Tokyo Restaurants: Reviews & Recs

[BON]

Cire

Welcome to eGullet.com and Japan Forum!

There are so many Sushi restaurants in & around Tsukiji fish market

that no one tells how many actually.

But Daiwazushi is definitely ranked one of the top 3 at worst. Runnner-ups

are Sushi Dai and Ryuzushi, also inside the market!

Have you tried other sushi restaurants in Tsukiji or somewhere in Tokyo?

[Cire]

Have you tried other sushi restaurants in Tsukiji or somewhere in Tokyo?

I was on a bit of a budget when I was there, so I didn't go crazy. But my friend that I stayed with showed me to this fantastic little place in Shibuya (up on love hotel hill of all places) called kaikaya. I don't think they had a website when I was there, but they seem to now. They're not listed in any of the guide books (at least the english ones) either.

But it was a great little fish restaurant.

Cire

[nightscotsman]

I highly, highly recommend staying at Ryokan Shigetsu in Asakusa (about two blocks from the temple). Close to the Ginza subway line. Very new and clean, but has a nice, traditional Japanese feeling to it (wood, shoji screens, tatami mats). Western style or Japanese-style rooms (go for the Japanese) with private bathroom and shower. Wonderful public bath on the top floor with a view of the temple's pagoda. Very reasonably priced - 9,000 yen for a single. special price on good mini-kaiseki dinner for guests.

See more here

Do be sure to try shabu shabu while you are there. The place I went to called Shabusen in Ginza was good and fairly inexpensive. Very difficult to find, though. This is true of many restaurants - be sure you get directions with visual landmarks and not just addresses.

Thumbs up on the okonomiyaki - and very easy to make at home when you get back and want to re-taste your memories.

Also, the bento boxes you can get in the train stations are very good.

Here is a great site called "superfuturecity" with info on shopping and eating in hipster Tokyo:

http://city.superfuture.com/city/city/city.cfm?city=1

Damn, I wish I was going

[mamster]

I made a reservation at the Shinagawa Prince, but I'm going to ask around a little more about hotels. I've been wary of doing a ryokan because I don't want to be trapped into the kaiseki dinner; would they be offended if I didn't take dinner at the inn?

[torakris]

I don't know how much help I can be here, but I can help second some suggestions. I am new to the group (2 days old in fact) and have been living in Japan (Yokohama) for 8 years.

First off, what Akiko was refering to, quite afew posts back, was monjayaki. It is similar to okonomiyaki but runnier, mentaiko and mochi being one of the most popular combinations. My personal favorite is the pork and kimchi mix. Definitely give one of these places a try you will not be disappointed.

I also have to second the yakiniku suggestion, although adapted from the korean style, most places have now made it a uniquely Japanese dish. Of course you can save yourself a trip to Korea by popping into one of the little Korean towns and partaking of some of their wonderful dishes.

Since I live here I rarely go out in search of true Japanese food, instead I tend to go for Mexican, Thai. or fusion. But since you will be here for only 4 days, I would focus on the Japanese food as you can get the others back in the US. It is sort of funny, but when my husaband and I can get away from the kids we head either to Tony Roma's or the Hard Rock Cafe depending on our mood.

I would also recommend once to try the kaiten zushi, they are everywhere and decently priced and it is not always your typical sushi.

As for hotels, I never stay in them, but my uncle who travels here frequently on business swears by the Washington Hotel chain. They are a no frills hotels and I think prices are in the 6,000 to 7,000 yen range (including breakfast). He usually uses one in the Shinjuku area.

Hope you have a great trip!

[BON]

This week I should have some time to sort through and figure out how many restaurants I really have time for and what categories I don't want to miss on this trip.

mamster

Let me give you a hand.

"Eat in season!" This is my belief. So... Don't miss

Sanma or Pacific saury, the most popular fish in autumn.

Broiling with salt is recommended.

Oyster

Raw, deep-fried in bread crumbs coating

Fugu, bit expensive but will be good experience

Sashimi (paper-thinly sliced. you'll get amazed.) Nabe(big pan) called Fugu-chiri

Buri or adult yellowtail

Teriyaki, Sashimi

Besides, seafood

Nabe in general is what you should try here. I would recommend chanko nabe, sumo wrestles' cuisine, and Udonsuki. You can enjoy both meat and seafood.

As torakris also recommended, Yakiniku should be in your list. It originated from Korea, but completely Japanised. I tried Yakiniku in Korea, NY, Chicago, Europe and south-east Asia and never found anything equivalent. I suppose basic preference toward beef is causing the differnce. Internal organs are tasty, too.

I'll list when I recall more.

[cabrales]

In the 2002 Number 62 edition of Ed Behr's "Art of Eating", Mitchell Davis provides advice on twleve restaurants in Tokyo:

Ramen -- Kyushu Jangara Ramen

Soba -- Toshi-an, 5-I7-2 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku

Udon -- Muguinbo, 2-25-7 Kami-uma

Contemporary Japanese -- Kozue, Park Hyatt Tokyo; Daidaiya, Ginza Nine Building I

Kaiseki Ryori (Classic Japanese haute cuisine) -- Tsukiji-Tamura, 12-II-2 Chome Tsukiji, Chuo-ku

Sushi -- Miyako Zushi, 2-I-I6 Umamchi Dori, Taito-ku

Steak -- Shima, Nihonbashi MM Building

Tofu -- Ume No Hana, Bell Commons Building

Tonkatsu -- Katsukura, Takashimaya Times Square

Yakitori (grilled chicken parts, per author; however, this term is not necessarily so limited) -- Toritake, Star Building

Okonomiyaki (fried items) -- Chibo, Garden Place Tower

Do members have thoughts on the above list? (Note I have never visited any of the above)

[torakris]

Actually I just went and checked them out on the Tokyo food page, which had incredible reviews for both Miyako Zushi and Kozue.

I am still trying to get the drool out of the keyboard.

However, Miyako Zushi led me to the New York Grill (also in the Park Hyatt) a place I had nearly forgotten about and has a wonderful weekend buffet style brunch for 5800yen (about $50). This fits into our budget a little better than the $200 per person at the other 2 restaurants.

We love Japanese food, but since we live here we were hoping for something a little more Westerny (word?).

Thanks for the info.

[hawkny]

Can only comment on one restaurant. Went to Miyako Sushi three weeks back, an outstanding experience, best Sushi I have ever had.

The restaurant is quite small, seats about 8 people at the counter + 4 tables. Seated at the counter, which is where one should sit in a premium Sushi place. Only two chefs, the master and his assistant, was lucky enough to be served by the master. Had the 5,000 Yen Omakase, and after a couple of small request to the chef about preferences he served some outstanding fish. The sushi was Edo-mae style, which means that the sushi is in Tokyo style (and should have been caught in Tokyo bay, which is not always the case). Most of the Sushi was very familar to "regular" sushi, but there were no rolls on the course menu and some of the fish had been "prepared", for example a grilled Anago(eel) that was excellent, a wonderful zuke(marinated tuna) and a superb boiled squid. Also, a shrimp-powder mix was used instead of wasabi for some dishes.

Had a few repeats and some additional pieces that were not on the course menu, the total bill came to 10,000 Yen (80 US Dollars) per person including beer and sake. Considering the outstanding quality of food I consider it a bargain.

Would definitely recommend this as "the" Sushi-place to go to for a visitor to Tokyo(or people living there as well for that matter). It is next to the Asakusa temple, which is one of the major tourist spots in Tokyo, so it can can be visited after some sightseeing. Speak Japanese, so language was not an issue for me, but the chef seemed used to western visitors and he was eager to show his (well worn) Japanese-English food dictionary.

[anil]

....

Contemporary Japanese -- Kozue, Park Hyatt Tokyo;  

.....

This Hyatt did not impress me - As a Diamond with Hyatt I expected more - this restaurant was no exception - This again is MHO. Never been to any of the other eleven.

[pirate]

I spent a few days in Tokyo. I stayed at the less than 2 year old Cerulean Tower which turned out to be an excellent hotel. The Park Hyatt is more deluxe but the Cerulean Tower is more lively . It's in Shibuya. I liked the Italian restaurant at the hotel: Japanese beef with rucola salad was excellent. The Japanese restaurant was distinctly inferior to Kozue at the Park Hyatt. There is a new Four Seasons in the Pacific Century West office tower in Maranouchi. It is reversed; the first seven floors are the hotel and the office tower looms above it. The lobby, restaurant and bar are on the 7th floor and you descend to the rooms. This is a boutique hotel with 57 rooms. It has sleek contemporary design differing from the usual plush clutter of the practically all Four Seasons. Undoubtedly the taste of the Chinese owners. Only one restaurant with a French chef. The restaurant is very attractive and the food is nouvelle cuisine executed well but not distinguished. This restaurant in food and ambiance was better, in my opinion, than its counterpart at the Park Hyatt Paris. I would, however, prefer the restaurants at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The high point gastronomically was a lunch at Kyobey. I had a selection of sashimi chosen by the chef followed by a selection of sushi. As you would expect he selection of fish and seafood differs to certain extent from that of USA places. Everything was very fresh. There are more sauces and use of citrus. But a big difference was the superb quality of the rice. Service was excellent and the atmosphere was very friendly and informal. Kyubey is clearly superior to Kuruma Zushi and Sushi Yashuda in NYC. Cost about $130.

[cabrales]

I liked the Italian restaurant at the hotel: Japanese beef with rucola salad was excellent. .

[pirate]

Cabrales, you are correct with respect to wagyu=japanese beef. There are many "eleveurs" (the French term seems a propos)in Japan with probably most of the best in Kansai region which includes Kobe. The richest I've ever had was Matsuzaka (Sp?) beef . It is extremely marbled. But there is also not very good Japanese beef. For example beef from Hokkaido. On this last trip I lunched at one of my past favorite French restaurants "Cam chien gripp\'e" (the dog with the grip).

They served Hokkaido beef and it was not very good. The restaurant has declined based on my last visit and a prior one. Getting back to Wagyu, the best I've had was simply labeled Kobe beef and was served at a buffet (a chef working at a grill served) for an international conference in Kyoto. The beef at the Cerulean Tower restaurants was very similar, very flavorful, tender but not overly fatty. I didn't inquire about where it came from.

[ballast_regime]

i have to know: what are japan's top-notch kaiseki-ryori restaurants, regardless of (i) price and (ii) where they're located?

are there any reasonable sources online that offer reviews, pictures, or information about the best of the best?

ian

[torakris]

Check out this link for some information on Kaiseki restaurants in the Tokyo area, reviews follow most of them.

http://www.bento.com/search4.php

Just tried this url and since it is a search it isn't coming up.

just type kaiseki into the search and you willsee the page I tried to get.

As to the best......

The few that I have eaten at have all been about the same, the more money you spend the better food you get. Personally I prefer the out of the way ones where each party is in their own little "house" and everything is connected by little walkways and bridges.

Edited December 19, 2002 by torakris (log)

[Jinmyo]

The Sunday NY Times has an article on hot new chefs in Tokyo and Kyoto.

One of them, Kimio Nonaga, battled Chen Kenichi in the Iron Chef Japan Cup '02. Heh.

[Suzanne F]

Here 'tis.

[torakris]

In my search for a restaurant to go to for our wedding anniversary, I stumbled across this list of restaurant guides entirely in English. Incredible amounts of information here:

http://www.japan.co.jp/mid01.php?catkey=6546

[nightscotsman]

Excellent! Thanks so much for the link.

Another guide I think is really cool (though I can't speak for its usefullness) is SuperFutureCity: Tokyo.

[robert brown]

Has Rick Kennedy updated his "Good Tokyo Restaurants" book?. I still use it even though it must be about ten years old. Isn't he part of a website? The book was unerring, which may say as much for the consistently high level of restaurant food in Japan.

[torakris]

Here are some more restaurant guides:

http://www.bento.com/morerest.html

Besides Tokyo, they have some for other cities, as well as for Japanese restaurants outside Japan

[thelobster]

This is my first posting here, so hi everyone, and thanks Kristin for introducing me.

There haven't been any new versions of Rick Kennedy's "Good Tokyo Restaurants", but about one-third of the "Tokyo Q Annual Guide" (latest edition: 2002) is a section called "Good Tokyo Restaurants", filled with Rick's restaurant reviews. (The TQ 2002 guide is technically out of print, as of last month, but still available in some bookstores.) Rick has stopped writing new reviews, and is concentrating on doing other features for Tokyo Q.

I've just been thumbing through the 1989 edition of Rick's book, and I was surprised by how few of the restaurants in it have gone out of business. However, because the restaurant scene here has changed so much, most of the places he lists aren't very interesting anymore. Restaurants that were once cutting-edge are now old fossils.

By the way, one restaurant guide not on the list above is ChefMoz (http://chefmoz.org/Japan/Tokyo/); Pat Willener, who used to do the "Tokyo Restaurant Reference" website, has moved on to compiling the ChefMoz lists instead. Another excellent source is Robbie Swinnerton's articles in the Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life.htm), although their archive-searching system is a bit clunky.

I also wish there was a good Osaka guide.

Robb Satterwhite (editor, bento.com & tokyoq.com)

[Jinmyo]

clicku

[torakris]

Jin,

great article!

Though it is the most expensive city in the world, you can eat decent food cheaply here, trust me I know!

Ever since the bubble burst, restaurants have been lowering their prices to stay in competition. 7 or 8 years ago \1,000 ($8.50) for a lunch was a good deal and \1,000 lunches were popping up everywhere. Now the price is somewhere between \580 and \780.

A Japanese "family restaurant" near my house called Aiya (—•‰®) has great lunches for only \780 (about $6.50) and the food is great quality especially considering the price.

their \780 lunch menu:

click on the 3rd line down

http://www.skylark.co.jp/cgi-bin/menu.cgi?gyoutai=AY

Edited August 7, 2003 by torakris (log)

[Sweet Willie]

Seryna - located on the 52nd floor of the grey,angular Shinjuku Sumitomo Building (2-6-1 Nishi-Shinjuku)just across the street from the Hilton Tokyo-Shinjuku.

Has great city views (mt. fuji in winter).

Restaurant is divided into two areas, one for teppenyaki and one for sukiyaki, shabu-shabu.

We ate the Sukiyaki made with Kobe beef. A table side attendent prepares the meal for you.

Wonderful!!!! Mouth Watering.

Bill came to $120 US for two w/a couple drinks.