it on top of some steamed rice, drizzle a bit of soy sauce, and voila! Some people prefer to mix the egg thoroughly with the rice, others with just break the yolk, and then there are the people that beat the egg and mix the soy sauce before pouring it onto the rice. It's the perfect combination whatever way it's done!

It's such a simple dish, why would any restaurant serve it? Some restaurants use eggs that come from brand name chickens, eggs that would cost a fortune if you bought a carton of them. One izakaya that I visited recently had a kyukyoku (ultimate) TKG on their menu (480 yen). What made it a little more unique was that it was topped with gyu toro flakes, or beef flakes. These flakes, a couple of years ago, was all the talk for a short period of time. It's expensive, costing up to 2500 yen for just 200g, but it's not really something you can make yourself at home. It's almost like a prociutto version of fatty beef that's been shredded into small pieces. You keep it in the freezer and scoop out portions when you want to use it.

The Ultimate TKG

With a generous amount of beef flakes, the umami from the beef fat is not lost! It goes really well in TKG adding a depth of flavour to the raw egg.

This izakaya called Hakken Sakaba seems to specialize in charcoal-grilled yakitori (chicken skewers), with several cuts of the chicken available for order by skewer. They have a large menu overall with items that go hand-in-hand with a beer or drink. 

One side of the food menu

The drink menu

This chain restaurant recently changed their name and so perhaps their menu changed as well. It seems to have changed for the better. Affordable, casual, with lots of variety, it's a good place to 'kick off your shoes' after a hard day at work.

Area: across the street from Honjin Station (Higashiyama Line), 本陣駅（東山線）

Restaurant: Hakken Sakaba ハッケン酒場

Website and Map: www.marche.co.jp/shop_search/shop_intro.html?shopNo=2388

Hours: 5pm-2am, open everyday