Tokyo Restaurants: Reviews & Recs

[Sinbad]

Had lunch at Jiro Sushi today with my wife at the original location in ginza. Seated at the counter we both decided to order the Omakase, what other choices are there?

The meal consisted of hamachi, 4 different kinds of toros, anago, ika, himo, iikura, tamago, aji, kohada, a few types of clam, kuruma ebi(boiled) and uni + 3 or 4 more dishes that I can not recall at the moment. The standouts were clearly the aji, the uni from hokkaido (I ordered one more, it was the best Uni that I have ever had) and the toros (another repeat).

The chefs said that they had problems getting good Toro this winter since the waters were to warm and the tunas were not getting fatty enough but I did not notice. The tunas had never been frozen and and there was a remarkable difference in taste from tuna that had been frozen.

The damage: 55,000 Yen for two including repeats. Was it worth it? As a one off, definitely yes, this was clearly super sushi. I probably would not do this too frequently though since I do consider a place like Miyako Sushi to offer sushi that is almost as good at a cost that is significantly lower.

[torakris]

and I thought my husband and I spending 10,000 ($100) on sushi for lunch was expensive....

Thanks for the report it sounds great!

I am curious about the toro as you said 4 types was it all maguro (tuna), but just different types or was it just different cuts?

[Sinbad]

Definitely cuts from different parts of the tuna. I don't think it was from different types of tuna, but in all earnest I did not ask that explicitly. I did ask them if the tuna had been frozen and they said no, it had been caught in the waters outside of Japan and thus I assumed that all the toros was from the same variety of tuna.

[torakris]

The Japanese version of Gourmet Navigator is great and I use it quite a bit, I just noticed they have put a lot of work into their English version:

http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/

not nearly as comprehensive as the Japanese side but it can be a help for those who are looking for restaurants with English speaking staff.

and for those who can read Japanese, this is their Japanese site.

[jrufusj]

Kazuo-san (and others who may have views):

I'm looking to try a new French place for my wife's birthday next month. Your Italian recommendations have been spot on, so I thought I'd tap your brain again. You've probably got a general idea of what I like from the bit I've written previously. As you know, wine list is important, as well as food quality. Japanese ingredients and sensibility are a plus, as long as it doesn't veer too close to (con)fusion cuisine.

Would also welcome input from anyone else who has any thoughts.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[torakris]

How about Beige?

Alain Ducasse's new restaurant in Ginza?

http://beige-tokyo.com/e/about.html

of course I haven't been......

[kazuo]

Jim:

You've already been to Bourgignon, which remains one of my faves. Some others to consider:

Cote D'Or (Mita, 3455-5145): Simple but superb. Chef Saisu used to be partners with Bernard Pacaud in a Michelin 2 star (L'Ambroise, I think), and his work in Mita reflects that training and experience. His staff is wonderfully professional. Although the wine list is not bad, you can byo. Just let the staff know and bring the bottles in a day or two beforehand.

L'Osier (Ginza, 3571-6050): A bit over the top, in my view, but superb food. I heard that Chef Borie was no longer manning the kitchen, but haven't been in a while so I'm not sure. Prices are Paris 2-3 star comparable. Wine list is good, but no bargains. No byo as far as I am aware.

Apicius (Yurakucho, 3214-1361): Gibier specialists. The dining room can be a bit stuffy; lots of politicians and captains of industry. Extraordinary cheese cart and one of the best wine lists in town. Few bargains anymore (they once had 90 Rayas at 20,000 yen - we drank at least a case at that price), but occasional "bargains" in the Rhone/Cote Rotie section. No byo.

Hotel De Mikuni (Yotsuya, 3351-3810): Chef Mikuni's flagship, probably the closest to "Franco-Japanese" among this list. Nice setting, expensive wine list. For some reason, I don't love the place, but many of my friends do, and I trust their palates. No byo.

Chez Inno (Ginza/Kyobashi, 3274-2020): Chef Inoue's home base and a great restaurant. Have not been in many, many years but continue to hear high praise for the place. Not sure of the byo policy.

A couple of others to keep on a list, but probably not "special occasion" enough for the oku-sama's birthday.

Kitajima-tei (Yotsuya, 3355-6667): Kind of a dive, but food is superb. No recollection of the wine list (which probably isn't the highest praise).

Ne Quittez Pas (Higashi Gotanda, 3442-2382): In a small house in a residential area, specializes in seafood. Haven't been in a while, as I always manage to get lost going there. Last time I went, strong collection of white burgs on the list.

Pachon (Daikanyama, 3476-5025): The duck spit roasted in the open fireplace is very tasty. When Chef Pachon is in residence, the place steps up a notch in service.

Hope this helps.

[jrufusj]

Jim:

You've already been to Bourgignon, which remains one of my faves.  Some others to consider:

Cote D'Or (Mita, 3455-5145):  Simple but superb.  Chef Saisu used to be partners with Bernard Pacaud in a Michelin 2 star (L'Ambroise, I think), and his work in Mita reflects that training and experience.  His staff is wonderfully professional.  Although the wine list is not bad, you can byo.  Just let the staff know and bring the bottles in a day or two beforehand. 

L'Osier (Ginza, 3571-6050):  A bit over the top, in my view, but superb food.  I heard that Chef Borie was no longer manning the kitchen, but haven't been in a while so I'm not sure.  Prices are Paris 2-3 star comparable.  Wine list is good, but no bargains.  No byo as far as I am aware.

←

Thanks very much. This definitely helps. The two above had been recommended by others. The remainder are new to me.

Jim

[kazuo]

Glad to help. Perhaps you can write-up a review (like your birthday post over in the wine section) afterward?

[jrufusj]

Glad to help.  Perhaps you can write-up a review (like your birthday post over in the wine section) afterward?

←

Will do. Thanks.

Jim

[Orik]

L'Osier (Ginza, 3571-6050):  A bit over the top, in my view, but superb food.  I heard that Chef Borie was no longer manning the kitchen, but haven't been in a while so I'm not sure.  Prices are Paris 2-3 star comparable.  Wine list is good, but no bargains.  No byo as far as I am aware.

Borie was still there last month.

[kazuo]

Orik:

What did you think of L'Osier? Love the food, but the room just doesn't appeal to me.

[Orik]

Orik:

What did you think of L'Osier?  Love the food, but the room just doesn't appeal to me.

←

I loved the food (enough to return a second time during a relatively short visit), although generally I prefer more creative cuisine. The room looked better the first time (maybe because we ate at the horrible settings of Austral earlier), but a second visit made it seem a bit more kitschy. Still, I'd go back very frequently if I lived there (service was great too).

[torakris]

I just heard about this

Tokyo Coupons

you pay 3,000 yen (about $30) for the book and get 50% of your meals at the 80+ restaurants listed inside (all in the Tokyo area), the current book is good thru 10/05.

Anyone ever bought this?

If I ate out more or lived in Tokyo I might consider it.....

[torakris]

some other threads on restaurants that are scattered throughout the Japan forum

Best meals of 2004 in Tokyo

Indian restaurants

Italian restaurants

French restaurants

Mexican restaurants

Looking for a good burger

tonkatsu

and for thos with a sweet tooth

French pastry shops

[kazuo]

Jim:

Returned to L'Osier on last week. The room still seems a bit garish to me, but my spouse and the other couple with whom we dined loved it. Wine list has improved greatly, but as previously noted, no bargains. We drank a 93 Corton Charlemagne that was uninspiring (can't even recall the producer - sommelier suggestion over the 89 Corton Charlemagne from Bonneau Du Martray); I think you can do better in the Puligny section. Second wine was 89 Haut Brion (not the best food wine, but I wanted to see how it was evolving without breaking into my own stash).

Food was again quite good; my spouse thought the truffled ravioli to be a bit too rich, my lobster salad was quite nice. Wild boar was very flavorful, but a bit fatty (should have stuck with the sweetbeards). The others had lamb and veal and were uniformly raving about their meals.

Desserts were a bit hit with the ladies; I passed in favor of an armagnac.

PM me if you want more details.

[eri_eats_the_world]

Hi Kristin,

I found out about TokyoCoupons recently when I went eating with my friend to a very cozy restaurant called Tommy's in Roppongi.

My friend had ordered the book online and we tested it for the first time.

And it was perfect.

We ordered many different dishes and finally paid about 2000 yen each, although we had ordered food for over 8000 yen.

It was really good deal and I already want to use it again.

They have many different restaurants in the book and I am very excited to try foreign food like Lebanese or Etiopian dishes.

But next weekend i want try HOBGOBLIN.

I know this bar already, its a very famous place in Roppongi with lots of foreigners.

I will write you later again, when i have more experiences and I hope I can also read the experiences from other users of TokyoCoupons.

matane,

eri

[torakris]

Eri,

Thanks for that information!

and welcome to egullet!!

I am assuming this is their first year for offereing this so maybe I will wait and next year they will offer even more restaurants with some in the Yokohama area...

[shinju]

My Dad really loves Japanese style gyoza and we'll be in Tokyo this June. I really want to take him to a place that serves tasty gyoza. Any Recommendations? There was a Docchi Show sometime back regarding gyoza and I lost the list of resturants they visited.

Recently I took him to a restaurant here in Bay Area that was recommended by bay area restaurant foodgroup. It was a Chinese restaurant that specialized in pot stickers and it was nothing like the Japanese style. We really did not care for it at all. It was very meaty but not juicy or flavorful. The skin was very good though as it was made there.

[torakris]

there is a really good shop by my house......

But take a look at this article for some more central locations.

[Hiroyuki]

We discussed white gyoza a while ago.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=52222&hl=gyoza

See post #6 and subsequent ones.

[smallworld]

Shinju, if it's a weekday, I'd recommend the Gyoza Stadium. It's like a theme park for gyoza, with branches of famous gyoza shops. (Actually, I can't exactly recommend this place, as I've never been, but everybody I know who's been there has loved it. The only problem seems to be the crowds, so it's best to go early on a weekday.)

It's in the Sunshine City Building in Ikebukuro, which is a bit out of the way. But there's a Tokyu Hands in the same building which is definitely a good place for visitors, and Ikebukuro has a few other good spots (like the huge depa-chikas under the Seibu and Tobu department stores, and the wonderful Japan Traditional Craft Centre).

I also like Lee Gyoza (as mentioned in the article Torakris linked to) but it's known for its unique gyoza with unusual fillings. If you and your Dad want to try really typical, regular gyoza, perhaps the best place to have them is in a ramen shop. That's where most people eat their gyoza (in fact, shops that sell gyoza and gyoza only are a bit rare).

[prasantrin]

I say Gyoza no Osho. Sure it's a cheap dive, and is sometimes not very clean, but they have good gyoza

[Kiem Hwa]

Here in Hawaii, I recently had really great homemade gyoza at Taishoken, a ramen shop originating in Japan (granted, there is only one style of gyoza).

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44666

I wonder if the Taishokens in Japan have as wonderful gyoza??

Edited February 9, 2005 by Kiem Hwa (log)

[torakris]

I agree with smallworld here, most gyoza in this country is probably consumed in ramen restaurants. If he isn't looking for fancy ones with hundreds of variations a ramen shop would be a good bet.

There is a lot of variations though, thin skins, thick skins, bite sized gyoza, monster sized gyoza, pan fried, deep fried, steamed....