Tag: kaiseki

A seafood kaiseki in Ginza: Uchiyama

Uchiyama Ginza is a kaiseki restaurant specializing in creative multi-course Japanese cuisine that opened in 2002 in Ginza. It was my first kaiseki experience in Tokyo. I booked a lunch on Christmas Day 2019.

The visit

The restaurant is in the basement of an office building in Ginza. I arrived early and unfortunately they did not have a waiting area, so I went to a cafe nearby waiting for the start of the second lunch turn at 12.30 (they have a first turn at 11.30am for a taicha-zuke set; on the second turn you can choose among different options. Mine was the second most expensive menu out of four ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 yen).

I was the first customer in the room so I could take a picture of the counter. On that day it was fully booked. There were 11 seats at the table. I think they seated us from left to right in increasing order according to the price of our menu.

1. The service started with sesame tofu with freshly grated wasabi. We were advised to add soy sauce. The tofu was hot, it had been heated on the charcoal grill. Externally it looked like bread, but it was soft inside. The sesame flavor was very light.

2. Fried shirako: the pulp was still fresh inside. The waiter translated in English as “fish stomach”, but of course was the cod sperm sac. Perhaps they did not want to alarm the foreigners at the table.

3. Ikura on rice. This dish was a softball, but still good.

4. Hirame (olive flounder) sashimi with fish jelly. The sashimi had a muscular tone and it was cut in front of us.

5. Kobako-kani (a female crab) with its roe and Japanese vinegar. It is a crab variety popular in winter (most of the fish used was seasonal). This was a delicious dish, especially the roe. It was neatly presented with the meat from the claws stacked over the roe using the crab shell as a container.

6. Ika (squid) with squid bottarga. A simple, yet clever and delicious combination.

7. Kue fish (a type of large grouper in season during the winter, called ara in Kyushu) and seri (Japanese Parsley) soup. This was a perfect example of seasonal dish, suitable for the winter climate.

8. Suzuki fish (Japanese seabass) with shiitake mushroom, and Japanese orange. The meat of the fish was firm and flawless.

9. Fried taro potatoes (shrimp shaped). Another strong dish suitable for the season.

10. Then it is pretty common for kaiseki to end with a rice dish, bit this restaurant went above and beyond and they had a special taicha-zuke dish at the end. The dish included assorted vegetables, dried small fish, tai (seabream) sashimi in a sesame sauce.

The rice was “finalized” in front of us with traditional utensils.

We were advised to transfer the sashimi in the rice bowl.

And finally we added hot tea from a iron-cast teapot. The result was satisfying and filling comfort food. The dried whitebait and the vegetables added additional flavor to the mix.

11. The dessert was starch noodles in sweet sauce. What was remarkable was that they pulled the noodles in front of us.

Finally we got a bowl with matcha.

At the end of the meal they told us that we could keep the branded cloth napkin and we were given a pair of disposable chopsticks with the restaurant’s paper seal. I thought it was a nice gesture.

I got the check at around 2.30pm.

The check

The check was 11,000 yen (10,000 yen plus tax, or 102.5 USD). Of course it is a hefty price, but that’s expected for a kaiseki, in Ginza, and I thought I got what I paid for.

The restaurant used to be awarded one Michelin star. Then in the most recent iterations of the guide it was lost. Who cares. I think this was a very good example of kaiseki based on seasonal seafood and I would have no issues recommending it.

Where in Tokyo:
2-chome-12-3 Ginza Chuo City.
In Japanese:  東京都 中央区 銀座 2-12-3 ライトビル B1F.
Website: http://www.ginza-uchiyama.co.jp/ (I used their website to make the booking leaving my credit card number as a deposit, but there was no advance charge).

Top kaiseki cuisine at Kashiwaya in Osaka

I had this meal in August 2017, before starting this blog, but it was so magnificent that I took detailed pictures and I even kept the menu (not the best pictures, but they should give an idea).

Kashiwaya (柏屋) is a traditional Japanese restaurant in Osaka specializing in kaiseki menus. Hideaki Matsuo is the the second-generation owner-chef and he fully mastered the art of kaiseki to the point to get three Michelin stars confirmed year after year.

The visit

I had a reservation for lunch. I had obtained the reservation just emailing the restaurant and choosing the menu type. Now it is more complicated. You need to pre-pay the meal. For lunch they had a particularly affordable menu and I went for it.

The restaurant was in a nondescript building in a residential area. I almost missed it. The service was outstanding at every given time. I was escorted in a private room with a sunken tatami that had been arranged for my visit with one leather padded backseat. A lady in a kimono began bringing in the food. I was immediately offered some complimentary tea that was refilled throughout the meal.

The set menu that I had was inspired by the season: the end of summer. A card, in English, explained that the 15 days from 23 July are the hottest of the year and in Japanese this time is called taisho. It was further explained that in 2017 23 July coincided with 1 June in the old calendar and at that time people would climb the Mount Fuji to visit Asama shrine to purify the six roots of perception. The note concluded explaining that “Kashiwaya is preparing dishes expressing the middle of summer to purify six roots of perception, five senses and consciousness”. (The roots of perception in Japanese culture are he eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.)

All kaiseki offered in this restaurant are exquisitely linked to the season and its cultural significance.  

The fist dish was a sakizuke (amuse bouche) with octopus, zucchini, and loofah. To make it more refreshing the ingredients were placed on frozen dried dashi soup and the soy sauce was mixed with red plum meat.

The second appetizer was a composition of several elements: sweetcorn kudzu cake, fried scallop coated with rice cracker, fried winged bean with soy sauce and water pepper (on the right); then a blue taro stem, grilled shiitake mushroom mixed in sesame sauce and pine nut; cooked sweet potato; new ginkgo nut and ginger cooked in sweet and brown sauce on a pine needle (on the left).

The third dish was an example of nimonowan: a simmered dish in Japanese cuisine. It was a lightly grilled eel, with winter melon, grated ginger, and light kudzu sauce.

The next dish was called otsokuri as sashimi is called in the Kansai region. However it was not just raw seafood. The dish was pretty phenomenal as it sported five different preparations of hamo (conger pike), the traditional summer fish in Kansai. To be exact, the dish had tataki-yose (seared), yudooshi (parboiled), otoshi (live hamo boiled instantly and taken out), yubiki (blanched), yakishimo (the skin side of the fish is quickly charred or seared on an open flame or on charcoal and then is quickly transferred into a bowl of iced water).

The next dish was an example of yakimono, specifically a grilled sweet fish (ayu, also a summer favorite) served with water pepper vinegar.

Then there was an atumono dish. It was a mix of local vegetable showcasing Osaka’s terroir. There was a piece of tamatsukuri kuromon shirouri ( a type of oriental pickling melon, originated near Tamatsukuri-mon (Kuro-mon), a gate of the Osaka Castle, with a tubular shape and longitudinal white stripes), dried shiitake mushrooms, Mitsuba parsley, grated ginger in Yoshino kadu sauce.

Then there was a dish served in a bowl (hachimono). The dense soup had herring, aubergine, pumpkin gluten cake, taro bud, green pepper, and grated yuzu.

The gohan (rice dish with seasonal condiments) came with five different sides.

Finally there were two desserts. One called mizumono (seasonal dessert) was a glass with wine flavored peach, Pione, Muscat, milk sauce, and honey jelly. Very appropriate for such a hot day.

The second and final dessert (kashi) was a baked wheat cake with jelly served with green tea.

I do not remember the exact length, but as you can imagine it took some time… luckily I had a book with me.

As you can say this was a magnificent meal, like one served to a powerful feudal master… certainly the setting and the service could make you think so. Now that I analyse the menu to write this review, I can appreciate even more all the details embedded into each dish. And please consider that this was their entry-level lunch menu.

The check

After adding service charge and tax, I spent 12,687 yen (now 117 USD). I checked on their website and this special lunch kaiseki is still available (it is called Ume), as three more kaiseki menus. Honestly, if I was to go back (and one day I might!), I would go for one of the the highest-priced menus (from 16,000 to 30,000 yen before tax and service charge). It is such a perfect experience that makes sense to see what the chef can do with a higher budget.

Where in Osaka
2-5-18 Senriyama-nishi, Suita.
In Japanese: 吹田市千里山西2丁目5番18号.
Website: jp-kashiwaya.com/senriyama/top.html.

They also have a branch in Hong Kong.

The top kaiseki lunch menu at Shuhaku in Kyoto (Summer 2019)

During my summer 2019 trip to Kyoto I was intrigued by the cuisine of Shuhaku, a kaiseki restaurant that boasts one Michelin star and was supposed to combine French and Japanese elements. Actually I found it a pretty regular Japanese kaiseki (which is good), apart from the dessert final moment that was pretty epic.

The visit

I booked and prepaid the meal through an online concierge service. There were three menus for lunch and I chose the most expensive.

The restaurant is located in a historic district near some major shrines. It has 8 seats at the counter, plus a table for 4 in a corner. During my visit the table was taken, only a couple of other diners sat at the counter.

The lunch started with a composition featuring 20 different local vegetables. It is a pretty common dish for this kind of course meals.

The second dish was a nice soup with a sizable piece of hamo and omelette with asparagus in tofu skin. Hamo (pike conger) was one of the main features of the kaiseki, as it may be expected as it is a seasonal fish popular during the summer in Kyoto.

The third dish was three kinds of sashimi: hirame (a flat fish), hamo, and tuna. It came with plum sauce with sake for the hirame, soy plum sauce for the hamo, and soy sauce for the tuna. The presentation with a plate resembling a drainpipe was pretty original.

The fourth dish combined ayu and hamo sushi. Ayu (sweet fish) is also a summer favorite and was grilled in a way that made everything edible, including the bones. Quite delicious.

The fifth dish was a marinated asparagus in vinegar.

The sixth dish was tairagai seared and presented on a hot stone.

The seventh dish was strips of Kyoto beef in broth with eggplant, plus steamed rice and pickles. This dish was a let down. I was hoping something more substantial that could help me appreciate Kyoto beef.

The dessert moment added some surprise as I was presented all the desserts available and I could choose all I wanted. The desserts mixed Western and Japanese techniques.

I picked up three.

The first was a banana mousse topped with red beans.

The second was a pastry with walnut and cream.

Finally, I had their sweet soup with matcha sorbet that was the chef’s favorite.

All the desserts were excellent.

The check

Using the online concierge service, for this menu I paid 11,180 yen. The cheaper menu was around 50,000 and there was a mid-range option for around 70,000.

This was a well executed kaiseki. I appreciated the seasonal ingredients (even if they overshoot with the hamo) and the dessert moment was great. A couple of dishes were a bif of a softball (like the Kyoto beef strips). I was just disappointed that I did not see the French influences apart from the cakes. I asked if the dinner kaisekis were different and the chef answered that they were not that different.

In the cheapest menu the most expensive seafood like hamo was replaced with mackerel and I would not recommend it. If you make the trip to Kyoto, treat yourself for something better. There was a party that I believe had the mid-range menu and I think the only major difference was that they did not get the Kyoto beef dish. If so, the mid-range menu was the best choice as the Kyoto beef dish was nothing special.

Where in Kyoto:
392 Kinencho, Higashiyama Ward.

The beauty and taste of a summer kaiseki from Takagi

Takagi (たか木) is the restaurant owned by chef Takagi Kazuo located between Osaka and Kobe in a wealthy township called Ashiya. Since 2010, the restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars. It was mentioned to me by a friend and since I had intention to visit some attractions in Ashiya anyway I tried to make a reservation. Despite the location, the restaurant is faithful to Kyoto culinary traditions and serves kaiseki meals (traditional Japanese multi-course cuisine).

The visit

I tried to make a reservation calling the restaurant a few days in advance. They could speak some English with me. The first answer was no. But when they heard that I was insisting proposing other dates, the answer changed into a yes. I went for a lunch on a Saturday.

It was easy to reach on foot from a nearby train station (both JR and Hankyu have a station within walking distance). It was nested in a residential area.

I was offered a seat in a room with a long wooden counter ideal for solo-diners. During the meal, only another customer was in the room.

The first appetizer was a composition with pumpkin, octopus, okra, in a base of yuzu jelly. Shiso flower on top. A young chef would bring me the dishes and provide some explanation in English.

The second dish was a hearty soup with egg custard and red beans. I was explained that they used shrimp paste to create the aspect of ice in the soup. It was a way to pay homage to the summer.

The third dish was a bowl of quality sashimi: tai from Awashima and tuna from Shimane.

The fourth dish was a composition of five beautifully-crafted snacks: taro with uni (top-left), white fish and cucumber (top-right), marinated and grilled salmon (center), squid with shiso flower (bottom-left), a roll with zucchini, ayu fish and miso (bottom-right).

The theme of the summer was strong in the fifth dish that had a piece of fried hamo (a type of sea eel), a favorite in Kyoto during the summer.

At this point the meal was coming to a close and they offered me hot tea.

The classic rice dish kept for the end was a bowl of simple steamed rice, miso soup (with fried tofu) and pickles.

Finally for dessert there was lemon and yogurt ice cream on a jelly of mixed berries (not pictured), a piece of monaka with the classic filling of red bean, and a bowl of hot matcha.

The all service took around 105 minutes (it was a bit slow at times but I did not mind).

The dishes were as delicious as beautifully presented.

The check

The check was 6,372 yen (59 USD) that was an incredible value for such a perfect meal. They also had a set menu with an higher price (I believe 10,000) that was actually my preference but we could not understand each other on the phone about this point (apparently you need to express your preference at the moment of the booking). The higher value set came with more premium ingredients and I believe an additional grilled dish.

To me this restaurant was absolutely worth the detour from Osaka and will remain one of my top dining experiences of 2019.

Where in Ashiya
12-8, Oharacho
In Japanese: 〒659-0092 兵庫県芦屋市大原町12-8.

The first tempura kaiseki in Vietnam: my dinner at Hanabi Japanese Cuisine in Saigon

I like when food is linked to compelling personal stories. While I was triggered to visit Hanabi in Saigon by my passion for Japanese food, I found much more. The place was started a little over one year ago, in June 2017, by a freshly married Japanese couple that met in Vietnam. Chef Taka used to work as a chef for the Japanese Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and, upon meeting Ms Nabby, they decided to make Vietnam their home. This prompted them to start Hanabi – Japanese Cuisine in a calm street in district 2, just a stone throw away from the busy Xuan Thuy street. After a while, they found their niche in tempura, a lightly battered and deep fried type of cuisine. I have heard tempura restaurants in Tokyo and Sapporo, but I have never heard of one in Vietnam. While tempura is a common item in Japanese menus, Hanabi must be the first to focus on this type of cuisine and this is certainly a welcome addition to Saigon food scene.

You can perceive a family atmosphere in the intimate and nicely furnished restaurant. They have a number of counter seats where you can see the chef frying the tempura food on the spot, but also a private room is available (a very polite and quiet group was using it during my visit).

The visit

I made a reservation via email for a Tuesday evening dinner and I opted for the larger menu including 8 types of tempura.

The first dish consisted in a beautifully presented set of appetizers, six! (I kind of got excited and I forgot to take a picture, in the gallery you can see only two appetizers). The set included a cocktail with okra, seaweed, ikura (samlon roe) and clam; a cup of tofu, actually bell pepper tofu that tasted much more delicious than similar puddings I had before; a bite of pumpkin with cream cheese; a piece of crab sushi and, finally, a refreshing cup of tomato gazpacho. That was an amazing start.

The second dish came in the form of a two pieces of lightly seared yellow tail with vegetables and yuzukoshō sauce (a type of Japanese seasoning made from chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt) that was a perfect match for this carpaccio.

Then the chef, in this case Ms Tam, the sous-chef, since Mr Taka was away, came to the frying station to work on the tempura. Meantime Ms Nabby played a very important role explaining the dishes in English to me and other non Japanese speakers in attendance. Each item was battered and fried on the spot in front of me and other guests seating at the counter. The start of the tempura part of the meal was signaled by the salts and sauces that were brought to my place: Himalaya pink salt, matcha (green tea) salt, sea salt, white radish pulp (daikon) and the special tempura sauce (it is not soy sauce!) that came warm. The salts were incredibly tasty, even a few grains would enrich the flavor of the tempura, but I did not overuse the condiments as the tempura dishes were already exquisite as they were.

You can have a look at the individual dishes in the gallery below, here’s a description:

  1. Prawn (ebi in Japanese): this is a classic piece of tempura that you can find in any Japanese restaurant, but here’s the catch: the tempura that I or you have had in other Japanese restaurants in Saigon has very little to do with the tempura prepared at Hababi. Honestly, in other restaurants tempura dishes just look like normal deep fried food, but at Hanabi you can taste the real tempura that is only lightly battered and fried, more like a delicate veil. Having the ebi was the perfect start.
  2. Dragon bean: a vegetable tempura, first time I tried, a new flavor for me.
  3. Young Asian royal fern (zenmai in Japanese): this was a specimen of young Osmunda Japonica, an edible mountain herb found in Japan and other East Asian countries. The flavor was incredibly delicate and the fried herb literally melted in my mouth. Something new that I had never tried.
  4. Japanese whiting (or sillago). This is a small white fish, found in Japanese waters, locally called Shiro-gisu or Kisu, that seems to be born to become a tempura dish. It is rarely used for sushi or sashimi (and only if super fresh). It makes a perfect tempura dish that can be consumed in its entirety and has a very nice marine flavor.
  5. Watercress: an aquatic plant. You would never expect that it can taste so good. Magic of the tempura.
  6. Zucchini flower: it is always a pleasure to eat them as fritters.
  7. Pork: a nice bite.
  8. Baby onion: the last dish looked like a golf ball and hid a super tender baby onion (I was told that it is pre-boiled for 20 minutes).

But the meal was not finished yet! After the tempura dishes I was offered a delicious palate cleanser combining watermelon, squid and an addictive vinegar jelly. Later, another substantial dish came: two pieces of marinated chicken tight (retaining its soft skin) and some vegetables. The dish flavor was enriched by using a sweet sauce that is usually used for unagi (freshwater eel).

Before the dessert, one more dish: a bowl of cold somen noodles with clam stocks and seafood. While I am not a big fan of cold noodles in general, this dish was very refreshing and perfect to slow down before dessert. At this point also a cup of green tea was offered.

The last dish was a trio of dessert: cherry tomato compote, a bite of pomelo and one of dragon fruit, and finally an apple sherbet on a piece of frosted watermelon.

The check

The total bill after 10% tax and a bottle of water totaled 1,127,500 VND (around 48.5 USD). I really appreciated that they did not overcharge the water as most fine dining venues nowadays routinely do. It should be mentioned that they also have slightly simpler menus for 660,000 and 880,000 VND (that is around 28 and 38 USD). Given the quality of the food, attention to the details, level of authenticity and the overall experience, I find these prices very reasonable.

Overall, it felt like having a meal in Osaka or Sapporo and this kaiseki (multi-course meal) experience based on tempura dishes is something new in Saigon. Personally, I highly recommend Hanabi restaurant to those who wish to experience a real fine dining Japanese dinner and I hope to visit them again.

They change menus on a monthly basis and, comparing my dishes with the ones served to another blogger, I can see that the changes may be substantial (one more reason to come back).

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
36A Nguyen Ba Huan St., Thao Dien, District 2 
New address: số 18 đường 41, Thảo Điền, Quận 2 (just 200 meters from the old address).
Check their Facebook page for updated information and new menus.
Phone: +84 93 111 50 88 Email: kaiseki.hanabi@gmail.com
Reservation is required at least one day in advance (open for dinner only).

How many ways can you cook a crab? The answer at Sapporo Kanihonke

Hokkaido means seafood. And one type of seafood that cannot be missed in Hokkaido is crab. Options to try it abound. In my case I ended up having an early lunch in one of the crab institutions of Sapporo, Sapporo Kanihonke. This crab restaurant is today a chain with venues across all Japan. According to their website, they have been the first restaurant to serve crab cuisine and their founder is know as the father of crab cuisine in Japan. So much for the hype. I am very suspicious of chains (and this one reminds me of Red Lobster for some reason…), so my expectations were low. However, on a Sunday morning at 11.30 there were very few eateries open in Susukino district, so I eventually overcame my doubts and asked for a table.

The visit

The Susukino branch occupies a seven-story building literally covered in crabs signs. You cannot miss it. I was promptly escorted in a private room for two people. Very nice start. It is always nice to have a private room and considering that when I left there was a notice indicating that the restaurant was sold out I guess I was a little bit lucky.

They have an extensive menu sporting snow and hairy crab dishes and a number of other seafood options. They have a number of “kaiseki” set menus. Kaiseki is the traditional Japanese multi-course meal. I would describe their kaiseki as “mini”, since they do not perfectly reflect the grammar of a full kaiseki, but, after doing some math, they are a great way to get an introduction to crab cuisine since you can save some bucks as opposed to order individual dishes.

My choice was a Hanasaki menu only available for lunch for 5,400 yen (around 50 USD). I shall now describe the individual dishes that came with this menu.

The first course included a selection of appetizers and the main crab dish of the menu: three pieces of butter roasted snow crab. The pieces were quite meaty (but not that much to eat overall). You could definitely taste the freshness of the crab from its juices. Please note that you are being provided both chopsticks and a crab fork to reach any piece of pulp in the dishes (chopstick and fork are placed on a cute chopstick rest modeled like a crab).

The second course included a portion of crab gratin (white cram with a few pieces of crab meat) and a rice ball called “crab marimo” on the menu. The rice ball tasted like sticky rice and, of course, was enriched by a few specks of crab meat.

The third course brought some variety with a piece of grilled white fish (called “sable fish” on the menu) marinated in miso. Nice.

The fourth course was fried crab meat on shell. Very nice, I finished it. No need to use the accompanying sauce to enjoy it in my opinion.

And now time for some sushi. The two important parts here are the piece of crab sushi and the piece of mackerel sushi. In both cases, mackerel and crab pulp were pressed and marinated. The course is completed by a miso soup.

The sixth and last course was a simple dessert: fruit in a yogurt sauce. Not my cup of tea, but glad to have it. By the way, hot tea was included, I only paid extra for a soft drink.

The check

The final check amounted to 5810 yen (or around 52 USD). All dishes were enticing. My only marginal regret is that I did not order some more substantial dish (like their king crab steak!), but one of such dishes would have added at least 30 USD to the final check and, honestly, there was enough food already.

Overall, the place scored beyond my expectations. I think one of their multi-course menus is a great way to be introduced to crab cuisine. Apart from the quality of the food and its presentation, service was also excellent and the dishes were perfectly timed. They have a lot of experience in a place like this.

Sapporo Kanihonke certainly earned my recommendation. If you go, just consider making a reservation to be sure not to be disappointed. You can find them across Japan, so you do not need to go to Sapporo to try their menu.

PS: Before leaving, at the cashier, you can buy as a souvenir many of their crab-inspired paraphernalia. I bought the crab double rest for chopsticks and fork for just 200 yen.

Where in Sapporo:
Sapporo Kanihonke – Susukino Branch
4-1-3 Minami-Rokujyou-Nishi, Cyuou-ku
Visit their website to check other locations and the booking system (they recommend to place reservations 10 days in advance).