I want to be surrounded by a happy aura
"Onigiri Bongo" - A place you'll want to visit every day

Oh, at last, "Onigiri Bongo".35I've been going to this restaurant for over 10 years.

There are many restaurants in the world, but "Bongo" may be the only one I want to eat every day. Of course, sometimes I want to eat the pork cutlet at "Sugita" or the ramen at "Harukiya", but it's not as strong as the affection I feel for "Bongo" every day. In that sense, "Bongo" is the eternal, immortal center of my life.

"Onigiri Bongo" is such a famous restaurant that there are few Japanese people who don't know the name. Whenever magazines or TV feature on onigiri, it always comes up. Therefore, it is so crowded that in the last five years or so, it has been the norm to wait two to three hours, and you even hear of eight-hour waits! I am truly sad that I can no longer go there casually. I can say that this is one of the greatest sadnesses of my life (no exaggeration).

As you know, be prepared to queue.
The interior of the restaurant is filled with a happy aura that makes you want to eat there anyway!

This time I chose a day of heavy rain. I thought there wouldn't be much of a line.……, but that was too easy. Before opening15In minutes, the location I arrived at was18Number.50I waited about 10 minutes. My legs were soaked from the knees down. The recent influx of foreigners must be the reason for the crowds. On rainy days,50Even though we were meters away, the shop assistant was worried about us and held a plastic umbrella over us, and when it was almost our turn, she offered us hot tea. I'm sure even foreigners would be impressed and say, "Japanese hospitality is the best." Even in the pouring rain, the shop was filled with a happy aura.

People often ask me, "Is it really that good?" I answer, "It's ridiculously good." I add, "The happiness of having eaten it lingers in my brain for at least two or three days." Even a week later, just recalling the image in my mind makes my mouth water. So it goes far beyond simply being "good."

The white rice made from Koshihikari rice grown in Iwafune, Niigata Prefecture, is incredibly delicious. The secret to its deliciousness is to soak the rice in water for over an hour, drain the water, and then leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Apparently, while it's chilled, the starch in the rice turns into sugar. Then, if you cook it with less water, you end up with firm, sweet, and flavorful white rice. The deliciousness of this white rice is the biggest factor that has made "Bongo" the undisputed king of rice.

Every single ingredient is superb, the nori seaweed from Ariake is excellent, the amount of Okinawan salt used when the onigiri is pressed is outstanding, and the way it is pressed is more exquisite than anywhere else in Japan. It is famous for being an airy onigiri that is simply shaped without being pressed. The ratio of white rice to ingredients is 2:1, which is probably the secret to its deliciousness. No matter where you bite, the rice and ingredients are the same. The miso soup is also delicious. There is nothing but happiness floating around the counter of this shop.

There are 57 different types of fillings
You can also add toppings for endless deliciousness

The first thing I ate was35This happened more than a year ago. The ingredients were30There were about a few kinds.57It has become a seed and continues to grow. There was no "egg yolk marinated in soy sauce" or "surf clam salad". In the past, there was no technique of combining two types of ingredients. That's why it is a restaurant that is never satisfied with the status quo.

Each rice ball is quite large, but the most I've ever eaten was six (what an idiot!). I usually order a set of three and some nameko soup, and when I'm done, I add another one, saying that I don't come here often. Under normal circumstances, four is the limit, so giving up the other fillings is extremely difficult.

The author has a history of choosing ingredients. In the past, I always ate "salmon", "mentaiko mayonnaise" and "fried chicken mayonnaise". This mayonnaise is amazing. I am particularly blown away by the smoothness of the "mentaiko mayonnaise". Apparently, the mentaiko is ground in a meat grinder. This creates an insanely delicious taste!

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to ingredients. Personally, my top five favorite individual items in recent years would be "whitebait," "surf clam salad," "sujiko," "mentaiko with mayonnaise," and "fried chicken with mayonnaise." I think it's impressive that the company has made such an effort to always have "sujiko" in stock, which is hard to come by. And it's because they put the customer first that they don't give up on getting "sujiko." I take my hat off to them.

Not many people seem to eat "Shirasu" or "Hokki Salad", but I definitely recommend you try them at least once. "Shirasu" has the perfect amount of salt and a light flavor that makes you want to eat as many as you can. It's really delicious. "Hokki Salad" is irresistible with the crunchy texture of the hokki and the light mayonnaise flavor. You'll be amazed at how delicious it is.

Bassy's 4 favorite toppings
"Sujiko+Salmon" "Egg yolk+Minced meat" "Hokki salad"+Grilled cod roe, Shiso kelp+Mentaiko mayonnaise

It goes without saying that the rice balls are excellent overall, but each of the ingredients is so delicious that no other restaurant can match it. It must be really hard to prepare this every day.

Topping menu: My top 4 is "Sujiko"+Salmon" "Egg yolk+Minced meat" "Hokki salad"+Grilled cod roe, Shiso kelp+The name of the dish is "Mentaiko mayonnaise."

"Sujiko+Salmon" "Egg yolk+"Minced meat" is ranked first and second in the popularity ranking of toppings. "Egg yolk", "minced meat", "sujiko" and "salmon" are all very delicious on their own, but when they are combined, it's unmatched. They all go great together. They're all so good they'll make you feel like you're ascending to heaven.

In particular, "Shiso kelp+"Mentaiko mayonnaise" is available at other stores, but this one is one of a kind. I have no way of expressing the bliss when they mix in your mouth. It's like you're hit on the head and stunned for a moment. I want you to try it and be amazed. I would like to try other ingredients, but these nine kinds are so amazing that I can't try them.

If you don't want to wait in line, you can make a reservation for take-out at a designated time, but the best thing is to eat the hot, crispy sushi at the restaurant. They also offer free miso soup for the second cup onwards.

(For those who want to cut down on the queue, there is "Onigiri Bongo Itabashi" in Shimoitabashi and "Onigiri Manma" next to Shinjuku Isetan. Both stores areThe rice balls and Happy Aura are smaller than those at the main store.

Author profile

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.