Tokyo Restaurants: Reviews & Recs

[prasantrin]

I found it.  It was Peter, not you, who posted it.

For one thing, in Tokyo, sesame seed oil is used to give tempura that distinctive flavor and color.  Tane (ingredients) also differ.  I hear that in Kyoto, they use more vegetables as tane than in Tokyo.

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Ah, that tendon. It was from the soon-to-be-closed Cui-daore. It wasn't bad, but wasn't really good, either. I'll have to ask about the oil next time I try Ten-you. I don't think they had more vegetables than Tsunahachi did, but I had the cheapest lunch kaiseki. Their more expensive kaiseki options may have more.

Now on to Day 2, which I started earlier but then lost, and was so dejected I gave up for a few hours.

I'm a firm believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day. I normally like to have a good bit of protein in the morning, but since I was still in my hotel room, my options were limited. I found a Chestnut and Tree Nut Danish I had bought two evenings earlier and had planned to eat for breakfast the previous day. Oops. While it wasn't as good as it would have been two days earlier, it was still a fine breakfast (and the nuts were my protein!). I'd have liked it better if it were heavier on the tree nuts and lighter on the chestnuts (aren't chestnuts technically tree nuts?), but I was satisfied.

Despite my satisfaction, I still needed dessert. I bought this the previous night at Isetan--Henri Le Roux's CBS Tart. Christ this was good. I treasured every bite. In the background you see plenty of wasteful wrapping and enclosures, but you also see two bags of his very famous caramel beurre de sale. These were recommended by David Lebovitz in this topic.

On the left are the plain CBS, and on the right are flavoured caramels which I bought as a gift for someone. I had planned on throwing some of the plain ones in the gift box, as well, but I ended up eating them all. I'm embarrassed to admit that, but not so embarrassed that I regret eating them. I wish I had bought more and eaten all of them, too!

I had a one o'clock lunch date with a friend from grad school, so I dropped by Isetan first. This may have been a mistake, because I found too much to eat there. I tried to restrain myself, though, and only bought a couple of things from Boulangepicier: a spinach thing (I can't remember the name), and a cheese thing. I loved the spinach thing--it had olives, pine nuts, and I think anchovies, too. The cheese thing was slightly less successful due to the bread's toughness, but I love the mingling of caraway and gouda, so I still enjoyed it.

After my second breakfast (snack? pre-lunch?), I headed out to meet my friend.

She's from Chiba, originally, and now lives in Saitama. She's doing her PhD at Waseda University, but her Tokyo experience is mostly limited to the university. Thus, it was up to me to find a decent place for lunch. She wanted something Thai so I went to bento.com and found Plik Chee Fah. She had the "Kao mun kai" which is basically the Thai version of Hainanese chicken rice. She said the flavours were good, but I thought it looked old. Like the chicken had been sliced hours earlier, and the rice plated, as well, so they both looked like they had crust on them. (no picture).

I had the "Kao Gapao kai". The flavours were very good, but it had much more "filler" than I would like--some finely sliced bamboo shoots (I think they were bamboo shoots) and even some broccoli!! Who puts broccoli in that dish??? But I'd still go back, because at least it tasted like gai pad gaprow should (although it could have been spicier). And they get bonus points for serving it with an egg fried in oil!

After lunch I really needed to walk. I think I ate too much that morning! We went to the area where Budokan is for hanami. Tokyo hanami was in full-swing that week, so it was a great time for a visit! We also stopped by Yasukuni Shrine which was just across the street. I had never been there before, and it was jam-packed with hanami-revelers and food stalls (no pictures of those, though!).

I realized during our hanami sojourn that cherry blossoms are not so good for my newly-diagnosed allergies. Because of that, I felt it necessary to recuperate in my home-away-from-home, Isetan depachika. We went to Jean-Paul Hevin's cafe for some chocolat chaud and sweets! She had macarons (I think framboise and caramel), and I had brioche (one can never have too much bread in a day).

We then spent an hour or so buying stuff around the depachika (purchases that I can remember include 5 million macarons, a lot of bread, cheese, etc. etc.--most were hers, by the way), and then we went our merry ways.

Back at the hotel, I rested a bit and then had dinner. I had originally planned to dine at a Mexican place that was a train ride or two from Shinjuku, but I ended up going for something a little more simple. How can one go wrong with bread and cheese? The bread was from Boulangepicier, and the cheese was roquefort. Or maybe gorgonzola. I don't remember now (I think I went into carb overload that night).

Surprisingly, I didn't have dessert.

[Hiroyuki]

After lunch I really needed to walk.  I think I ate too much that morning!  We went to the area where Budokan is for hanami.  Tokyo hanami was in full-swing that week, so it was a great time for a visit!  We also stopped by Yasukuni Shrine which was just across the street.  I had never been there before, and it was jam-packed with hanami-revelers and food stalls (no pictures of those, though!).

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Is it Chidorigafuchi (千鳥ヶ淵)?

The photo brings back memories. I'm getting old...

[prasantrin]

Is it Chidorigafuchi (千鳥ヶ淵)?

The photo brings back memories.  I'm getting old...

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I think that's the same place! We were actually supposed to go further in, but my friend thought we were already in the main part (she had never been there before), so we stuck by the park area. Oops.

Day 3--my last day and the day of the eGullet Get-Together!

When I woke up, I decided I should do my macarons taste test. I purchased 9 macarons at Isetan the night before. My favourites are caramel and coffee ones, so I those are the flavours I concentrated on.

The ones on the left side are caramel (some are salted caramel, but I can't remember which), and the ones on the right are coffee--there are 5 caramel and 4 coffee. Top to bottom, left to right: Sadaharu Aoki caramel, Chez Cima caramel, Pierre Herme caramel and coffee, Henri Le Roux caramel and coffee, Jean-Paul Hevin caramel and coffee, Dalloyau coffee. Unfortunately, Henri Charpentier did not have any macarons that day, so I couldn't add them to my test. I do like them, in general, so I'd like to include them in a future test.

Innards are very important when it come to macarons. There has to be good balance between the filling and the shell--too much filling and you feel sick to your stomach. Too little filling and you feel ripped off. Or at least I do. Plus in my opinion, the shell should have a bit of chew. If it's too dry, it feels like you're eating dust.

Sadaharu Aoki--this were crappy. I don't even think they tasted like caramel. They didn't taste like much other than sugar, if I recall correctly (I took notes, but I can't find them).

Chez Cima caramel--these were perfect! Excellent balance between shell and filling, slightly chewy shell, and a lovely burnt caramel flavour. Unfortunately, there's no Chez Cima in Kansai, but perhaps that's a good thing.

I think these were the Jean-Paul Hevin ones (caramel on the left, coffee on the right). The caramel ones tasted like chocolate, which made me wonder if they had made a mistake and given me the wrong ones. But JP Hevin is a chocolatier, so maybe most of their macarons taste mostly like chocolate??? Neither was particularly good. I think the texture was OK, but the flavours were weak, and it just wasn't very impressive overall.

These are the Henri Le Roux ones. The caramel one (left) was very caramelly, and it had a nice bit of salt to it. There was a bit too much filling, though, so it was quite sweet. I don't remember much about the coffee one.

Pierre Herme--I expected a lot from these, but perhaps that is why I was disappointed. The coffee one (on the right) had a very nice coffee flavour, but both macarons were too sweet, and had much too much filling. They were also amongst the largest macarons I tried. I think macarons are better a bit small, because you should be able to eat one is just one or two bites. The caramel one had decent flavour, but again, too much filling and too sweet. The texture of both was quite good, though--a bit of chew, and not too dry.

Finally, the Dalloyau coffee one. I don't remember it at all, but I think I wasn't very impressed.

I took a bit of each one, then I decided I needed a break from the sweetness, and I also needed to eat something a little more substantial, so I had my leftover bread and cheese, and also a cheese croissant from Hediard. It looks good, doesn't it? Well, looks aren't everything! All the cheese was on the outside, and there was none on the inside! I was terribly terribly disappointed. The croissant itself was fine, but all that lovely crispy cheese was just a tease!

I polished off the other halves of the macarons, and then felt sick. But today was the day of the eGullet lunch, so I needed to be in fine form! I then decided to walk off my queasiness by checking out, and touring Isetan depachika one last time. I bought a few more things (some bread from boulangepicier, some sweets from somewhere, and most importantly, my complete Pierre Herme Re-ment set!) for the train ride home, and then left to meet the others!

And the results of my taste test? In first place in the caramel division, we have the Chez Cima, and I think the Henri Le Roux placed second. Or maybe it was the Pierre Herme. On the coffee side, the Pierre Herme was first, and I can't remember which was second. But the Pierre Herme was not a perfect coffee macarons, and was basically placed first because the others weren't very good, either.

Edited April 13, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[prasantrin]

Before lunch, let me show you my last treat from Tokyo--a little Jean-Paul Hevin florentin. It was much better than his macarons, but not as good as other florentin I’ve had. I’ll have to try his chocolates next time.

Finally! Lunch! I think there's supposed to be a new topic with my "report", but I'd rather just add it here. Though if any of the mods think it should be split off, that's fine, too!

I made my way to Uguisudani Station with a brief stop-over at Tokyo Station so I could leave most of my stuff in a locker. Leaving the platform, who should I run into but torakris! Looking fabulous with poker-straight hair, might I add!

We went outside, and debated whether we should go ahead to the restaurant or wait. I noticed someone else waiting, and thought she might be one of our party, and she was! She was jean_genie’s friend, who reads eGullet though is not (that I know of) an official member. But she loves macarons, too, so she can be a member of my own personal club! smallworld arrived shortly after, and jean_genie did, too. helenjp was running a little late, so she joined us after we arrived at the restaurant.

Sasanoyuki is a traditional-looking restaurant in the middle of what seems like a typical, even perhaps run-down, area of a big city. There was a school across the street, but according to smallworld, we were in the area with one of the largest love hotel concentrations!

Five of us ordered the basic set, and one ordered the next level up which had a soymilk ice cream dessert, and a “main” course that I think had shrimp in it.

The basic set—at the bottom right-hand corner you see two of the same thing. I don’t know why there were two, but they were tasty so it was nice to have two of them. We were instructed to cut the tofu into four pieces—not three, not six, but four. Who knows what would have happened if we had disobeyed, so I don’t think any of us did. Well, one of my pieces broke into two, so I actually had five pieces for one of them. Oops…

My favourite of the set was the gomadoufu. I love gomadoufu! And the miso stuff on top was not too sweet like it sometimes is. I wish I had had two of those! I can’t remember what the other stuff was. I don’t have any close-up pictures, either, or pictures of what was in the covered bowl. I’m not a very good reporter, am I? Perhaps someone else could chime in or add some pics (or links to pics)?

After lunch, the rest of the party humoured me and took a look at my dessert place print-outs. I hate making decisions, plus I don’t know Tokyo well enough to know which places were closer or farther, so I let them decide which one we would try. They decided upon Pierre Marcolini in Ginza!

Pierre Marcolini is a Belgian chocolatier with shops all over the world (not quite, but Japan, Luxembourg, France, the UK, Kuwait(!!?!??), and the US). For some reason, in Japan he has a couple of shops in Tokyo, and one in Nagoya, but none in Kansai? What’s up with the Kansai snub? Perhaps that will change when the newest Mitsukoshi/Isetan hybrid department store opens in Osaka in 2010 (or was that 2011?).

Anyway…the café was too crowded to accommodate our party of six, so we ended up in the ice cream shop. We still had to split up into tables of three, unfortunately. I was at the prim and proper table. I ordered chocolat chaud (I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect chocolat chaud), and others had a caramel banana parfait, caramel parfait, ice cream sandwich (which was really chocolate ice cream sandwiched between two pieces of chocolate loaf cake), ice cream, and coffee. My chocolat chaud was very very very thick and rich. I think they might use cream to make it. At the very least, they use ganache as the chocolate base, and then add just a bit more milk to it—just barely enough to make it viscous I’m sure I finished it, and smallworld had a wee taste (as did my shoe ), but I felt sick after (keep in mind I ate nine macarons that morning, and feeling sick after gorging myself seems to be a trend lately). I didn’t try any of the other desserts, except someone’s caramel ice cream which was very very good. I should have had that, instead!

We didn’t take any group pictures, so I have none to show, nor do I have pictures from Pierre Marcolini (I sat across from his picture, and he’s quite cute, by the way!), but I hope others will post more information or pictures if they have them! It was really great meeting everyone, and I hope we can do it again! Soon!

Edited April 13, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Paola Mannaro]

I agree with everyone else. Kyoto to a culture vulture is the "heart" of Japan and is always on the tourist itineraries. I don't rate Osaka but it DOES have one of the most amazing castles - huge, and gleaming white. I saw it by night in January. Extraordinary. Kyoto on the other hand has about 1 million temples, gardens, museums, palaces plus geishas and the most beautiful railway station I've ever seen - must have won an architecture prize or 10. Kyoto is also the culinary capital of Japan. Getting back to Tokyo (where I live) my favourite 2 places to eat are : Tsunahachi ( tempura-only restaurant) and Sushizanmai ( sushi / sashimi ) in Tsukiji. Get back to me if you want addresses. Expect to pay about 6000 yen per person at both places including beers. Both are excellent.

[Peter Green]

Right now, for Tokyo, I'd be leaning towards Ryugin.

Also, if you're around Asakusa, it's not far from there to Ryogoku, and you could do Popeye. This assumes you like beer. Hit them up for happy hour, and the savings on food will balance the cost of the beer.

[prasantrin]

I think you need to specify a price range for your "must-do splurges". What is a splurge for some, is a bargain for others.

You might also want to mention whether you speak or read Japanese.

Assuming since you're staying at a hostel a splurge is anything over Y5000 per person (a broad assumption, I know), Tsunahachi (mentioned by Paola) is a good choice for tempura. It's actually more in the cheap/mid-range for tempura, with the highest-priced dinner set at around Y6000, and the cheapest dinner set around Y4500. Their lunch sets are very very cheap (comparatively, at least for tempura), so if you're really budgeting, consider going there for lunch rather than dinner.

If you're into French pastries and the like, definitely get to Isetan's depachika. Henri Le Roux has salted caramels that are the best I've ever had (and the salted caramel tart is even better!).

Ryugin is most definitely a splurge (Y15 000 to Y27 000 for dinner courses, not including wine, and though there is an a la carte menu, it's not offered until later in the evening, I think). But there are other slightly less expensive places to try (Aronia de Takazawa is one well-regarded restaurant, but they only have two two-tops and limit guests to something like 8 per night, so are thus fully booked well into June), too.

There are also countless of other topics on eGullet devoted to eating in Tokyo. If you haven't already, do a search and see if anything seems interesting, then you can ask for more info about those specific places or types of food. It's always helpful to provide as much information as possible, so people can give more focussed suggestions.

[Gruzia]

Right now, for Tokyo, I'd be leaning towards Ryugin.

Also, if you're around Asakusa, it's not far from there to Ryogoku, and you could do Popeye.  This assumes you like beer.  Hit them up for happy hour, and the savings on food will balance the cost of the beer.

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I love beer! I've been following your travelogue and Popeye is definately on my to-do list

[Gruzia]

I think you need to specify a price range for your "must-do splurges".  What is a splurge for some, is a bargain for others.

You might also want to mention whether you speak or read Japanese.

Assuming since you're staying at a hostel a splurge is anything over Y5000 per person (a broad assumption, I know), Tsunahachi (mentioned by Paola) is a good choice for tempura.  It's actually more in the cheap/mid-range for tempura, with the highest-priced dinner set at around Y6000, and the cheapest dinner set around Y4500.  Their lunch sets are very very cheap (comparatively, at least for tempura), so if you're really budgeting, consider going there for lunch rather than dinner.

If you're into French pastries and the like, definitely get to Isetan's depachika.  Henri Le Roux has salted caramels that are the best I've ever had (and the salted caramel tart is even better!). 

Ryugin is most definitely a splurge (Y15 000 to Y27 000 for dinner courses, not including wine, and though there is an a la carte menu, it's not offered until later in the evening, I think).  But there are other slightly less expensive places to try (Aronia de Takazawa is one well-regarded restaurant, but they only have two two-tops and limit guests to something like 8 per night, so are thus fully booked well into June), too.

There are also countless of other topics on eGullet devoted to eating in Tokyo.  If you haven't already, do a search and see if anything seems interesting, then you can ask for more info about those specific places or types of food.  It's always helpful to provide as much information as possible, so people can give more focussed suggestions.

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To answer your questions and give more specifics:

1. A splurge would be about Y10000-15000 per person, though I couldn't do it more than once or twice.

2. I don't speak/read Japanese, but am willing to smile and point

3. Definately want to do french pastries - I came across a blog (i don't remember the name of it off hand) that detailed places around Tokyo for desserts and it all sounded fabulous!

4. I've been trying to go through the Japan forum discussions for suggestions, esp the pinned lists that torakris thoughtfully provided, though i find that a lot of them give me an error message (maybe too old?).

I am particularly interested in going to a really good, pref non-vegetarian, kaiseki restaurant - preferably in Tokyo, since I have more time there. I am going to be in Kyoto for a couple of days (taking one of those overnight buses) and want to try a good soba place. Also, any suggestions for cheap, street food type places would be welcome. I am trying to do research on my own through the forum, but some of the posts are old and am a bit concerned that I don't make up an itinerary based on places that may since have gone out of business or moved.

Oh, and I don't eat pork so tonkatsu places, while looking delicious, are off limits for me. Though I would like to try some horse or chicken sashimi.

[prasantrin]

Do you eat things made from/with pork?

If not, most ramen shops will be off-limits to you, too. Soba and udon should be OK, but most ramen places have a soup-base made from pork, I think. I think soba and udon have fish-based soups or dipping sauce.

I think I know that dessert blog of which you speak--I got a lot of my recommendations from there, too! Since you're in Ikebukuro, Tobu has a very very large depachika so you'll be able to get a lot of cheap eats (to go) and French pastries at the same time! There are also some small restaurants in the basement--mostly counter-type places. I find depachika restaurants are usually much better than department store restaurant floors (usually the upper floors of the stores), and much more reasonably priced.

[Paola Mannaro]

Here are details of the 2 places I mentioned earlier :

SUSHIZANMAI

Both restaurants have been successful and have expanded - so they have branches dotted around. I found a big quality and atmosphere difference between the Sushizanmais in Tsukiji and those outside. TSUKIJI ( fish market area ) is definitely better - about 3-4 branches, all good. A couple of them are just meters apart !

Apart from excellent sushi / sashimi I recommend the soups and chawan mushi.

See : http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/sushi-e/

I can't find an address for the branches I like most ( I think they're trying to funnel people to the more "up-scale" branches ) so here are directions :

Get out at TSUKIJI station EXIT 1. Walk towards the big crossroads and cross over Harumi Dori Avenue. You are now standing at a small pottery shop on the corner of Harumi Dori and Shin Ohasi Dori. Facing the shop turn LEFT and keep eyes peeled for neon signs to Sushizanmai which is next RIGHT down a narrow alley. If you go around 5pm you sometimes find people in white jackets handing out leaflets outside the pottery shop. DO take a leaflet, it sometimes comes with a 500 Yen money-back token !!

FREE SUSHI ! Life doesn't get better than that.

TSUNAHACHI ( also TUNAHACHI, different spelling, same place )

I like the restaurant that opened in Daimaru Department Store (Tokyo station) at Xmas because it's extra clean and shiny and because you get the cityscape-by-night view from the 12th Floor.

1-9-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6701 Tokyo Daimaru Department Stores 12 F

This link will (I hope) provide you a translated page of info :

http://209.85.135.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=....co.jp/g021924/

FINALLY :

No need to book for either place. Sushizan. open 24 hours. Other place probably open from about 11am-10pm.

Enjoy.

[Paola Mannaro]

To Peter Green : Please could you give some restaurant names and addresses in Ryogoku. I've not been to that area and would like to try it .. Thank you.

[JasonTrue]

If you do kaiseki, it's probably better to do it in Kyoto, which really seems to me the home of that style of cooking. There's certainly nothing wrong with doing it in Tokyo, of course; it's just that kaiseki is more a signature of Kyoto than Tokyo. (I've only done simpler versions of kaiseki, though).

[MoGa]

Oh, and I don't eat pork  so tonkatsu places, while looking delicious, are off limits for me.  Though I would like to try some horse or chicken sashimi.

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Quite a big 'but' there.

As mentioned, most of the ramen will be off limits to you, however there are tonkatsu places where you can eat plenty of other meats and sea foods (eg Tonki in Ginza)

This is the Tonki sign

Inside, the entrance looks like this:

The address is 6-5-15 Ginza. The station shown in the following map is Yurakucho (just South of Tokyo station) MAP

I particularly like the breaded hotate - scallops - here, but non shellfish fish are also offered.

RAMEN

You haven't mentioned shellfish, if this isn't off limits as well there are a couple of places you might be able to try ramen (and I stress might be able to - I cannot assure you that pork is not used in either restaurant's broth)

Nidaime Keisuke at 2-14-3 Takadanobaba (near Takadanobaba station - a few stops South of Ikebukuro on the Yamanote line) This place specialises in shrimp ramen.

Here's a video introduction on youtube -

the shrimp gyoza look really good (gyoza is another dish you won't be able to have at most places)

Just outside Tokyo there is a place that does ramen made with seafood (the speciality is tuna)

Kunigamiya http://www.kawasakionline.jp/gourmet/noodle/kunigamiya/

It's just next to Kawasaki Station, the URL has a map (ignore the kunigamiya.com website - it's been appropriated by another company)

As this would involve a bit of a hike, I'd advise you to get your hotel concierge to call them and make sure they'll be open as well as ensure that no pork is actually used in their broths first.

Edited April 24, 2008 by MoGa (log)

[tupac17616]

Clearly, I suck at life. But I finally wrote about my meal at Tofuya Ukai in January. Pictures are here, and the description is below. Enjoy!

I had only been in Tokyo a week, but my practice of the Japanese art of kuiadore was progressing quite nicely. By eating my way to financial ruin and an irreversibly larded midsection over the past several years, I had actually been getting a head start on connecting with this culture before I even arrived. Or at least that’s what I told myself as I tried to justify walking around with this ridiculous piece of paper in my hand. Let me explain…

It was my last night in Tokyo, and I was on my own for dinner. Both of my friends had already left, and our collective knowledge of Japanese had gone with them. Beyond food words, I know essentially nothing (for me this is a trend across several languages, English included). So I asked a staff member at the hotel to write out a simple message for me on a sheet of paper — Please give me the longest menu this restaurant offers. Thank you.

To observe this woman using all the willpower she had to stifle her laughter is to understand how much the Japanese value politeness. But she indulged me nonetheless, and soon I was on my way to Tofuya Ukai. Adam had actually been before on a previous trip and so his endorsement echoed the praise I had already been reading, so I was quite excited for my dinner in the shadow of the nearby Tokyo Tower.

I arrived to find three set menu options priced at ¥8400, ¥10500, and ¥12600. (Word to the wise: lunch prices are about half that.) My disappointment was palpable when I was given an English menu and an English-speaking waitress came to take my order — I couldn’t use my paper now! In any case, I got the “Yuki” set menu (the largest, natch), which featured beef as the main course. But I was intrigued by the fish main course on the middle “Tsuki” menu also, so I asked if it would be possible to work that in as well. Her surprise (disgust?) when I made that request reminded me how easy is it to feel like you’ve just offended someone in Japan. After running downstairs to get permission, she hesitatingly said they could do it for an additional ¥1800, an offer I happily accepted.

Things started off with some steamed shredded turnip, yam, tofu and mushroom. This was served in a soy-based broth and dotted with wasabi. With a firmness almost like a mushroom, this was the first of many textural incarnations of tofu that I would see that night. The other flavor accents here were sweet, salty and hot all at once, each interacting in a different way with the subtle flavor of the tofu.

Next was deep fried tofu with miso and scallion, and tamago topped with shredded turnip. The texture of the fried tofu was spongy, but in a good way — a very good way. It was also crisp on the outside and tender within. An added plus was that it was served very hot, which really activated the aromas of the miso and scallion. The Japanese-style omelette, meanwhile, displayed a restrained balance between sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. And a skilled cook must have prepared it, as the result was a custardy smooth texture and a taste that skewed neither too sweet nor too salty.

My waitress claimed my sashimi course would be more “special” since, along with the main course, it offered the only distinction among the differently priced menus. But unfortunately they brought a dreadfully mundane trio of ebi (shrimp), maguro (lean tuna), and karei (flounder). I liked the presentation on a bed of ice, but it only intensified the ghastly mental image of cocktail shrimp I got every time I looked at this (unfortunately) cooked shrimp. I’d just had live kuruma ebi (tiger prawn) a few days prior to this so I wept a little inside as I found this tough and flavorless by comparison. I found consolation in the crunchy and tasty shrimp head, although the maguro was mediocre and the flounder, forgettable.

Next up was a fish dumpling with shredded scallop (I think) served in a hot broth. “Dumpling” seems almost a misnomer for something that graces your tongue with such lightness. I really hope there is a poetic Japanese term for these things. The texture was a cross between soufflé and custard, and the flavor was just slightly sweet. Think exceptional quenelles de brochet with a Japanese sensibility. The fish broth just tasted so pure and I really liked drinking it as a soup for a clean finish.

The next dish held three separate presentations: soft buckwheat tofu topped with uni; boiled abalone served with seaweed; and the gracefully translated “rape and milt in bitter-orange juice”. You can top all sorts of things with good, fresh sea urchin roe to create something successful, but I thought the nutty buckwheat tofu matched with it particularly well. The softness of the tofu also mimicked the creamy uni, creating nice textural continuity. The abalone had the firmness characteristic of that tasty mollusk but it was neither tough nor chewy. In another display of culinary minimalism, its flavor shined brightly and simply. But, oh, about that milt! You might know it as shirako (meaning “white children” in Japanese), but let’s call a spade a spade — it’s fish semen. And it was the single most delicious thing I ate during this trip to Tokyo. One would expect that being presented with bodily fluids meant for ingestion would arouse a certain level of inquisitiveness, but I’m actually still unsure to which species of fish I owed this pleasure. Though I failed to ask who the — shall we say — benefactor had been, that ignorance tasted blissfully good. Smooth with a mouth-coating creaminess, the milt’s flavor was delicate and subtly sweet. Meanwhile, the slight bitterness of the orange juice and broccoli rabe contrasted the natural flavor of the shirako beautifully. I just loved this dish.

The waitress then brought a huge bowl holding a sea of warm soy milk and an island of silken tofu. She proceeded to set this on the table and carefully ladle it into a smaller bowl. This seasoned soy milk was just delicious. Its warmth unleashed a satisfying aroma almost reminiscent of cinnamon. The taste was sweet and nutty in a way that reminded me of the almond milk I enjoyed in Sicily. The unadorned block of tofu was bland, but dressed with kombu and soy sauce its taste was enhanced. And its texture was totally deserving of the “silken” title.

There were two components to the fish course that came next: salt-grilled Spanish mackerel with yuzu, and a croquette fashioned from a mixture of lotus root and rice. The salt-grilled fish was dead simple but just stunning. The skin was beautifully charred, while the flesh remained moist. A squeeze of fresh yuzu juice and a sprig of some sort of tempura-fried herb heightened the natural flavor of the fish even more. Meanwhile the croquette had just the thinnest crispy layer on the outside while the inside was a moist and creamy blend of glutinous rice and lotus root. I was reminded of a particularly rich form of Italian arancini that are filled with béchamel, but this somehow had a lightness to it, and a delicate sweetness I found almost enchanting. I really enjoyed this course.

The charcoal-grilled beef, on the other hand, I was not entirely thrilled about. In fact I thought it pretty pedestrian. Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, I expected a stronger beef flavor to shine through but it never did. The seared outside I’d enjoyed so much on the fish was nearly absent here. It was instead just gently browned, although it was thankfully rosy pink on the inside and thus fairly tender. But oddly, between this course and the sashimi, the two courses that accounted for the higher priced menu were the most disappointing of the evening. Frankly neither warranted spending the extra cash. I guess even in the food paradise that is Tokyo, you can’t win ‘em all.

The last savory course included a wooden dish full of rice topped with snow crab, miso soup with tofu, and pickled vegetables. Never have I encountered a culture that cooks its rice so incredibly well as the Japanese. Seriously. It’s something to behold. Each grain here had integrity and flavor on its own, while seamlessly disappearing into an ocean of others. It was not clumpy or dry or broken. It was not over- or under-cooked by a second. With nothing accompanying it but a few pieces of sweet snow crab, it was, in a word, fantastic. The miso soup was basically umami in a bowl, and I enjoyed the lone piece of tofu floating in it that had soaked up that flavor. The pickled vegetables were good also, like a savory palate cleanser. But I’m still thinking about that rice…

Dessert is usually an incredibly simple (or completely non-existent) affair in Japan and this was no exception. Just a small cup of red bean soup and couple of wedges of fresh persimmon. The soup was fortunately less grainy than red bean desserts can often be, but I wouldn’t call it particularly great. The fresh fruit was just a simple, clean way to wind down the meal. And I also happen to really like persimmon, so it was a happy ending.

After the meal, I sat in the now-empty dining room drinking tea for a bit before deciding to explore the restaurant grounds. Passing back through the lobby I saw a huge barrel full of soy beans, this tofu-focused restaurant’s raison d’être. From what I could see from my upstairs window the enclosed garden area looked quite peaceful, and it was. An outdoor grill area still smelled of charcoal. A small stream snaked between the different private dining houses. I could have stayed out there for a while just relaxing, but I was already chilling a bit too much on that nippy January evening.

While I wouldn’t call this the single best meal I had in Tokyo (that would be Kyubey), I would say my dinner at Tofuya Ukai was an eye-opener. The wonderfully varied texture, temperatures, and presentations of tofu I saw that night shattered a lot of the pre-conceived notions about certain soy products, (okay, that last one’s actually pretty good, but still). I think Adam said it best — Japan makes you a better person. This meal showed me that maybe this tofu stuff isn’t just for hippies and Buddhists after all. So I say forget all the crap you’ve heard and tasted before. Tofuya Ukai should be on any Tokyo short-list. After all, where else are you going to get your milt fix?

[torakris]

This past Monday I had the most enjoyable dinner with fellow eGullet member Therese at L'Osier in Ginza. Neither of us took pictures or notes so I am relying on our combined memory. We asked Chef Bruno Menard for the omakase and were treated to an array of dishes in which black truffles had the seat of honor.

As we were seated we were immediately brought an amuse of smoked trout paste with dill and salmon roe and a glass of champagne. This was followed by potato raviolo (raviole?) with truffle, Brittany lobster a with hibiscus cream/gel of some sort topped with a salad of some sort(I'm a little foggy on this one). Next up was an onion soup (with truffles again) but also accentuated with the Japanese citrus, yuzu. The fish course was scallops larded with truffles and I am pretty sure this also had the extremely addictive truffle "jam". Beef course was a melt in your mouth almost butter in flavor Japanese beef, though I am at a loss for the garnishes/sides. I couldn't refuse the the cheese tray as it came around even though I barely had enough room for dessert.

Dessert was multi course, a berries and cream thing in jar, creme brûlée, mignardises, and then a tarte tatin. The evening was brought to a close with coffee and tea, and more mignardises.

Bruno is a brilliant chef and he wanders the room frequently through the evening conversing in a multitude of languages with each of his guests.

Of course every dinner ends well when the chef personally drives you back to train station after your meal....