It was a chilly, late night in front of Sendai Station. That week the weather teased us with hints of spring, but the small piles of snow here and there met winter was still enjoying its stay even during late February. Being the middle of the week, we were tired from our day jobs and had no energy to walk the 15-20 minutes to the main entertainment district Kokubuncho. Thankfully the ''most senior'' member of our party has lived in the city long enough to be considered a local and took us to a towering building right on nearby Aoba street. We exited the street elevator on the sixth floor. Hidden inside the plain exterior of the outside concrete building was an atmosphere of elegance, sophistication, and as we would soon find out, delicious food.
Kakoiya restaurant staff readily greeted us and remained professional and friendly during the evening. Nearly everywhere in Japan seems to have excellent service with polite staff, but having friendly staff that struck up conversations was refreshing. As we were lead to our private room tucked behind sliding doors, we glided over the shiny hardwood floors to the views of simple Japanese design and even some kamakura structures which function as larger private rooms. The restaurant is actually very spacious with several areas including a bar, night view lounge, and multiple private room areas. It's so big that you might have to ask directions back from the bathroom as well. Three alternating turns back to my private room--which looks like all the others when doors are shut-- is much harder once you have thoroughly sampled the extensive drink menu.
While sipping our first drinks of the night we continued browsing the menu. There are few pictures. All items have a written description in Japanese, but the item's name is also listed in English so English speakers shouldn't be concerned about what they order unless you are a picky eater. The restaurant is most famous for its various grilled meat items and raw fish slices known as sashimi. We ordered some of each and were not disappointed. The meat was tender, juicy not greasy, and had just the right amount of smoky charcoal flavor in my opinion. It went great with beer. The sashimi was the highlight of the night as the beautiful assortment of colors had a backdrop of dried ice producing an eerie fog. It sure tasted fresh and the presentation made it seem like a fisherman just returned to port on an early foggy morning with today's catch. The seafood dish is best paired with sake or plum wine.
Prices for Kakoiya are a little expensive, but worth the price for the quality of the food combined with their excellent service. It's good for a special night out that won't break the bank. I would recommend this place for company workers to bond together, or as a classier outing with a group of friends. The location is a little too big to be considered intimate despite the separate rooms, so I wouldn't suggest going there for a date night. My coworkers and I really enjoyed our stay and returning home was easy as the JR station and subway are each less than a five minute walk away.
