Hironoya ひろの屋

Hironoya is a gem of a Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately, as of this writing it is closed until they can find a new location. We all hope that it will be sooner rather than later.

It may seem silly to write about a restaurant that is on a hiatus. I am writing about this because there aren't many restaurants like this. I'm not just talking about the food. It's a major part of it yes, but this restaurant has the intangible qualities that not many can have.

Hironoya

A good restaurant has delicious food that keeps people coming back. It is usually a combination of price, taste, and quality.

Hironoya tends towards the expensive side. I have come here for lunch a few times and it is easily a $20 lunch. Dinner can easily top off at $30-$40 per person. 

One page of the Hironoya dinner menu

The food is delicious. This is not your stereotypical Japanese restaurant with teriyaki protein dinners and sushi rolls. In fact they had a sign on the door stating that it is not a sushi restaurant. Most quality restaurants in Japan will specialize in a particular type of food. For Hiro-san this meant tempura. They also serve a wide variety of tapas and sashimi but the specialty is really the tempura. There's a whole page of the menu devoted to just tempura orders. 

Kabocha tempura

Quality is top notch at Hironoya. A lot of the sashimi is fresh from Japan. The green tea delicious. Every item is a solid dish in of itself. The quality extends beyond the food and to the staff. The mild mannered staff are quick and attentive. They are exactly what you would expect of Japanese hospitality. I've always seen the same two ladies who work there. They've probably been there for years. Even if you're not a regular they're always welcoming and smiling. 

Hironoya Hokkai-don

What makes Hironoya great to me is outside of these three things. Hiro-san and his staff have created a restaurant that people love to go to. There is a steady stream of Japanese regulars. You can tell by their animated conversations, the relaxed moods, and the banter they have with staff (even when slightly drunk) that these people have come to a second home. I've seen regulars walk around talking to each other about their day. 

On a recent night before the close, a group of them gave him a cake and thanked him for his work. The entire restaurant burst into applause and thanks as Hiro-san took the cake into his hands. He graciously bowed and thanked everyone. Then he gave the cake to his staff to divide up while he quickly went back to his work behind the bar.

A view of Hiro-san at work and patrons at the bar

Hiro-san is a quiet guy but he is obviously dedicated to his craft. If you get him talking about his dishes he lights up and will tell you all his can about it. His passion for what he does comes out obviously in the restaurant, his staff, and especially his food.

Shirauo wrapped in shiso leaf tempura

Shirauo is a tiny white fish that you fish off the coast of Kyushu and Kanto regions of Japan - not to be confused with shirasu as Hiro-san once explained to me. The size and texture of the fish are different and I have had the pleasure of experiencing both as sashimi.

What Hiro-san has done with shirauo though is take a shiso leaf and use that to wrap up a little bundle of shirauo to be made into a deliciously balanced minty and fish flavored tempura. Shiso leaf is the leaf you usually see served with sashimi. This is then dipped in some mountain salt. His shirauo dish is very popular amongst his regulars. If you go you must ask for it as it isn't on any of the menus.

It is Hiro-san's passion that created this wonderful food and the wonderful atmosphere of Hironoya. It shows in his staff. It shows in his restaurant. This is a rare quality for any restaurant. It's the kind of meal that makes you full and not just in your stomach. I hope that they can find a new location soon.

Dessert pudding