Crab House Eni — Restaurant in Tokyo

An unexpected treasure--specializing in lobster and crab--just few blocks outside of the buzzing Nakameguro business district. I went to six or seven meetings at the college of music, walking right by this place, before I even noticed it was here. It's sort of an Italian-Spanish-Japanese fusion place that's all about seafood. I enjoyed my meal with their special red sangria.

My dinner was incredible. It started with astoundingly fresh lobster sashimi, sweet and delicate, soy and wasabi on the side. Exactly what you want from lobster. They serve small chunks of tail meat sashimi, cut perfectly, presented with subtlety. The shell serves as a boat. The claw meat is cooked served on the side, topped with a nuanced tartar sauce. I like that I got to try the lobster's meat in two pure and simple forms, raw and cooked. Actually, I got to try it a third way: the head is also on the plate, but my server made sure I knew not to mess with it, as it would be the star of my final course.

After the sashimi, I had the the special crab and shrimp ajillo. It was great. Spicy. Buttery. Four crab claws and four shrimp, plus a bunch of lobster chunks in rich garlic broth. They suggest you order focaccia for mopping up all the spicy garlicky buttery goodness, so I did. The focaccia was average in flavor, texture and presentation, but it was exceptional in it's absorbency, which is all that matters. I dipped every bit of bread in the broth. It was so perfectly balanced, the garlic and chilis present but not in your face. I finished every last drop with a spoon.

Next, they brought me snow crab and butter cream pasta, which had heavy black pepper and light pecorino notes, scented with sweet crab, visible threads of pink crustacean flesh sprinkling the spaghetti. The sauce had a perfect consistency, not to thick, like most cream sauces. In fact, it was thin as it could be while still coating the pasta perfectly. The starchy bite of the pasta was robust and each chew felt almost as if it was releasing the cream sauce like nectar. What's impressive here is not the intricacy of the technique--it's just a simple cream reduction--but rather the precision and restraint with which the chef leverages flavor. It's so easy to turn crab into a cliche; I've eaten many creamy bowls of surimi-flavored sweetness. This was not that. It was perfectly reserved, like a real french bisque, highlighting everything that's delectable about crab without being sensational and flamboyant.

At the end, they brought me a bowl of miso soup, made from the head of the lobster from my first course. It was full of robust lobster and gentle miso flavor notes. In some ways, it was the best part of the meal, or maybe it was just the perfect way to end a meal that magically spotlighted the culinary character of crustaceans.

This place is not cheap. But it's also not crazy expensive. I would've spent at least four times as much for the same meal in the USA. The space is unassuming, a big wood-block mosaic of crabs on the wall. The service was kind and attentive. They handed me a bag of shrimp chips on my way out. I will definitely be bringing friends and relatives here when they...

Hidden gem in Meguro. I came here 2023 for the first time and they left a small welcome message on the table for reserved customers which I found it very lovely. I returned for the second time 01.18.2025 with my husband and 2 friends, and as I sure expected, their food, service and vibes are all top notch. I have a mixed feeling that I want this business to thrive and succeed for a long time. But also I wish I can still make a rsvp and come back in the future without a hustle… Minis definitely the one that you don’t want other people to know about its existence but also prosper for you to go whenever you wish to, Love this place and highly recommend to try their side to...

We found this place because we were craving seafood and I have to say we were happily satisfied.

We ordered several dishes including their recommended lobster. Salad was fairly large - 1/4 size was large and perfect for 2 people. I imagine the full size must be massive. Lobster was magnificent and juicy. Overall food was great, but also a bit on the pricey side. Although that was expected for good seafood.

The cherry on top of everything was they gave us each a bag of shrimp chips as we left, which I...