I had my first visit to Kagurazaka Ishikawa, a renowned restaurant representing Kagurazaka!While casually browsing the Omakase options, I noticed a red mark indicating available seats, so I clicked to reserve a spot. Since it was a day with no prior plans, I clicked again to book a lunch seat on a Saturday at the counter… and somehow, I managed to make a reservation! What luck!This restaurant earned two Michelin stars in the 2008 edition of a certain guidebook that first covered only eight central districts of Tokyo, but since 2009, it has consistently held three stars for 18 years up to the latest 2026 edition. It has also maintained a SILVER award from Tabelog since its inception in 2017.What’s remarkable about Ishikawa-san is not just his own restaurant, but also the high acclaim received by his protégés, including Koizumi-san’s Torakushi, Hasu San-shichi, Hato, NK, and Guchoku ni… all of which have become highly sought-after establishments. Moreover, they span various cuisines beyond Japanese, including sushi, French, and Italian.The location is a black-walled restaurant on a side street just before Zenkoku-ji as you walk up from Iidabashi to Kagurazaka. It might actually be closer from Ushigome-Kagurazaka Station on the Toei Oedo Line.Now, let’s see what the Omakase course at Kagurazaka Ishikawa has to offer.- Steamed Abalone from Sado Served on freshly steamed glutinous rice. Starting off with rice! And abalone! According to the seller, it’s the best glutinous rice in Japan. Indeed, the rice is delicious, and the abalone is cut thick to retain its texture.Next up was supposed to be sweetfish, but there was a mishap when one of the apprentices dropped the sweetfish from the plate onto the counter, so they had to grill a new one. In the meantime…- Karasumi Beautifully colored karasumi. It has a sticky texture with a rich flavor, and the saltiness is mild and delicious! Perfect for pairing with sake.- Natural Sweetfish from the Wara River in Gifu Prefecture Served with a choice of wasabi or vinegar. The fish is grilled to perfection, with the head, tail, and backbone removed, making it tender and delicious. As it’s grilled with salt, it’s tasty enough on its own, just as they say. The bitterness of the innards is delightful!- Crispy Sweetfish Head, Tail, and Backbone I’ve had this before, but this time it’s fried to a light crispness, making it the best I’ve ever had!- Soft-Shelled Turtle Broth The soup base features turnips from Noheji, Aomori Prefecture. The turtle broth is delicious! Combined with the soft-cooked turnips, it’s simply irresistible!- Sashimi - Meichidai - Sea Urchin, Octopus The Meichidai can be enjoyed with wasabi and salt or soy sauce. The sea urchin and octopus are delicious on their own. I often have Meichidai lately, and it’s rich and tasty. The sea urchin is also rich and truly doesn’t need any seasoning. Sweet and delicious! The octopus is almost raw, with only the suckers cooked. It’s incredibly tasty! - Katsuo from Kesennuma Served with plenty of ginger soy sauce and garnishes. The katsuo itself is delicious, but I think it might have been better with the raw onion from the previous restaurant.- Grilled Anago with Shuto Served with grated daikon soaked in broth. The top is Kagura Nanban. This is genuine anago. When cooked, the shuto becomes liquid, which they pour over while grilling. The firm flesh is full of flavor! This is wonderful!- Oysters from Senpo-shi with Hokkaido’s Turban Shell and Steamed Sea Urchin Topped with citrus jelly. These oysters are delicious! The combination with steamed sea urchin is great! The crunchy turban shell is also tasty.- Kiji (Pheasant) and Mitoyo Eggplant This kiji is also firm and delicious. The eggplant is so tender!- Cold Somen Noodles Served with hamo and grated turnip, topped with mock tobiko. This way of eating somen is fantastic! Exquisite!! But the mock tobiko is more expensive than real tobiko.- Meal - Freshly cooked rice - Tokishirazu - Tamago Toji with Tanba Black Chicken - Shiso Ume Mixed with Man-gaji Pepper - Pickles (thinned melon, kombu, nagaimo) - Red Miso Soup (with water cloud from Itoigawa) The rice is sourced from a yearly contract with a friend of the chef from Niigata, his hometown. The accompaniments, including the rare Tokishirazu and Tanba black chicken, are delicious, but I never expected the combination of Man-gaji pepper, plum, and sesame to be this good! It pairs perfectly with the rice. - I had a second helping of rice! Enjoyed it as TKG (Tamago Kake Gohan).- Delicious Melon and Pear Please start with the pear. The leaves on top are not edible.- Black Sugar Agar Topped with yuzu zest and served with coconut milk. I thought it was water yokan, but it turned out to be black sugar agar! Once I tasted it, it was indeed black sugar! This is great! Delicious!With numerous high accolades and dishes from a master chef who has produced many renowned restaurants, it truly lived up to its reputation. It was incredibly delicious.Actually, I dozed off on the train and missed my stop, arriving a minute or two late for the 12:00 start. It seemed like the other groups had already begun. There were only three groups of six at the counter, but it appeared that the first two groups were served different dishes, indicating a style where they progress with the dishes as they are ready. There are several private rooms in the back, but the chef at the counter, the kitchen staff, and the private room attendants were constantly communicating, monitoring each customer’s progress, and serving the dishes, which was impressive.Also, it seems that aside from cutting the sashimi, Chef Ishikawa mainly leaves the kitchen work to his apprentices. He occasionally checks in, but it seems he mostly just tastes the dishes without getting involved too much. Of course, the menu changes with the seasons, but that’s why the apprentices he trained are thriving so well. It was also lovely to see him step in when things were stagnant.By the way, I heard that a new restaurant called "Umi to No" will open around September 7th. It will be located on the fourth floor of the building in Kagurazaka that previously housed "Hasu" and "Guchoku ni." I’ve already made a reservation and can’t wait to visit!
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