Many thanks to Robert Yellin for introducing us to Dining Room You, earlier this month. Hearing that they had both oysters and Baird beer there I was eager to give the place a try. We found it casual, and relaxed with a tiny garden at the back. Snow was gently falling to set the mood.
Here’s Robert in his element with a 
bottle of Angry Boy Brown Ale. Realizing that the owners of You were keen to compliment their food with the very best nihonshu, Robert felt that something was missing from the menu, and was good enough to introduce them to Baird Beer. It’s a shame to drink cheap beer when you are eating good food. Now they have the very best craft brews and all are served in these lovely ceramic cups.
We weren’t just there for the beer though, but for the oysters. Robert ordered five right off the bat – raw with just a slice of lemon. I have to agree with Robert that this is the best way to eat them. But for those who can’t stomach them raw, there are plenty of options: steamed in sake, fried, in tempura… So many tantalizing alternatives to try!
Here’s two more with yuzu ponzu.
Robert is also keen to recommend the Jikon nihonshu. He brings a little bag of sake cups with him when he goes drinking, as he feels it’s a shame to drink good sake out of mass-produced cups. He’s right too. The flavor of the nihonshu is subtly altered by the shape and texture of each individual hand-crafted cup. You are not simply drinking sake, you are experiencing it through the medium of a craftsman’s art.
Oysters are a seasonal dish and in season now, so if you want to try them you’d best get yourself up to You pretty soon. But it’s not all oysters there of course. We had steamed clams, grilled broad beans, gyoza, and saba no kizushi (mackerel marinated in mackerel). And how better to finish the meal than with a dish of macha tea-flavored chocolate ice-cream?
Great food, great beers, great nihonshu… and most importantly great company. That’s the good life for you. We’ll definitely be going back.
Dining Room You is on the north side of Shimochoja Dori, east of Horikawa, next to a Family Mart convenience store. Here is a map from Bing.
Opening hours: 17:30 – 00:00
Closed on Tuesdays.
Tel: 075-414-0166