29 replies to this topic

[Bu Pun Su]

Long before the Michelin guide for Tokyo is out, me and my family already planned to go to Tokyo for several days in winter 2007. This would be my first trip to Japan in more than 20 years. I love eating very much, but Tokyo? Well, I'm relatively "blind" about the restaurants there. When the Michelin Tokyo is released about a month before we went there, it became a help guide to me to decide where to go in addition to some advice from people in the forums. And Sant Pau Tokyo will be the 1st restaurant I would like to share ...

Food/Wine (92/90)
This place is actually not my first choice. I planned to try to L'Osier, but the restaurant is full even until the middle of Jan '08 - Michelin guide could really make or break a restaurant ... so I decide to try this place. As usual, I choose the restaurant's full degustation menu. Here are what I had:
- typical Spanish restaurant should start with "Tapas". I like the "satay" consisting of brioche, smoked snapper and tomato; the zucchini with cheese & almond is also good.
- the first main course would be monkfish. This dish combines the acidity and subtle sweetness of various ingredients such as mushrooms and paprika. The turnip and olive oil inside does not really help to make the fish spectacular. It's just OK, but beautifully presented
- then green cod soup (made of spinach and herbs). The fish is too little whereas the marzipan portion is simply too thick
- norway lobster (I think it's more suitable as langoustine or scampi since they size is rather small). The best dish for this lunch - the prawn is soft in texture and rich in flavor reminded me of Pacaud's langoustine. The side dishes are also "extreme" in taste - egg yolk and bananas, but they were tamed by the cream of rice
- the original version is turbot, my fav. fish but I decided to switch it to parrotfish since I never had it before, the fish is cooked with its tasty and crunchy scales but the meat itself is tasteless. The overall taste is help with the romesquet sauce, Spanish traditional soup
- pork is never my favorite choice for the main course, but compare to beef's cheek ... this pluma (the meat taken between its neck and shoulder) of Iberian pork was surprisingly quite good and tender, not cloying at all
- each cheese here is paired with side dishes like jelly and tomato. the home made one is ok, both Italian robiola and French bleu de gex are quite strong
- then come the desserts. Honestly, this is probably the most creative presentation among 2-3 star restaurants I've ever been (you should see the pictures yourself). I ordered the "Solar System" consists of 2 parts: 1) the planet, like its name suggests, the chef represents the planets with all different kinds of desserts - some of them that I could recall are the jelly (Neptune), the Indian spices rice crispy (Mars), milky (Sun), apple with dark chocolate (Jupiter), icy beets (moon) etc.
- the other part 2) heavenly bodies and the eplipse. This one is not only pretty, but also very good. It's pretty much about almond from the mousse to cream powder. The foam is made of rum, there's some caramel as well - nice combination. On the top - it's supposed to be an "eclipse" consists of the grapefruit pudding at the bottom plus the hot coffee at the top that solidifies in less than one minute.

Overally, I am happy with the food even though not as good as Can Fabes. I think the chef put too much emphasized to the presentation (I believe he's very creative), but in doing so sometimes it blurs the real taste of the dish - some of them are not very clear which ingredient(s) should be the "king". I think it would take a few more years before this place could get the 3rd michelin star.

The wines here are dominantly from Spain, especially from the Catalan area (the home of the chef Carme Ruscalleda). I had a glass of white - Marques de Alella (clean and fresh with aromatic notes of vanilla. The palate is dry, with some white grapefruit flavor. It accompanies the fish and prawn dishes ) and a glass of red - Telmo Rodriquez Gago Toro (medium with suave aromas of red berries. It's wonderfully poised with gentle acids and some mineral at the finishing. A nice choice by the sommelier). I am still learning to appreciate more of Spanish wine ... somehow I always like the French onebetter.

Service/Ambiance (94/92)

Sant Pau Tokyo's building can be considered big and quite luxurious. As you entered the main entrance, there is a lobby then somebody will escort you to the dining room (it's relatively huge, the distance between tables are quite far) located in the 2nd floor (before that you would pass a bar and lounge). The restaurant was quite full (almost 80%) and dominated woody materials. There are many paintings on the wall - all imported from Spain. The staffs here are very accomodating and cordial, especially the manager - she used to live and work for Sant Pau Spain for several years before going back to Japan.

There are not that many good Spanish restaurant in Asia, so I think Sant Pau Tokyo is best one outside Spain itself. The overall grade for me: 92/100 - truly deserved the 2-star they currently carry, slightly below 2-star in Paris like Bristol but better than my lunch at Carre des Feuillants. Here are the link for the pictures: sant pau tokyo

[prasantrin]

I just checked out their website. So were you there for dinner or for lunch?

I quite liked the concept of the solar system, but as a dessert, the flavours you described didn't seem that interesting to me. Do you know if there was a reason the chef chose the flavours he did? (in other words, why apple with dark chocolate for Jupiter, etc.)

Also, did you dine alone, and if so, did you find they were any more or less welcoming?

Just an aside, the cover page of your Sant Pau album takes forever and a day to download. Any chance of making your future album cover pages smaller?

[Bu Pun Su]

I was there for lunch by myself and I felt they welcomed me despite eating along and the fact that I'm not Japanese. Things went more smoothly as I could find the common ground to discuss with the maitre d. In addition, they did not rush me even though I was the last person to finish my meal - about 3:30 PM I think (in Tokyo, people normally do not stay long for lunch)

I did not ask about the solar system's flavor concept as in why they characterize certain flavor with certain planets - you just brought up a good question. Regarding the cover page, you actually could roll down and click the enter gallery directly without having to download the entire cover. Thanks

[thelobster]

Thanks for the great report! I haven't been to Sant Pau in a couple of years, and it's good to hear they're keeping up their standards. I especially liked their micro-menu and their desserts and cheeses.

By the way, Pierre Gagnaire (another two-star spot in town) also does a very ambitious dessert menu.

I'll look forward to future installments of your report.

[mjmchef]

I don't know how long you are here in Tokyo for but you should try to visit RYUGIN in Rappongi, which is doing very modern approcah to Japanese food. Most Eclectic in Japan. The other would be Joel robouchon's 3 star place. The chefs all say the Exec. Chef there is probably the best in Tokyo.

[Bu Pun Su]

Yeah, I agreed about Pierre Gagnaire's desserts - I ate at his establishments in HK and Paris before, that's why I decided to skip it this time

Thanks for the suggestion mjmchef, I was in Tokyo only for several days. Actually, I did try Robuchon's food. Is L'Osier the best French resto in Tokyo (if not in the whole Japan) - perhaps only Chateau Robuchon and Michel Bras Toya would give a real challenge

[Bu Pun Su]

This will be my first review of the Asian cuisine – part of my winter trip to Tokyo. It is … the traditional ryotei restaurant - Hamadaya at Nihonbashi (there is another Hamadaya in the midtown – a more modern version). I was very excited when the hotel’s concierge told me that she successfully secured a lunch reservation for us at Hamadaya since I heard that some restaurants in Tokyo do not really accept foreigners. Without further delay …

Food/Wine (94/94)
The food served here is kaiseki only (some called it tea ceremony). From the beginning until the end, the only food utensil I use is a pair of chopstick (hashi) – yes, you’re expected to eat your rice, cut the meat/fish, taking “things” from your soup etc. by using only that chopstick – very different than western haute cuisine where in one meal you may use more than 20 spoons/forks/knives. Kaiseki meal’s dishes have certain order that needs to be followed (though not very strict), I think my meal has about 75% of the complete “official” dishes (12-14 dishes for the extensive version)
- the appetizers are roasted squid, crab meat (they’re fine) and deep fried prawn (good) as well as some mixture of vegetables with peanut sauce (refreshing)
- next come the clear soup with tasty broth. The spiny lobster’s taste is too mild, the tofu and potato are ok
- before our palate sated with cooked foods, the fresh sashimi is served – maguro, sayori and hirame (the winter version)
- I love the grilled dish a lot. The red tilefish is dense and tasty, the oyster is good except that the dark sauce is a bit too strong, while the saba sushi is good and served in generous portion
- simmered turnip, quail, spinach (nice) and tofu – wonderful combination of soft texture and light taste of the tofu
- deep fried prawn and broccoli; they’re not oily at all. The prawn, in particular, is sweet and crunchy
- the main course is kaiseki dish is (almost) always rice (gohan). The superior Japanese rice is accompanied by peas and crab omelet. On the side, we have red miso soup and combination of Japanese pickles
- lastly, the dessert: simple, but surprisingly good. The red bean soup is sublime; I ate the best honey dew ever here – sweet and watery (Now I understand why a small Japanese Melon could cost USD 50-70 in the supermarket), the strawberry is also memorable.

I learned that the “real” and “original” kaiseki meal are always using seasonal and best quality of local ingredients that mostly are not available outside Japan. Due to this, it’s virtually impossible to duplicate the kaiseki experience outside Japan (Could anybody confirm this?) Another distinct feature of kaiseki is that they consist of multiple small courses featuring many different cooking skills, yet it only has one seasonal theme and everything must be in harmony (like a symphony). I give this place 94/100 for food (a strong 2 ½*)

Kaiseki meal traditionally is accompanied by sake and this time also without exception. Me and my father shared Kiku-Masamune from Kobe for the hot sake (mild and refined in aroma with delicate and smooth taste. It is the kind of sake that would intensify the foods’ flavor). For the cold sake, the restaurant recommended Aramasa from Akita (A flavorful rice sake with gentle grain-like aroma and smooth round taste with a slight bitter finish). I don’t know whether the restaurant also serves French wines/champagnes

Service/Decoration (98/92)

Eating kaiseki meal in its traditional sense also means that you would enjoy your meal in a private tatami room. Our room can be considered very big (more than 400 square-feet) that could easily accommodate 10 or more people. The long table has a “hole” below for the guest to put their feet and the “chair” also has back support. It was very tranquil and peaceful as if you’re not in Tokyo which is identical to fast and “chaos” activities everyday. Nearby, we could also see a small garden – a nice and comfortable “dining room”

It takes two to Tango – in tea ceremony, the collaboration between the host (the restaurant’s manager plays a very important role during kaiseki’s meal) and the guest is very essential. The Okami-san (Proprietress), Ms. Keiko Mita often came to keep us accompany during the meal. Another staff who happens to be the owner’s daughter (we’re lucky since the daughter, speaking fluent English, does not have any class that day so she could help her mother) became our translator. Ms. Keiko Mita’s friendliness and warmth instantly turned the cold ambiance into a more intimate one. No detail was overlooked; essentially the service here is indeed impeccable and both the host along with her staffs are very courteous and cordial. They bring the meaning of service to the next level, in addition to the fact that Japanese people are generally very polite (When I return home, somehow I often bow when I speak to people  ). Oh … if you wish, you get geisha(s) to entertain you during the meal here

While it is true that this is not the best meal I’ve ever had (I ate better at L’Arpege or ADPA), the overall experience here is truly exceptional. I don’t know if Japanese food can be this good, perhaps I should try dinner next time where the food should be more elaborate (or is it simply depending on the budget mentioned at the beginning?). For the general experience, I would bestow 95/100 (2 ¾*) – the 3 star Michelin they received is really justified.

Does anybody know how much different the tea ceremony here compared to the “famous” Kyoto-style kaiseki? A more details of my adventure can be found here, Hamadaya Winter 07
The pictures would be at the following link: hamadaya pictures 07

[JasonTrue]

On your question of whether it's possible to do kaiseki outside Japan: It's probably impossible to duplicate a kaiseki meal in Japan somewhere else, but it's not impossible to do kaiseki. There are some places in the West Coast of the US which offer kaiseki, usually requiring advance reservations since it's not easy even in Japan to do an all-kaiseki place.

Even within Japan there are regional variations in seasonality. Before refrigerated trucking and the elaborate air freight network that makes Japan's highly globally interconnected fish industry possible, there was a lot more regional variation in what fish was available. It's easy to forget that Japan's ingredients are far less "local" than ever before.

Some vegetables aren't widely available outside of Japan, and sometimes Japan outbids other countries on certain seafood items so that you might be able to, for example, get fresh California uni more easily in Japan than at the dock where they are brought in.

But it's possible to use locally available ingredients from other places in a Japanese tradition, and source even many specialty Japanese ingredients outside of Japan. Some ingredients may require adjustments; for example, North American matsutake have a milder aroma but a stronger flavor than Japanese matsutake.

However, I think that most of the very good kaiseki chefs won't bother to leave Japan, because they can earn better in Japan than they would by trying to run a restaurant outside of Japan.

[Bu Pun Su]

Jason,
Thanks for your elaborate explanation
Who do you think is Japan's top kaiseki chefs? Kikunoi's Yoshihiro Murata is probably the most popular one ...

[JasonTrue]

I don't really have a prayer of answering that meaningfully. Even Japanese living in Japan with a fairly substantial passion for kaiseki and pocketbooks to match probably couldn't answer authoritatively. There are chefs that get lots of press, and perhaps there are chefs who are "famous," but I wouldn't think that anyone would be able to answer in any meaningful or authoritative way.

Seattle is small enough that I can name the best pastry shop or two, and I can fairly confidently name the best three or four Italian restaurants in town, but in Tokyo I wouldn't even have a chance of doing that, much less if I added on Kyoto or Osaka or Fukuoka, where I've spent far less time.

Also, unless I'm missing something in sources that my Japanese isn't good enough to make sense of, there's not so much of a presence of the New York Times style restaurant critic in Japan. Most of the guides to restaurants I've seen published are more PR-like than anything else, and it seems to be considered gauche to say anything harsher saying they have "interesting" or "unfamiliar" food in either printed or televised contexts, both of which typically, but don't always, mean that the taster was not fond of what they were served.

[Hiroyuki]

Does anybody know how much different the tea ceremony here compared to the “famous” Kyoto-style kaiseki? A more details of my adventure can be found here, Hamadaya Winter 07
The pictures would be at the following link: hamadaya pictures 07

First of all, thank you very much for taking us on a wonderful, vicarious trip to that famous three-star restaurant. I have fully enjoyed your description and photos of the restaurant.

As for your question, I think I will make a reply in a day or two. (Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now.)

[Bu Pun Su]

You're very welcome Hiroyuki
Don't worry about it and please take your time
Thanks

[Hiroyuki]

You're very welcome Hiroyuki
Don't worry about it and please take your time
Thanks

Now I am less busy, so here I go.

Here is a very brief description of a kaiseki meal served by the host at a tea ceremony. (I think it's stupid of me to talk about this type of kaiseki in detail when I haven't had a single one in my life).

First the guest is served a leg-less tray called oshiki (oh-shee-kee), which contains:
Rice
Soup
Mukozuke (sashimi, sunomono (vinegared dish), etc.)

The guest first eats the rice and the soup, and then starts having mukozuke after being served sake.

Then, the guest is served, in this order:
minomo (simmered dish), yakimono (grilled dish), shii zakana (appetizer), hassun (food from the mountains and food from the sea placed on a hassun (8-sun) (24-cm) square cedar tray (the former being placed at an upper right position and the latter at a lower left position), yuto (scorched rice with hot water plus a bit of salt), konomono (pickles), and kashi (dessert), before tea is served.
Examples of some of the dishes mentioned above can be found here:
http://www2u.biglobe...age33/page.html
First photo: Rice, soup, mukozuke on an oshiki
Second: Nimono
Third: Yakimono
Fourth: Shii zakana
Fourth: Hassun

As you can see, this type of kaiseki is a light meal served before tea is served. Tea is the main thing, and rice and soup are served first. In a restaurant-style kaiseki meal, sakizuke* is usually served first , and you eat it with sake, and rice and soup are served near the end, before mizugashi (aka mizumono). In short, this type of kaiseki is a meal for enjoying drinking sake.

* I know from your blog that hassun is served first at Hamadaya, but at Kikunoi (Kikunoi at Akasaka, Tokyo is a two-star kyo-kaiseki (Kyoto style kaiseki) restaurant) and many other Japanese restaurants, they first serve sakizuke.

[Bu Pun Su]

Sorry for the long delay ... here is another review of my memorable meal in Tokyo. A year ago, I often asked if anybody ever eat here, but I hardly found any French restaurants' review located in Japan for this forum. Well, finally I found the answer myself and here is the report. If any of you are the fans of Joel Robuchon, there is no better place on this earth than Tokyo, it has everything about Gault Millau's chef of the century's establishments from top to bottom (Chateau, La Table and L'Atelier Joel Robuchon). Outside that, there are Robuchon's bar, cafe and boutique. Name it and you'll have it. After rather disappointing meal at Robuchon Galera, well I still think that this living legend chef deserves a second chance and this time, he showed why he's still in the upper echelon of the world's top chefs.

Food/Wine (96/95)

I order the full course of Robuchon's top fine dining. It consists of 16 small courses a la Japanese kaiseki
- the amuse is a refreshing avocado puree flavored with olive oil and cheese
- there are 3 caviar dishes ... the one with crunchy salmon and quail egg is divine, the one with asparagus needs a bit "more" caviar especially inside, and the last part with couscous is in right texture and temperature. Only Robuchon's caviar with cauliflower cream is better than these
- then come the seafood dishes. The blue lobster is delectable in solid texture
- the langoustine is intensely tasty with foie gras reduction. The black truffle doesn't do much
- and the best is the sweet and creamy Hokaido sea urchin integrated with his legendary mashed potatoes and coffee powder
- lastly it's a juicy scallop combined with fantastic pastas and their "sauce"
- then come 2 interesting dishes that I don't expect to eat at 3-star places. Firstly, it's a custard of warmed blue cheese mixed with the flavor of tomato, almond and pear
- secondly, it's an "oat-meal" veloute flavored with saltiness and crunchyness of chorizo and almonds. Both are smart
- here come the fish dishes. the Scottish salmon is fresh and light, the lightly smoked cream is not too bad
- the seabass is overcooked and the red wine sauce is too intense, and together they don't work that well
- Japanese beef is the best in the world ... really. It doesn't have to be Kobe, this Sendai steak is I had is juicy and tasty. One can taste the "oily" part of the meat inside the mouth
- just before the desserts come, here is the mouth-cleanser ... a mixture of fresh vegetables with couscous and Argon oil, very similar to the one I had in L'Arpege
- the cheese here is decent. I enjoyed my goat cheese, mont d'or, comte and roquefort
- the most common desserts everywhere will be fruit-based followed by chocolate based and this is no different here. After the food marathon, it's always nice to eat something slightly sour (from the citrus sherbet and soft cheese) and bitter (from the yuzu)
- after that, I had a great bittersweet chocolate balanced with the chesnut's sweetness and ice cream
The little surprising part is that there is no truffle menu in the restaurants, only 1-2 dishes containing small amount of truffle. The talented and humble chef Verzeroli explained that he did not use much truffle because he didn't want to charge higher to the degustation menu that's already one of the most expensive in Japan. All in all, in my notes, the food here is worth 96/100 (2 3/4 star), I think it's about the level of Troisgros or Calandre

The wine collection is extensive, comparable to many great French restaurants even in France and as expected, very expensive. I enjoyed all of my wines by the glass which varied from Reims’ champagne, white and red Burgundy as well as Sauternes’ sweet wine. And if your wallet allows, Takehiro Nobukuni-san, the sommelier, could pair each course with different wines by the glass according to your taste and budget.

Service/Ambiance (94/93)

The hospitality here is comforting and professional. They want to make the guest feel comfortable without being intimidated. The weakest link is probably the fact that a few of them don't speak fluent English. I arrived at the restaurant closed to 730 PM, and it's already full (90% of the chairs are filled). I just realized that generally Japanese ate very early. By 10 PM, almost everybody's gone, yet they never rushed me. I enjoyed myself until my darjeeling tea and various mignardises and not until one hour later, I (the last person) finally left the dining room. The dining room is designed with the ornate of Louis XVI furniture blends with some of Tokyo’s fresh and contemporary style decoration dominated by the black and gold color. But, somehow one could easily hear the conversation in the next table, and the surprising part some of the Japanese diners were quite noisy. Anyway, I still enjoy the ambiance. I likes my spacious sofa, just about right, not too soft and not too firm

When I browse around the internet, I found that about half of the dishes that I had are the same as the ones served in gala dinner at Macau as well as Robuchon at the Mansion. Probably, similar to his L'Atelier where the dishes are pretty much the same among Paris, Tokyo and New York, even for his fine dining places - the menu are quite "uniform". The final verdict: 95/100 (2 3/4 star). Along with Hamadaya, Chateau Robuchon provided the best meal and experience during my holiday in Tokyo last winter. Here are the pictures, robuchon tokyo pictures and a more complete review will be here, chateau robuchon report

[Peter Green]

The little surprising part is that there is no truffle menu in the restaurants, only 1-2 dishes containing small amount of truffle. The talented and humble chef Verzeroli explained that he did not use much truffle because he didn't want to charge higher to the degustation menu that's already one of the most expensive in Japan. All in all, in my notes, the food here is worth 96/100 (2 3/4 star), I think it's about the level of Troisgros or Calandre


By 10 PM, almost everybody's gone, yet they never rushed me. I enjoyed myself until my darjeeling tea and various mignardises and not until one hour later, I (the last person) finally left the dining room.

I'm also surprised at the lack of truffles, as I was seeing a lot of use of truffles at other venues in Tokyo last week. It does seem odd for a restaurant of that stature to balk. I mean, when you're the most expensive anyways, what's it matter if you crank it up a bit?

The early dining can be a godsend. As some of the Tokyo places stay late, we were able to sneak in for a 10:30 seating at Ryugin (and they called us on the cell to let us know that they had a spot for 9:45 ready). Given the limited seating in many of these places, I'm happy to hold my appetite for an hour or two (I can always get some early yakitori or onomokiya)

I just wish I'd seen this thread two weeks earlier.......

[Bu Pun Su]

Hi Peter Green,

Where else did you go in Tokyo? What is (are) you favorite place(s)?
I don't know about the other places, but it seems that they're not that much truffle generally in Japan's restaurants. Not sure whether it's due to not-so-good harvest this year
Well, there's always be next time. I also missed some places either I could not get reservations or don't know how to get there without any Japanese friends ... Japan (Tokyo) now ranks no 2, behind France (Paris) as my fav. places to go for food

[Bu Pun Su]

If in France, they have Paul Bocuse as the godfather of French cuisine, then in Japan, it has Jiro Ono as the living legend and master of Japanese famous cuisine - sushi. The "restaurant" is located at the basement of building in Ginza near the subway station. It's not that easy too find had my helpful concierge not drawn me the map of the location of Ginza area. The capacity is very small, perhaps only 8-10 pax max at the sushi bar and about 6 at tables. Moreover, the place does not even has its own restroom. From the decoration, nobody would expect that it's one of the temples of Japanese (zushi) cuisine

Food/Wine (95/-)

Eating sushi here is like a revelation to me. Almost every single piece served is the best (kind) I've ever had - from the silky ika, kohada with firm texture to the delicate sayori. The top 3 pieces of nigiri sushi I had there are: the well-marbled otoro (milky and juicy), one could even taste its fat and oil, simply fabulous. Then, the kuruma ebi, boiled only minutes, before appearing on my table - this way it would allow the full flavor (deliciously sweet) to dissolve in my mouth. Lastly, the sweet and creamy of uni served in generous portion (very thick) - I cannot imagine there's a better uni outside Japan. It would be too much if I mentioned all pieces one by one - just check the pictures on the website below. Essentially, the omakase of this (Edomae - serving anago instead of unagi could be one of the proof) zushi consists of 20 pieces of nigiri sushi and I strongly believe that there's no better time to eat fresh fishes in Japan other than winter.

I learnt a lot about sushi from this experience. For instance, to obtain the maximum flavor of the sushi, the piece should be eaten no more than 20 seconds after being served. Everything is prepared rigorously here. The serving is divided into 3 phases: firstly white flesh fishes (such as karei, inada and toro), secondly seasonal ones (like sayori, akagai and tai in my case) and lastly would be the classic offerings: ikura, anago and tamago. While the rice is served in room temperature, the toppings' temp. are varied and this add another dimension of eating sushi (it feels great and better in your mouth). The rice is prepared with vinegar to enhance the taste of the main ingredient, in between the rice and the fishes, Jiro-san put a small amount of freshly prepared wasabi (they showed it in front of the dinners), while on top of the sushi, a special soy sauce is applied. Pretty much I didn't add anything else on my sushi, just consume them the way the chef wanted it to be.

For the overall taste of the food, it's 95/100 (2 3/4 star in my notes) - perhaps the best zushi in this planet. I doubt even if masa or kuruma can be better than this. The food in Japan is simply amazing. I think it's because they really take it very seriously. Many young chefs go to overseas (like France, Italy or China) to learn the best from the original countries and then open one in their home countries. If you observe more, there's rarely foreign people who go to Japan and seriously spend 3-5 years to learn and do the training of creating sushi. It's essential to learn not only the technical aspect, but also the spiritual (culture) of it as well. The wine review is irrelevant here since they only served tea and very limited kind of beers.

Service/Decoration (85/75)

I was lucky enough when dine there to see both Jiro Ono, the master and his son, Yoshikazu Ono standing behind the counter. I was served by the son most of the time. Both of them looked "kinda arrogant", perhaps it's because I am neither Japanese nor spoke their languages. However, the younger servant tried very hard to serve the customer despite the very limited English. It's a unique experience indeed. I pretty much know nothing about the Japanese, and still manage to eat at Jiro Ginza in which many foreigners are maybe not very welcome (a typical of some top-notch restaurant in Tokyo). The decoration is simple (or too simple) and definitely not 3-star. The restaurant is a bit cramped, no special atmosphere. This is only for serious foodie I suppose and each guest is limited to 45 min eating there (even to their regular Japanese). So, from the point of view of the overall experience (88/100 - 2 star), Sukiyabashi Jiro is not worth 3-star nevertheless the food is great.

The pictures Sushi Jiro winter

Edited by Bu Pun Su, 19 April 2008 - 09:11 AM.

[mtgtimewalker]

If in France, they have Paul Bocuse as the godfather of French cuisine, then in Japan, it has Jiro Ono as the living legend and master of Japanese famous cuisine - sushi. The "restaurant" is located at the basement of building in Ginza near the subway station. It's not that easy too find had my helpful concierge not drawn me the map of the location of Ginza area. The capacity is very small, perhaps only 8-10 pax max at the sushi bar and about 6 at tables. Moreover, the place does not even has its own restroom. From the decoration, nobody would expect that it's one of the temples of Japanese (zushi) cuisine

Food/Wine (95/-)

Eating sushi here is like a revelation to me. Almost every single piece served is the best (kind) I've ever had - from the silky ika, kohada with firm texture to the delicate sayori. The top 3 pieces of nigiri sushi I had there are: the well-marbled otoro (milky and juicy), one could even taste its fat and oil, simply fabulous. Then, the kuruma ebi, boiled only minutes, before appearing on my table - this way it would allow the full flavor (deliciously sweet) to dissolve in my mouth. Lastly, the sweet and creamy of uni served in generous portion (very thick) - I cannot imagine there's a better uni outside Japan. It would be too much if I mentioned all pieces one by one - just check the pictures on the website below. Essentially, the omakase of this (Edomae - serving anago instead of unagi could be one of the proof) zushi consists of 20 pieces of nigiri sushi and I strongly believe that there's no better time to eat fresh fishes in Japan other than winter.

I learnt a lot about sushi from this experience. For instance, to obtain the maximum flavor of the sushi, the piece should be eaten no more than 20 seconds after being served. Everything is prepared rigorously here. The serving is divided into 3 phases: firstly white flesh fishes (such as karei, inada and toro), secondly seasonal ones (like sayori, akagai and tai in my case) and lastly would be the classic offerings: ikura, anago and tamago. While the rice is served in room temperature, the toppings' temp. are varied and this add another dimension of eating sushi (it feels great and better in your mouth). The rice is prepared with vinegar to enhance the taste of the main ingredient, in between the rice and the fishes, Jiro-san put a small amount of freshly prepared wasabi (they showed it in front of the dinners), while on top of the sushi, a special soy sauce is applied. Pretty much I didn't add anything else on my sushi, just consume them the way the chef wanted it to be.

For the overall taste of the food, it's 95/100 (2 3/4 star in my notes) - perhaps the best zushi in this planet. I doubt even if masa or kuruma can be better than this. The food in Japan is simply amazing. I think it's because they really take it very seriously. Many young chefs go to overseas (like France, Italy or China) to learn the best from the original countries and then open one in their home countries. If you observe more, there's rarely foreign people who go to Japan and seriously spend 3-5 years to learn and do the training of creating sushi. It's essential to learn not only the technical aspect, but also the spiritual (culture) of it as well. The wine review is irrelevant here since they only served tea and very limited kind of beers.

Service/Decoration (85/75)

I was lucky enough when dine there to see both Jiro Ono, the master and his son, Yoshikazu Ono standing behind the counter. I was served by the son most of the time. Both of them looked "kinda arrogant", perhaps it's because I am neither Japanese nor spoke their languages. However, the younger servant tried very hard to serve the customer despite the very limited English. It's a unique experience indeed. I pretty much know nothing about the Japanese, and still manage to eat at Jiro Ginza in which many foreigners are maybe not very welcome (a typical of some top-notch restaurant in Tokyo). The decoration is simple (or too simple) and definitely not 3-star. The restaurant is a bit cramped, no special atmosphere. This is only for serious foodie I suppose and each guest is limited to 45 min eating there (even to their regular Japanese). So, from the point of view of the overall experience (88/100 - 2 star), Sukiyabashi Jiro is not worth 3-star nevertheless the food is great.

The pictures Sushi Jiro winter

Thank you for the wonderful review. I am a little surprised that you actually got to take photos of this meal as all the other reviews on Jiro I have read don't have any photos to accompany them (mainly due to having to eat it in time to appreciate its full flavor as you mentioned in your reivew).

I am planning a trip to Japan at the end of the year and this is a must-visit on my list. Did you have the hotel concierge make reservation for you? Because I have heard they only let people who speak Japanese make reservation. I have also heard that Ono-san himself doesn't serve any first-timer or people who don't speak Japanese unless you are someone truly speical (like Robuchon when he first visited), hopefully my Japanese will be sufficient by then to request to be seated in front of him...

[Bu Pun Su]

mtgtimewalker,
you're correct. I was very fortunate to have a very helpful concierge that assisted me for the reservation at sushi jiro. am I special? hmm ... not sure - I mean the owners did not seem to be very friendly to me. but at that time, only jiro and his son behind the counter, so wherever you're seated in the bar, you will be served by the best sushi-men. good luck and look forward to your review in the future

[JWangSDC]

What was the cost of your meal at Jiro. I've been a customer of masato Shimizu for yeras now (Jewel Bako -> 15 east) and he always claims the sushi in japan is way better. I told him i didn't believe him and he told me to go visit Ginza. Now that I've seen your pictures, I think I'm obligated to fly out there asap.

[Bu Pun Su]

If not mistaken, it's JPY 25-30K for about 20 pieces of nigiri sushi
You may try the other 3-star - Sushi Mizutani. I've never been there, but I heard it's also good. So visit both if possible

By the way, where do you think is the best sushi place in NY (say top 3 places)?

Edited by Bu Pun Su, 29 April 2008 - 03:34 AM.

[Hiroyuki]

Sorry for intrusion. Bu Pun Sun, you are not mistaken. About 25,000 yen, about 40 minutes, and sushi only. That's the problem with this and other high-end sushi shops, and that's the reason why I refrain going to such a sushi shop.

[MoGa]

Sorry for intrusion.  Bu Pun Sun, you are not mistaken.  About 25,000 yen, about 40 minutes, and sushi only.  That's the problem with this and other high-end sushi shops, and that's the reason why I refrain going to such a sushi shop.

The other problem with going to these places is that you can never truly enjoy sushi from less accomplished sources ever again. Once the bar gets raised, it stays there.

No wonder Jiro Ono's place is so modest, it's a crack den.

[JWangSDC]

If not mistaken, it's JPY 25-30K for about 20 pieces of nigiri sushi
You may try the other 3-star - Sushi Mizutani. I've never been there, but I heard it's also good. So visit both if possible 

By the way, where do you think is the best sushi place in NY (say top 3 places)?

My top 3 are

15 East
Kuruma Zushi
Sushi Yasuda

[JWangSDC]

If not mistaken, it's JPY 25-30K for about 20 pieces of nigiri sushi
You may try the other 3-star - Sushi Mizutani. I've never been there, but I heard it's also good. So visit both if possible 

By the way, where do you think is the best sushi place in NY (say top 3 places)?

My top 3 are

15 East
Kuruma Zushi
Sushi Yasuda

They are listed in no particular order.

Yasuda has the widest variety of fish in NY and the quality of fish is superb. I just dont think his preparation of the fish is perfect; he has a style of cutting and proportioning the fish and rice that is his own.

Kuruma's the only place in NY with Kuruma Ebi that I know of and it's toro is a slight cut above anywhere else. It seems like Kuruma's focus is the fish itself, he doesn't even seem to care that much about tenderizing each sushi piece and paying close attention to the cut.

And 15 East is the sushi package, you'll find exactly what you ate at Jiro there, only I imagine it will be of lesser quality. 15 East trails Yasuda in variety and kuruma slightly in fish quality, but the preparation makes up for it. Masato (the chef) slices and tenderizes each piece differently and serves it omakase style on a marble platter. I would guess Sukeroku, the tokyo restaurant which masato apprenticed at, is similar to Jiro.

I preferred Jewel Bako(when Masato worked there) to 15 east because the sushi bar(physically) there was PHENOMENAL. It probably about 18 feet if you stretched it out and it only sat 8, what a wonderful place. Also I suspect JB might have had a little bit more fish, whether it be due to higher turnaround or Jack Lamb's influence.

I would post pictures of JB, but the only time I documented my meal I was being served by the 2nd in command and it wouldn't do the place justice. Especially when they're bound to be compared to your Jiro shots.

No wonder Jiro Ono's place is so modest, it's a crack den.

This is so on point, i'm already an addict for 15 east here, I can only imagine what would happen if I had Jiro. perhaps it would rid me of my addiction since it would be impossible for me to travel to japan all the time.

Edited by JWangSDC, 29 April 2008 - 07:19 AM.

[Bu Pun Su]

Regarding the sushi,
It is true that you could probably eat there (Jiro) for 45 min. only. Yeah, Jiro put a very high standard in sushi. Believe it or not, I have not eaten sushi anywhere else since my Tokyo-trip knowing that I will be disappointed. Perhaps, I should simply lower my standard and the one in NY/LA is probably the reasonable one outside Japan.

Regarding the kaiseki,
My memorable experience in Hamadaya makes me addicted to the truly Japanese kaiseki served in the ryokan-style dining room. That's why I want to try the one in Kyoto which many claim to be the place where kaiseki comes from. Thanks for the recommendation about Kikunoi Tokyo ... how about Fukudaya, also located in Japan's capital?

[robyn]

Culinista,
Based on you description of Sushi Jiro, I think I was blessed and fortunate being a foreigner and visited Tokyo for the first time last winter, at the same time could eat there.

About your Japanese dining experience, have you ever had meals at Kyoto's famous kaiseki place like Kitcho or Kikunoi? Is it comparable to Europe 3-star fine dining? This kind of place, are you allowed to eat alone or at least 2 people will be required? Thanks

We ate at both of the less famous less elaborate "in-town" branches of Kitcho (in the hotel Granvia) and Kikunoi when we were in Kyoto. They are not in any way comparable to European 3 star restaurants - especially at Kitcho - which is very authentic very ascetic (like less than 900 calories for a long meal) kaiseki (the food was Kikunoi wasn't as pretty - but it was tastier). It is a type of cuisine you have to eat at least once or twice on a trip to Japan - but it is more ceremonial and beautiful looking than delicious - at least to my western tastes. I guarantee you will be ready for a sweet dessert elsewhere after one of these meals. In terms of dining alone - I don't think there would be any problems. Our favorite meal in Kyoto was at a relatively famous eel restaurant in the Kyoto train station complex (about the 5th or 6th floor). Robyn

[mtgtimewalker]

Bu Pun Su,

Regarding kaiseki, robyn already mentioned Kitcho, which has also been recommended to me by a friend of mine who had the chance to dine there. There are six Kitcho's in Tokyo and also six in Kyoto. However, the main ones in each city are known for being some of the most exclusive restaurants to get into, requiring you to be referred by a member to book a reservation. The branches of Kitcho are open the to public though.

Perhaps some pictures would provide you a idea what you can expect. The blog is written in Chinese, but the pictures do justice: http://blog.yam.com/...rticle/12461336

[robyn]

Just IMO - unless you have a really good reason to spend something like $600+ for 2 in a place like the main Kitcho restaurant outside of Kyoto - I think the $300 version in the Granvia will do very nicely. E.g., we were there during cherry blossom season and our first course was a fairly large dish that looked like a cherry blossom tree garden. Absolutely exquisite looking - maybe 600 calories total! Classical kaiseki meals have a lot of cultural and religious connotations which - again IMO - are lost on the average western tourist. I'd suggest doing some reading before deciding how to approach this type of Japanese cuisine.

On my part - I liked the (relatively famous) eel restaurant in the Granvia complex a lot more than our kaiseki meal (because it tasted a whole lot better!). The higher end tempura restaurants too. I can appreciate a lot of vegetables carved up to look like cherry blossom trees on an intellectual level - but my tummy usually likes something that tastes more yummy. OTOH - I do very much recommend sampling as many types of Japanese restaurants as you can (I think there are about 12 or so major types - and they tend to be fairly specialized - e.g., you won't find sushi in a high end tempura restaurant). Robyn

[Bu Pun Su]

The last part of my winter trip report last year will be Beige Tokyo, another restaurant by Alain Ducasse. Located at the top floor of Chanel Ginza building, this place is more of mixtures for foodies and people who want to have good times and spend quite substantial of money. It’s very fashionable, at the same time some of the dishes are quite serious as well. So …

Food/Wine (93/93)

I don’t usually order a la carte when I visit restaurants for the first time … however, the tasting menu here did not seem to be very appealing to me. So, I decided to go for 2 a la carte courses and left the degustation menu for my dad.
- the amuse is a hot potato and leek cream soup, quite tasty and warm your stomach after walking around in the middle of Tokyo’s wind chill
- appetizer: fresh and sublime kegani crab enhanced with osetra caviar’s salty taste as well as many cauliflower variations … great dish in your palate and a pleasure to the eyes
- for the main course, I choose to have Akagegyu beef served with port and red wine sauce (probably the best beef producers in Japan after Kobe). As expected, it’s delicious – tender and juicy, my teeth did the minimal work while enjoying this marbled beef. For me, the side dishes neither add nor subtract this wonderful beef. I think Japanese beef is the best in the world
Now come the tasting menu part
- the foie gras ravioli with “foam” … it’s a standard when you eat at French restaurant but less refined compared to the one I had in ADNY before it’s closed. My dad is not a fan of any duck liver
- frog legs with watercress sauce, my father loved every byte of it. His best dish of the night
- the turbot is lacking in texture, the sea urchins are fine. The acidity part of the chateau chalon sauce does not really help the fish. So far, I’ve never had a very good fish dish in any Ducasse restaurants
- the deer medallions, perhaps, not too bad. My father may not get used to it … but nothing really special though
- for the cheese … comte and st. nectaire are average, but the blue cheese with salad/walnut marmalade is good
- the chanel chocolate praline is superb, inside has some nutty and thin “cake” element. The chocolate is tense, fit to my taste. You can ignore the hazelnut ice cream as a side dish … maybe this is like Le Louis XV praline, but less refined
I find the some of the a la carte dishes are very good here while the tasting menu is more conservative and lacking any wow effect. Maybe the Michelin people having the degustation menu here, so that this place only got 1-star, but in my note the food here is 93/100 – about the same level as Sant Pau Tokyo and Caprice HK

I opened my meal here by zipping a glass of champagne Philipponnat reserve rosee … a pleasure by itself when you wet your lip with this fine and creamy champagne plus its rich aromas of red fruits. The 2005 le grand vallon condrieu and 2004 chateau rauzan-segla (both on tasting menu size) did not disappoint at all. Lastly, the 10 years of age Tawny port by quinta Santa Eufemia perfectly matched our chocolate praline dessert

Service/Decoration (92/90)

The staffs are friendly and professional, and most of them (Japanese), surprisingly, speak fluent English. I was dealt with the sales director quite often, Mr. Fabrice Schmitt after knowing that I’m a foodie. The only lacking part is that after they removed the main course, it took them 30 min to bring the cheese course … they probably forgot about it. The ambiance is subdued, with a quiet music on the background. The light brightness is minimal, and the high ceiling makes the dining room rather comfortable despite not too spacious. The toilet is very cool and high tech. It has buttons to open or close the bowl, flush, etc. The chair is quite big, in sofa style with a small pillow similar to Caprice.

I’m happily giving this restaurant 92/100 (low 2 ½ star) for the overall experience. I believe if the restaurant consistently work hard to make most of the dishes as good as my kegani crab and akagegyu beef, this place should be able to get its 2nd Michelin star by Tokyo standard within 2-3 years. Lastly, here are the pictures beige winter 07