Located in the historic district of Asakusa Komagata, the restaurant "Nabeno-Ism" is a charming standalone establishment.The owner and chef, Yuichiro Watanabe, has an impressive background, having worked at "Le Maestro Paul Bocuse Tokyo" in Akasaka and "Taillevent Robuchon" in Ebisu. After 21 years with the Robuchon Group, he became an executive chef and opened this restaurant on July 7, 2016, a date considered auspicious.At the entrance, a sign made of cloisonné, symbolizing Japanese culture, features the French flag and is inscribed with the chef's motto, "Parce que je suis japonais" (Because I am Japanese), reflecting his determination and passion.The colors of the sign represent his beliefs: black symbolizes unwavering conviction, white represents freedom to change, and orange signifies the fiery spirit of a chef.We visited as a group of four for a summer lunch celebration.【Cheers】"Non-Alcoholic Champagne""Non-Alcoholic White Wine"【L’Amuse-bouche】"Collaboration Snack with Local Long-Established Shops"A tartlet made from Tanekame Monaka, reimagined with butter and radish flavors, returning to the roots of Nabeno-Ism's summer menu. The balance allows for a clear taste of butter and radish, combining the roasted aroma of the 200-year-old Tanekame Monaka with the refreshing essence of Japanese wood leaves, completing the fusion of French and Japanese culinary cultures.Enjoy my last pun, where I shaped butter into a sphere, calling it "boule de beurre" (ball of butter).②Gougères filled with grilled eggplant tartare, marinated Spanish tuna, and quail eggs, accented with grated ginger and komatsu kombu.The savory grilled eggplant tartare is complemented by quail eggs and Spanish tuna, with the freshness of grated ginger and komatsu kombu, creating a harmonious blend of Basque and Japanese summer flavors.③~Moroccan-style marinated green olives, in memory of my mentor Chef Gérard Antonin~Marrying green olives with orange confit, herbs, and cumin spices, served in a pinchos style for a burst of flavor in every bite.Dedicated to my mentor Chef Gérard Antonin, who passed away at the age of 89 on January 9, 2026.【La Soupe de saison】"Gazpacho with Tottori Prefecture Daei Watermelon and Fruit Tomatoes"Floating with Camargue salt and lavender-scented essence, hiding frozen watermelon and black tapioca at -20°C.The smoothness of the tapioca and the chill of the frozen watermelon balls evoke the essence of Japanese watermelon and the scents of Provence.【La Farine de sarrasin】"Soba dumplings made with buckwheat flour from Ryogoku Edo Soba Hosokawa, finished with emulsified sauce"An ensemble with a jelly made from two-year-aged premium Rishiri kombu from Okui Kaiseido, garnished with caviar "Osetra," marinated sweet shrimp, vodka cream, and freshly grated Amagi wasabi.The chef, certified as an Edo Soba master, uses buckwheat flour from Ryogoku Edo Soba Hosokawa, which he fell in love with during his training, cooked in a French copper pot and emulsified with French fermented butter, capturing the aroma with the exquisite jelly from Okui Kaiseido's Rishiri kombu.Enjoy the harmony of seasonal seafood (sweet shrimp, salted sea urchin, squid, white shrimp, shimaebi, and fresh karasumi) with caviar, drizzled with Normandy sour cream and Amagi wasabi, while savoring the aroma and texture of the soba.Look at this! A bowl size for the first time! The joy of sharing the same dish as a certain food enthusiast!【L'Ayu 2026】Grilled sweetfish from the clear streams of Wakayama, served with cucumber declinaison (sweetfish mi-sèche marinated with citrus, pickled cucumber coulis, and crudités) on a salad of Koshihikari rice infused with matcha, accompanied by kiwi and wasabi condiments.The final sweetfish dish in 2026 is a specialty that has continued since the establishment of Nabeno-Ism.This year, enjoy the sweetfish prepared with rice flour, featuring three distinct flavors: poêlé, mi-sèche mariné, and pâté.The fillet is coated only on the skin side with rice flour and grilled in taibaku oil for a fragrant finish, while the flesh is cooked indirectly to achieve a fluffy texture, paired with a slightly bitter matcha-infused Koshihikari rice salad.The rice salad is prepared using the technique of Edo-style sushi rice, seasoned with lime, champagne vinegar, and maple syrup, showcasing the characteristics and flavors of Japanese rice.The marinated sweetfish is dehydrated with salt, pepper, trehalose, and junmai sake, then pressed with dehydration sheets for a day to concentrate the umami, achieving a mi-sèche state even drier than salmon marinated. This is rolled with thinly sliced citrus, mint, and Okui Kaiseido's white tororo kombu.The sauce is made from cucumber brine and Greek yogurt, paired with kiwi and wasabi condiments, evoking the sweetfish's scientific name, and garnished with mint essence.The highlight is the sweetfish pâté, nurtured since the opening of Nabeno-Ism in 2016, now in its 11th year.Inspired by Chef Fernand Point's masterpiece "Pâté de Grive," this pâté utilizes every part of the sweetfish, treating it as summer game, and is enriched with eel sauce and aged flavors for depth, creating a unique taste only found at Asakusa Komagata.Enjoy the harmony of three sweetfish preparations and the various flavors of cucumber.【Le Sabre】Kanagawa Prefecture's knife fish coated in chickpea flour and grilled.Served with artichoke declinaison, aromatic broth, chips, and sauce, accompanied by bacon, potatoes, micro coriander, and sorrel, with onions and mushrooms scented with lemon, inspired by the Provençal dish "Barigoule."Artichoke cooked in the style of Barigoule, originally a Provençal dish using the name of a mushroom from the Amanita family, stuffed and heated.【Le Canard】Aichi Prefecture's Aichi duck breast, gently roasted in a copper pot, served with young corn beignets, charcoal-grilled gold rush, and fried tsurumurasaki and zucchini.Combined with chicken broth, meat sauce, yellow garlic chives, garlic sprouts, Nabeno sauce, and a miso-style tapenade with Daidokoro natto, garnished with white sesame and mint.Served with a tartlet of Tanekame Monaka with "Edo-style herbs."【1st Dessert】〈Crème d'Ange de Sainte-Maure〉Transformed into a cream from Loire Valley's goat cheese "Saint-Maure Blanc," served with pesticide-free bay laurel from Watanabe Farm.【2nd Dessert】〈Far Breton a lananas〉A traditional Breton pastry "Far Breton," baked with caramelized semi-dried ripe pineapple, accompanied by whipped cream, rich coconut ice cream, rum sauce, salted caramel, and various spices.【Café】"Nihon-zutsumi Bach Coffee"【Mignardises】"Petits Fours Inspired by Komagata""Macarons"Yagenbori medium spicy shichimi, black sesame, Valrhona Manjari, Juzukien Asakusa main store matcha [Shinfunakaze], cacao berry white chocolate."Canelé de Bordeaux"Freshly roasted soybean flour from Osawaya."Chocolate Terrine"Yagenbori medium spicy shichimi, Valrhona Manjari.Thank you to Chef Watanabe and Manager Kanda for the wonderful hospitality. I appreciate everyone who joined us for this enjoyable time.
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