Foodle

My first visit to Shinohara, a place I had long wanted to try, truly lived up to my expectations and was a delightful experience.The atmosphere inside was bright and cheerful, with regulars, newcomers, the head chef, and the staff all seeming to enjoy themselves. We were able to fully appreciate the chef's flavors together.The dishes inspired by the May festival were wonderful, and the presence of the demon tile made me feel as if all negativity was warded off.The crab bread was crispy and fluffy, so delicious that it made me smile involuntarily. The eel, paired with the refreshing aroma of sansho leaves, was incredibly tasty, leaving me in awe. Each item in the hassun was delicious, making the drinks flow freely. I never knew that eating crab with olive oil could be so amazing!The foie gras and butter monaka was truly a signature dish—an unforgettable flavor.The sukiyaki was so delicious when enjoyed with just the dipping sauce that I felt I could eat it endlessly.It was a dreamlike time. Thank you very much! Less

The meal was once again surprisingly delicious.1. Tree Sap 2. Prologue: Red Beads L’evo Chicken Mousse, White Shrimp, Gougère, Sweetfish Croquette 3. Tempura of Wild Vegetables (Koshiabura) (Appetizers) 4. Sardine and Udo 5. Okoshichu Pie: An incredibly delicious dish made with tender Okoshichu clams. 6. Moon Bear: Aged bear meat served with a sauce made from bear, wild boar, and other game meats, accompanied by various wild herbs. The aging process eliminates any gamey taste, resulting in a moist and flavorful dish that combines the vitality of the ingredients. 7. Young Bear Fat and Pheasant Consommé Soup: A creamy and smoky dish made with broth from young bear fat and pheasant. 8. Firefly Squid Fritter: Freshly fried firefly squid, served with a dipping broth after enjoying the fritter. 9. Azuma Hiki Frog Fritter: Fritters made from the legs of Azuma Hiki frogs. It’s been a while since I had frog, and it indeed tastes similar to chicken.10. Daimon Somen: A soup made with goat cheese. This is a classic dish where somen noodles are served in a cheese soup. Delicious! 11. L’evo Chicken: A specialty of L’evo, featuring young chicken legs raised specifically for the restaurant, stuffed with rice cooked in broth made from bear meat. Delicious. 12. Izumi Cherry Salmon: Served with cherry sea bream and dried tomatoes. This dish is also surprisingly delicious. (Main Course) 13. Wild Boar: A steak made from aged wild boar meat, served with spring wild vegetables.(Dessert) 14. Strawberry Mousse 15. Kuromoji Ice Cream Kuromoji Tea Rice Flour Bread Potato Bread Homemade Baguette Drinks: Kuromoji Peel, French White Wine Marsanne Breakfast was in a Japanese style, featuring white miso soup with wild boar, rice from the "Tenkakuku" brand produced in Nanto City, and side dishes including simmered bear meat, Spanish mackerel, udo, seaweed, and mustard-flavored wood ear mushrooms. I enjoyed an incredibly delicious breakfast. Less

I visited Ao in Nishi-Azabu, Minato Ward.The restaurant is located on the second floor of a building along Roppongi Street, about a 10-minute walk from the Roppongi intersection. It’s also just under a 5-minute walk from Exit 1c of Roppongi Station on the Hibiya Line.This was my first visit in three months.On this day, I enjoyed an omakase course featuring seasonal ingredients delivered directly from their source.◆ Here’s what I had in the omakase course:1. Consommé of freshly caught Sea Bream from Fujimoto in Ehime2. Chilled Fettuccine with freshly caught Horse Mackerel from Namikiya in Enoshima3. Grilled Striped Horse Mackerel with rice and sweet sake vinaigrette from Fujimoto in Ehime4. Black Abalone from Sado with homemade butter and green asparagus from Hokkaido Jet Farm5. Red King Prawn and bisque with freshly baked brioche from Nagai Sakana-nin Hasegawa6. Hairy Crab Risotto from Kanazawa Ishiyo7. Mousse of new onions from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka8. Aqua Pazza with Tiger Pufferfish from Fujimoto in Ehime9. Granita of Amami Orange from Mitsuyasu-en in Shizuoka10. Charcoal-grilled "Special Tajima Beef" from Ueda Livestock, aged for 46 months11. Angel Melon from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka12. Ganache and jelly made from domestic cacao13. Ice cream made from grass-fed Jersey milk14. Petit sweets & coffee 1. Freshly baked cream puffs 2. Canelé I enjoyed an espresso with my coffee.Once again, I was able to savor exquisite, high-freshness dishes made with seasonal ingredients delivered directly from their source.The first dish, the consommé, showcased the aroma and umami of a 2 kg Sea Bream.Moreover, the flavor of the crustaceans that the Sea Bream had consumed enhanced the umami of the consommé, making it incredibly delicious.The second dish, the fettuccine, featured Horse Mackerel from Enoshima.This Horse Mackerel is a fatty golden variety that does not migrate.This year, the brand Horse Mackerel "Donchicchi" from Shimane has been in great condition and is often enjoyed at sushi restaurants, but unlike the rich fat of Donchicchi, this one had a clean and light quality with plenty of delicious fat.It was paired with finely chopped tomatoes, and the acidity of the tomatoes beautifully highlighted the sweetness of the fat, making it outstandingly delicious.The texture of the Horse Mackerel was perfect, and the combination with the fettuccine was exceptional.The abalone from Sado was steamed for 10 hours at low temperature with minimal water, resulting in a tender and elastic texture with incredible umami.Additionally, the broth released during steaming was concentrated due to the low water content.The flavor combined with the homemade butter was also wonderfully delicious.The specialty, Red King Prawn, was consistently delicious.The classic risotto had a perfect rice texture and seemed to have evolved further.The Aqua Pazza with Tiger Pufferfish had a wonderfully bouncy texture.It was cooked more thoroughly than when I had it last year, and the moisture in the pufferfish was well-reduced, intensifying the umami and making it very tasty.The Tajima Beef was, as always, incredibly delicious.The desserts were delightful, and I left feeling completely satisfied.I look forward to visiting again in a different season.Once again, it was very delicious.It was a great meal! Less

Kurogi is one of Tokyo’s most distinctive counter-style Japanese restaurants. Owner-chef Jun Kurogi was born into a Miyazaki restaurant family and trained under Kenichiro Nishi at the legendary Kyomi. After taking over the Yushima restaurant in 2010, he earned Michelin recognition in 2011 and 2012 and became nationally known as the young “Iron Chef Japanese.” Kurogi moved to Shiba-Daimon in 2017, creating a larger stage for his philosophy of “listening to the ingredients” and revealing their character through an elegant, restrained depth of flavour.

Behind its black timber façade, the restaurant feels ceremonial yet animated. Warm lighting focuses attention on the counter, where ingredients are displayed and prepared in full view. Service is polished, generous and personal, while the interaction between chef and guests gives the evening far more energy than conventional, hushed kaiseki.

The early-summer menu began refreshingly with firm tsubugai sea snail and slippery junsai, followed by tender squid and torigai presented with salt and sudachi. Rich, beautifully browned duck was balanced by citrus, before chilled mango cleansed the palate.

The evening’s most extravagant dish combined udon, egg yolk, sea urchin, crisp tempura crumbs and a lavish covering of caviar. Creamy, saline and texturally complex, it captured Kurogi’s fondness for luxury without abandoning comfort. A clear suppon broth followed, possessing remarkable depth despite its delicate appearance.

An elaborate hassun showcased cucumber, mozuku, plum and other seasonal preparations. The central expression of June was whole salt-grilled ayu: crisp-skinned, moist and carrying the fish’s characteristic bittersweet flavour. Sazae sea snail and a comforting beef-and-pork shabu-shabu preceded pristine Ryu no Hitomi rice, served plain and then in richer variations with egg, sakura shrimp, octopus and new ginger.

Soft warabi mochi under roasted kinako and a monumental yet feather-light kakigori completed the meal. Kurogi is best understood not simply as kaiseki but as grand Tokyo kappo: seasonal Japanese cooking performed with intimacy, theatre and unapologetic abundance. Its greatest strength is generosity, although the quantity and conspicuous luxury can occasionally overwhelm. The finest moments remained the simplest ones: clear turtle broth, grilled ayu and freshly cooked rice, where exceptional ingredients were allowed to speak directly. Less

Recommended bowl: Ramen & curry set

Hachiōji style ramen made with chicken or pork bone soup and gyokai. Noodles are by Owariya Seimen, based in Hachiōji. Recommended is the curry set, which comes with a side of curry rice (the curry is made from ramen soup). The woman who runs this shop is kind of a legend in Hachiōji, famous amongst locals. Open since 1992. Less