About food in Japan: Japanese restaurants

As the main event of my journey in Kanazawa, I visited Tsubajin (つば甚) for lunch. With its history of over 250 years long since 1752, Tsubajin is one of the most established Ryotei (料亭) in Kanazawa. Out of Nishi Chaya Machi (にし茶屋街), the traditional Japanese house build in early 20 century stands on a bank of Sai river (犀川). From the upper floor, Kanazawa city view is available.

Approaching to the restaurant entrance, a lady in Kimono opened the entrance door and welcomed me with smile. I already recognized that this kind of hospitality prooves the restauran as a place where royal family, politicians and other celeblities have been welcomed for long years. We were taken to a room on the ground floor, where we can find a small but nice Japanese garden outside while inside seasonal decoration of Hina ningyo (雛人形, Girls festival dolls), kakejiku (掛け軸, traditional painting scroll) and a flower base. They are modest but creats elegant tast collectively.

The staind glass partion on the left stand implies Taisho period (大正時代) when this house was built.

It is a place where we can be fully relaxed even before lunch...

Sake (日本酒) sevred is original brand of Tsubajin (つば甚), blended specially for the restaurant. Dry but fruity, modest and good quality exactly like the restaurant!

The least expensive lunch is box meal style, because I have to keep my stomach space for dinner and sweets on afternoon. If you would, Kaiseki style meal is also available depending on your budget.

Grilled Takenoko (筍, bamboo shoot) is icon of Spring. Behindit, masu (鱒, trout) also grilled and wrapped by a dark green leaf and decorated with a small piece of cherry flower.

Sasimi (刺身, raw fish) plate is essential for Japanese course meal.Here it includes very fresh seasonal local product.

Jibuni (じぶ煮), well-known local speciality (郷土料理, Kyodo Ryori) of Kanazawa, ordered with supplement cost. Duck meat, local speciality product “fu”(麩, wheat gluten cake) and vegetables including local spiecies of spinach Kinjiso (金時草).

The excellent lunch was ended with a small bowl of dessert

I left the restaurant with great satisfaction. It was a perfect moment of fine traditional and fresh cuisine, interior decoration and Japanese hospitality.

About Ryotei (料亭)

No clear difinition of Ryotei but it is considered as the most luxurious category of traditional Japanese restaurants with established business in long history, appreciated by local magnates and VIPs, capacity and ability to arrange entertainment by Geisha. Many are located in Kyoto, Tokyo and Kanazawa. Because of nature of their clientels, dinig space is most likely to be “private room” style where you would never find and hear other diners. To have meals in Ryotei, advance reservation is required and in most case chef’s recommendation course is provided according to your budget given upon reservation. (It means they rarely allow you to visit without reservation and to select plates from a list on the spot.) Please be ready enough earlier to take advantage of fantastic experiences feeling Japanese traditional culture!

Tsubajin (つば甚)

Address: 5-1-8 Teramachi, Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa prefecture

Website: http://www.tsubajin.co.jp

*The place is in Kanazawa, Hokuriku region. (not in Tokyo) For general information about Kanazawa and how to get there, please visit below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/about-kanazawa-city-where-food-lovers-should-not-miss-on-travel-in-japan.html

大きな地図で見る

Accommodations close to the sites mentioned on this post

加賀屋グループ　料理旅館　金沢茶屋

中安旅館

兼六城下町　ホテル兼六

ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル金沢（旧　金沢全日空ホテル）

Posted on 06 April 2011 at 14:02 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Region Hokuriku (北陸), Kanazawa | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

17 February 2011

Waketokuyama (分とく山) - Japanese (Michelin 2011 **)

Waketokuyama (分とく山) by the chef Mr. Hiromitsu Nozaki is one of the most well-known upscale Japanese restaurants in Tokyo.

There we were taken to the seats on the ground floor where the chef Mr. Nozaki welcomed us from open-kitchen counter.

It is another attraction to watch the chef and staff cooking and preparing food behind the counter.

The menu is "Omakase"(おまかせ or chef's seasonal recommendation) only, as same in many of Japanese upscale restaurants. We do not have to select dishes from attractive selections. Just we are looking forwards to what we will see in front of us for next a few hours, after order Sake. It also provides some selections of wine. But for Japanese meal, we prefer to have Japanese alcohol which is the best match with fine Japanese food.

Here some examples from plates we had. The Japanese full course was counted to 9 dishes from starter to dessert.

Assorted starter including duck with rice

Assorted Sashimi plat

includes Buri (ブリ, 鰤, yellowtail) in season and rich taste.

With seaweed Konjac (海藻こんにゃく) and Yuba (湯葉, bean curd creap)

The restaurant's speciality, Iso awabi (磯あわび, abalon with seaweed)

The seafood grilled and covered with seaweed.

Unnn senced aroma from the sea...

Fried Fugu (河豚, blowfish)!

As you see, many of dishes are seasonal seafood. Here we can have something which cannot be found at casual restaurants ... Of course all are filled in our stomach.

It is a part of Japanese hospitality that, after the amazing dinner, the chef and staff get out from the restaurant and they warmly see off every guest in front of the restaurant on the street. We also left from Waketokuyama with happiness.

Mr. Nozaki is also known as the chef for the national baseball team at the Athene Olympics in 2004.

The main restaurant of Waketokuyama is located in Hiroo and the modern building build in 2004 is designed by an architect Mr. Kengo Kuma.

Restaurant name: Waketokuyama (分とく山)

Address: 5-1-5 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

*No official website

大きな地図で見る

Posted on 17 February 2011 at 22:56 in Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Michelin star awarded | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

26 October 2010

Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe 2011

Michelin published its restaurant guide for Kansai region (Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) 2011 version on the last friday. Surprisingly 12 restaurants are awarded three stars. The number of 3 star restaurants on the guide is the biggest in the world and even more than one for Tokyo and Paris. Out of 239 restaurants on the guide, 80% are Japanese restaurants in a variety of categories from Izakaya (居酒屋, casual dining bar), Kushiage (串揚, skewered and fried food) to Kaiseki (懐石料理, upscale sophisticated course).

Kansai region’s capital Osaka is considered more vital Asian-like city contrary to Tokyo cosmopolitan and it is called "the merchant city ". At the same time, it is known for casual dining as an example of Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, salty pancake). In Kyoto, the ancient city, upscale traditional Japanese restaurants attract dinners for more than a hundred year with the most sophisticated anc delicate ways of cooking skills. Kobe may be known for the Kobe beef by non-Japanese people. The city, just next to Osaka, is a hometown base of wealthy in Kansai. It is natural easily to find fine restaurants there.

Here the list of 3stars restaurant on the Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe 2011

<Kyoto　京都>

Kikunoi Honten (菊乃井　本店) - Japanese Kaiseki http://kikunoi.jp/store/

Kitcho Arashiyama (吉兆　嵐山本店) - Japanese

http://www.kitcho.com/kyoto/shoplist_en/arashiyama/index.html

Chihana (千花) - Japanese Itamae cappo (chef's cuisine) http://kyotochihana.com/e/

Tsuruya (つる家) - Japanese http://www.kyoto-tsuruya.co.jp/kyoto.html

Nakamura (なかむら) - Japanese Kyoryori (京料理, Kyoto local cuisine)

http://www.kyoryori-nakamura.com

Hyotei (瓢亭) - Japanese Kaiseki http://hyotei.co.jp/

Mizai (未在) - Japanese http://www.mizai.net/

<Osaka　大阪>

Kashiwaya (柏屋) - Japanese Kaiseki No official own website http://r.gnavi.co.jp/c158900/

Taian (太庵) - Japanese Kappo No official website

Hajime (ハジメ) - French http://www.hajime-artistes.com/

<Kobe　神戸>

Ca cento (カ・セント) Spanish http://casento.jp/

Komago (子孫) Japanese No official website

Those Japanese restaurants offers limited number of tables and advanced reservation is strongly recommended. Especially after the publishing of Michelin guide, they might be fully booked for a few months. Please be ready well advance to visit them. Japanese upscale restaurants in general offer only one or a few courses by price range and no a-la-carte menu. All food provided there are served at the best condition as per the chef's recommandation and well-prepared with fresh, high quality ingredients.

19 September 2010

Okahan (岡半) - Teppanyaki (鉄板焼) at Ginza

Ginza is known for luxury brand boutiques and major department stores. Restaurants in Ginza, needless to say, are likely to be upscale ones to attact such high-end consumers. Especially for dinner, many restaruants charge around Yen 10000 or more in Ginza. It is known among local people that these restaurants are place for celebrities, important politicians or corporate executives.

On the other hand, you could have a chance to enjoy such upscale dinings at much more reasonable cost for lunch but of course at similar service and quality standard. Why not try one of them for having lunch and taking a break during a shopping time at the most luxurious town in Japan.

Okahan (岡半) is one suitable for such a situation. The teppanyaki grill and Suikiyaki restaurant is operated by a luxury Japanese restaurant house, Kanetanaka (金田中). To have Teppanyaki or Sukiyaki with Matsuzaka beef for dinner at the restaurant in Ginza, it costs more than Yen 15000, while the same restaurant offers lunch set at minimum Yen1500, a tithe of the dinner price.

Even though meat is not exactly the same quaity one from Matsuzaka, of course at least the quality is still high enought to keep the luxury restaurant's fame. And it is prepared by the cooks in front of us, if seated at the counter.

The lunch steak plate is served with salad, a rice bowl, miso soup (in tea cup!) and a small vegetable pot.

The small pot is an unique service of Okahan. A small "meat ball" is cooked with onions, potato and carrott. It is almost like beef stew. This garnish could be a reason to distinguish Okahan from other teppanyaki restaurants.

Daytime for lunch, unlike its dinner time, we can enjoy the high quality Japanese beef at much more reasonable cost and in casual atomosphere.

Restaurant name: Okahan (岡半)

Address: 7th floor, Ginza Kanetanaka building, 7-6-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Information in English (Gournavi) : http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/g080500/

大きな地図で見る

Posted on 19 September 2010 at 14:11 in Japanese restaurants - Upscale | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

18 April 2010

Koju (小十) - Japanese upscale restaurant, Michelin ***

To visit Japanese restaurant, it always enable us to feel "four seasons" through the food provided.

Takenoko (たけのこ、筍, bamboo shoot) is one of the symbols for Spring season. Here, at the Michelin 3 stars restaurant Koju (小十) in Ginza, we enjoyed the dishes and Spring season, even though outside air was chilly like Winter.

We chose the least expensive dinner course there. It was still enough fully to enjoy the traditional Japanese dishes and to satisfy my stomach.

Let's go back to see some of the dishes ...

The chef's favorite dish Taira shellfish (pan shell) and 13 kinds of spring vegetables.

What is amazing of Japanese highest quality in cooking is to prepare each 13kinds of vegetable by each different way in order to serve all of them at the best way of cooking for each. Here all ingredients play "leading role" and show its presence on the plate and on my tongue!

Spring sprouts give us energy to live...

Seasonal sashimi cannot be missed.

Grilled Sawara　(a kind of Mackerel) with Fukinotou (sprout vegetable only available in Spring), decorated by cherry flowers

Shrimp Ganmodoki (bean curd dumpling) and Anago (conger eel) & kanpyo (gourd strip) role.

All are small pieces but cannot imagine how much time and process of cooking had been made for them!

Rice cooked with takenoko (bamboo shoot), warabi (wild vegetable) and green pea

Uhhhm, we were filled with the feeling of Spring

At Japanese luxury restaurants, they change the menu and dishes day by day, season by season. They are always eager to provide the best food ingredients at the best condition in the best way of cooking.
There the menu and plates are up to the chef's selections, relying on their rich professional experiences. Hence when we visit the restaurant in different season, at different time, we will find different fine quality foods.

Needless to say, as a Michelin 3-star restaurant, it has wide selections of Sake and Wine.

Restaurant name: Koju (小十)

Address: The 2nd Sanyu building 1st floor, 8-5-25 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.kojyu.jp/

Posted on 18 April 2010 at 14:44 in Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Michelin star awarded | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

05 September 2009

Machiya restaurant - Mukadeya(百足屋), Kyoto

I had a short trip to Kyoto in this summer.
In Kyoto, where traditional style buildings are still alive, we can find "machiya"(町屋）, traditional town house. Sometimes machiya is used as restaurant, cafe or even spa.

Mukadeya(百足屋, literally meaning centipede house) is one of these restaurants, located in 5minute-walk from Karasuma staion, center of Kyoto. One of the charateristics of machiya is its small entrance (5-10 meters width) and long depth space as twice to four times as the entrance width, had been organized because of the taxation system in a few hundreds years ago.

It is known that the house was used by a kimono trader and it has been restored as a restaurant.
After a space with high tabels, and a welcoming room, I had a table in tatami floor room with a view of its small Japanese garden. The next of this room is former "kura" (蔵）, old storehouse.

Speciality of Mukadeya is called obanzai(おばんざい）, traditional home cooking menu in Kyoto. It is not always true that obanzai menu at restaurants are inexpensive. Dinner courses especially are considered as a kind of Kaiseki. But we can enjoy obanzai lunch at Mukadeya at reasonable cost.

Japanese course meals at upscale restaurants always remind us "the season".
The late summer plates made me feel cool...

The last plate is the restaurant's speciality rice with black means.
It brought with nice smell of Japanese cypress from the wooden box

Defenitely it is recommendable address in Kyoto to taste local specialities of the ancient capital in the traditional town house.

Restaurant name: Mukadeya
Address: 381 Mukadeya-machi, Nishiki-koji Agaru, Shinmachi tori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Website in Japanese: http://www.kurochiku.co.jp/inshoku/shinmachi/index.htm

Posted on 05 September 2009 at 14:43 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Region Osaka, Kyoto and other Kansai(West), Unique restaurants and bars | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

24 May 2009

Tempura (天ぷら） - Ginza Shinohalu　（銀座　しのはる）

Tempura is "deep-fried food" in Japanese style. It is one of the most recommendable Japanese food for non-Japanese people. I believe that many people like it, as long as you do not mind food with oil and flour.

If you would like to have tempura food in the least expensive way, it is to get them at supermarkets. They could be also available at any kind of Japanese restaurants. If you want the best and fresh ones prepared by specialists of tempura, it is better to go to a "tempura restaurant".

Typical ingredients for tempura cooking are shrimp, fish, vegetable such as eggplant, Shitake Japanese mushroom, sweet-potato, pumpkin.

Shinohalu in east Ginza, just a block away from famous Kabuki theatre, is a Japanese upscale restaurant specialized in tempura cooking.

It is often featured by TV programe and magazines because of the high reputation for carefylly selected fresh seasonal ingredients cooked by professionals. However the lunch time, it is available at reasonable cost from Yen 1000 to Yen 2000. That is definetly value for money.

One day my lunch was "Zeitaku(lavish) Tendon" (tempura on top of a bowl of rice). It costs less than Yen2000 even with two big pieces of shrimp, a piece of fish, some vegetable tempuras, all freshly-fried in front of me at the counter table.

Restaurant name: Ginza Shinohalu

Address: B1 floor, M & S building 4-13-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku Tokyo

Website: http://www.ginza-shinohalu.com

Related story: Kakiage (かきあげ）

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/08/kakiage-9483.html

Posted on 24 May 2009 at 18:24 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Upscale | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

17 August 2008

Kaiseki Tsujitome(懐石　辻留）

On a hot summer day, I was very lucky to visit a "Kaiseki"(懐石) restaurant and to have lunch there. Kaiseki restaurants are traditionally consiedered as ones for people in high rank and celebrities such as politicians, senior executives etc and the places are far from ordinary people like me. So of course this is the first time for me to go into the world!
Mid-summer is slow season for that kind of luxury restaurants as many of their clientel are taking their vacations and have been out from Tokyo. All tables at the restaurant are in each private room. We can never see other dinners in the restaurant. Only I recognize some voices that seemed to be by other guests.

Kaiseki is a traditional style of serving food in Japan. The origine is from the traditional Japanese tea ceremony way and it has over a few hundreds years of history. The world is too deep to tell everything in a blog.

Tsujitome, the restaurant where I visited, has been a cater for a major school of Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto for a century. The present chef is the third generation of the restaurant or catering service house.

Kaiseki style course is normally composed of several plates.
Todays our plates were... starter, soup, boild, cold, grilled, soured, rice and soup, pickled vegetables, sweets and green tea, served by waiteress wearing kimono.
All food and the sophisticated presentation never missed to remind us current season "summer".
It is important for Japanese cooks to take seasonal fresh food into the menu.
Particularly in our menu, they were very seasonal dishes which made us pleased the most.

Clear soup with "Hamo" (a kind of conger)
Hamo is expensive fish to eat and available only at luxury restaurants in summer. The meat was very soft and melted in mouth. Obviously it was the best quality one I have ever had...

Grilled "Ayu"(sweetfish) salted with sour source.
The fish was harvested in Kyoto according to the restaurant master.
The cooking is simple but the quality is essential and to grill in a good way requires skills. The fish looks like alive and jumping on the boad!

We sensed the warmest hospitality of the restaurant, the host(cook) and the hostess.
High quaity food in the most sphisticated presentation reminding us the season.
One of the best meal and the nicest experience I have ever had.

Restaurant name: Kaiseki Tsujitome
Address: B1 floor Toraya Dai-ni building, 1-5-8 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

****** Our recommendable accommodation around this restaurant *******

ANA InterContinental Hotel

Hotel New Otani Tokyo

The Capitol Hotel Tokyu

the b Akasaka

*************************************************************************

Posted on 17 August 2008 at 19:18 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Michelin star awarded | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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About food in Japan

What kind of restaurants and food you can find in Japan? This blog is for "Food Lovers" who are planning to travel in Japan, who are non-Japanese speakers living in Japan and all who are interested in food culture of Japan! 英語で日本の食文化を紹介するブログです。

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35 posts categorized "Japanese restaurants - Upscale"

03 May 2011

Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market (寿司大　築地市場)

26 April 2011

The S.Pellegrino World's 100 Best Restaurants 2011

06 April 2011

Authentic Ryotei (料亭)! Tsubajin (つば甚) – Kanazawa (金沢)

17 February 2011

Waketokuyama (分とく山) - Japanese (Michelin 2011 **)

26 October 2010

Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe 2011

19 September 2010

Okahan (岡半) - Teppanyaki (鉄板焼) at Ginza

18 April 2010

Koju (小十) - Japanese upscale restaurant, Michelin ***

05 September 2009

Machiya restaurant - Mukadeya(百足屋), Kyoto

24 May 2009

Tempura (天ぷら） - Ginza Shinohalu　（銀座　しのはる）

17 August 2008

Kaiseki Tsujitome(懐石　辻留）

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