Peter Verey

Impressively at just 32 years of age Chef Maiewa runs a standout sushi shop in Tokyo . @sushiakira1104 mixes tradition with creative unexpected touches , including influences from Chinese cuisine .

Highlight pieces were the firm texture of the awabi abductor muscle , Katsuo both sashimi and nigiri were outstanding , ankimo with sudaichi was deliciously sweet.

For nigiri , both Mahata and Issaki were welcome surprises , and loved the aka uni with salt and the Aburi Nodogoro .

Awabi
Bafun Uni in Awabi broth
Awabi abductor muscle
Katsuo
Saba no bushi
Ankimo with sudaichi
Botan ebi
Clam broth with preserved sea cucumber ovary

Chutoro
Otoro
Shin- Ika
Mahata
Sawara
Issaki
Oni Aji
Steamed Kegani sushi
Kohada
Kegani Shabu Shabu Suppon broth
Akami
Aka uni
Ikura
Anago Omelette
Katsuo belly
Aburi Nodogoro
Tamago with scallop Less

After many years of opening restaurants for Joel Robuchon in Japan and beyond , Chef Yosuke Suga opened up Sugalabo to universal acclaim . Now an invitation only restaurant , it is perhaps the most revered address for western dining in Japan .

Having eaten at many Robuchon around the world , it is clear that Suga has his own distinct style . Some nods to classics permeate the menu but foremost the cooking is confident and personal .

Despite having around 7-8 staff , Chef is extremely hands on , doing the majority of the cooking , plating and diner dish descriptions himself .
Instructions are given on how to eat each dish and our dining group was admonished several times for being unable to follow simple instructions! However it’s all in good spirit and Chef Suga had plenty of swagger and charisma .

A series of snacks culminated with a plate of 24 month Ham from Mr.Tada , a very limited producer of quality ham . The ham was thin, transparent and glided down your throat and basically melted .

Saga oysters - a generous trio were served with prized seaweed on which they feed on , a fun take .

High quality Foie Gras was paired with a potato salad , the potatoes had been aged for over a year in a snow cave . This was an old school but refined diah.

Two large discs of raw Hokkaido scallop were the drown atop a quenelle of scallop mousse which in turn was stuffed with abundant caviar . Rounding out the dish was a moat of Scallop roe beurre Blanc

Kinki from Hokkaido was unctuous, served with black truffle, daikon and a Kinki Shirako and dashi .

The Satsuma Wagyu was the dish of the night , tenderloin which amazingly had the texture of brisket , a luscious morel mushroom jus , and a light but banging Morel and Asparagus gratin.

The off - menu Japanese curry is a Sugalabo trademark , you can choose the size of your portion, and not being a Japanese curry fan , I chose the smallest option. This was a mistake as the curry sauce was redolent in individual spices and terrific .

Pre dessert was a mint sorbet , pomelo sorbet , and rice wine jelly with pomelo pieces . Great palate adjustment.

Strawberry/Rhubarb compote with Sake sorbet completed a memorable meal Less

Sushi Obana is a family run sushiya in Gunma ( 90 mins north of Tokyo ) . The husband and wife team deliver one of the best sushi experiences you could possibly imagine. Humour and warmth is their style of hospitality, and the quality of the Edomae style sushi is astonishing.
Bookings are hard to come by as Obana is not accepting new customers so find someone to bring you along !! It is perhaps the best sushiya I have been and it is definitely my favourite .

It’s easy to focus on the marquee names in a meal like this , #1 boxes of Uni or incredible Tuna from Yamayuki , but there was simply a lot to love .

The best awabi steamed for 4 hours , the flavour had deeply amplified .
Seneka ( tuna back ) had great soft texture .
Shimofuri aged for 2 weeks was absolutely luscious .
First time having Nakazumi ( grown up Kohada ) was also a highlight .
The secret ikura which was a reddish/grey had deep saltiness and a vastly different texture .
This did also start my love affair with aka uni , the quality of aka uni over the last few days has been phenomenal.
Also a fun vegetable nigiri with mustard greens and daikon sprouts, I really could go on and on ….

Course menu below

Ala ? - sea perch
Sawara grilled on straw
Bafun Uni parfait
Awabi steamed for 4 hours
Nodogoro with fish head broth
Akigai himo maki
Sanma
Poached oyster with Aonori and yuzu koshi
Nakazumi
Nodogoro Kimo
Toro Taku maki

Madai
Kohada
Secret ikura
Akami
Senaka
Shimofuri
Shin - ika
Kasugo
Akagai
Iwashi
Shima ebi
Hamago
Kaiwari daiko
Kuruma ebi with head sauce
Aka uni
Murasaki uni
Anago
Tanago Less

The Tokyo trip really sprang into top gear at Sushi Arai last night . Tabelog gold rated and while I’m far from a sushi expert , this seems absolutely appropriate.

The quirky photo policy limits photos to Tuna only , and the Maguro was certainly a highlight , great mouthfeel , distinct aroma , absolutely filled the palate .

Other highlights included -

Hamaguri clam steamed in its juices and served with olive oil
Scallop , Oba leaf and Nori roll
Kujira - Whale - only my second time with whale and this was incredible . Using the tail muscle of Icelandic whale , the texture and perfect fat content ratio was memorable .
Ankimo and pickled watermelon - this was requested by my host , an off menu dish that Chef Arai hasn’t made for several years , but he was happy to oblige us .
Saba - Spanish mackerel - so different to the Australian species of this fish, richer yet somehow sharper and less buttery

Many thanks to @jtfoodcation and @chi.champagnefeast for making it all happen .

It’s going to be a great week !! Less

Kurosaki was my favourite meal of my February visit . I was too slow to grab a spot with @jtfoodcation this time around , but did swoop on a late cancellation for the 2nd counter/ private room . The ingredients used between the two appear largely the same ( did miss out on one premium uni due to limited supply ) , the main difference is simply missing out on the aura of chef Kazumi Kurosaki at the main counter .
Have absolutely zero regrets and only minimal FOMO and definitely recommend the 2nd counter with much enthusiasm.

Highlights of the meal was an incredibly crispy Unagi that gave me Suckling Pig feels .
Terrific and wildly different Murasaki and aka uni .
Kawahagi was both chewy and smooth
Kohada simply because it’s my fav every time
Kegani crab chawanmushi is a great mid course change of pace .
And the incredibly dense yet somehow tender Shin Ika

Murasaki uni
Braised hamo
Abalone with kimo sauce

Kawahagi
Tairagai
Unagi
Kohada
Kuruma ebi
Kegani crab chawanmushi
Ikura
Awaja Shima aka uni
Shin-ika
Otoro
Akami
Chutoro
Shin- Ika geso
Kuruma ebi head
Anago
Kanpyo roll
Tamago Less

Do not possess enough superlatives for this one . A 33 year old chef is creating absolute magic here , cannot fault the execution, the concept of dishes, the vibe , the service , all exemplary . There is a reason that Yamazaki is booked solid for the next 12 months .
(So joining @jtfoodcation may be the best way to secure the experience)
Would donate an organ to come back ….

Clean and sweet start with Hamaguri clam broth, and sweet early season Bamboo. A super simple dish but had great harmony .

Steamed Mochi rice , tempura of smelt and lily bulb with caviar . The caviar serves as the salt for the tempura . Balanced !

Shirako is chargrilled and is a pontoon in the midst of white miso broth with sweet daikon, and romanesco .

The best Eel of my life followed , charred brilliantly, mild in flavour , with spring vegetables in white miso paste

Kinmedai was indeed splendid , grilled aggressively on the coals , the end result was stupefying, shattering skin and mi cuit flesh . Paired with cabbage in chicken dashi .

Snow crab was bursting with oceanic sweetness, the sauce made from crab roe and sake . Stunning .

The body of the crab was turned into a croquette with Kuruma ebi , the prawn also turned into the sauce .

Duck was perfectly cooked and paired with a European style black garlic sauce , light but powerful.

Rice course was a highlight and despite the group being full, we pretty much all had seconds . Served with Mountain wasabi blossoms which received a good burst of wok Hei , herring roe and the perfect egg yolk .

Dessert was another case of ingenuity , chestnut skin is ground then infused in milk before being reduced and turned into the creamiest of gelato. The flesh is mashed and turned into brûlée . Less

French restaurants that specialise in game meat are pretty rare in France so it’s great that @lature_restaurant has made a name for themselves here . Very concise and interesting cooking , some fun ingredients.

I don’t usually mention amuse bouche as they have become a little generic in the world of fine dining (uni,caviar, tartlets, crudo etc ..) but this was a different take which was appreciated .

Deer blood macaron sets the scene for the meal , a venison boudin noir with the blood also used for the macaron pastry . Nice balance of sweetness , great start .
Ayu and potato croquette is a crowd pleaser .
Pumpkin mousse with shrimp and vanilla consommé , looks and feels like chawanmushi but subtle differences in texture and flavour .
Finally a nourishing Venison bone broth with venison leg meat , matsutake , sudaichi zest ,chawanmushi .

Scallop , wild mushroom and bacon fricasee , aged sweet potato custard is the first of the larger courses, an excellent Alsatian fricasee and loved the sweet potato custard .

Badger , wild boar , venison and foie gras pate en croute . Textbook pate en croute with an interesting ingredient! But the key to making this stand out was simply temperature , pate en croute is often served with a slight fridge chill , this was room temp and the texture was soft and yielding .

Bonito , with zucchini , tomato and perilla sauce and tomato and dill water . Have had versions of this dish at every Kaiseki so far , can’t go wrong with Bonito tataki .

Ayu fish pie , a forcemeat of Ayu and scallop has encased the ayu fillets, the pastry is terrific .

Great quality Ezo Venison with bordelaise sauce , eggplant and potato crisp . Well executed classic

Pear and chestnut Mont Blanc on meringue base . The meringue adds a different texture to the Mont Blanc . Less

Boss Tanaka describes himself as a Meat Sommelier , after a life time in the trade he has built an empire , 18 restaurants in Japan with new ventures soon to open in Singapore and Dubai ( perhaps HK too ) .
Despite this he spends 6 nights a week , cooking for a counter of 9 guests at his flag ship restaurant . Work ethic is clearly insane .

For Nikuyatanaka Ginza , he buys an entire cow roughly every 2 weeks , he is looking for female cattle only , virgin and 45-51 months in age . This is roughly twice the age that Wagyu cattle are generally slaughtered . This results in a soft and tender flavour and slightly less fat .

The menu runs for 13 courses , 9 of which feature the beef .

47 month female Kobe beef - the first bite , tender and marbled , almost tastes like Maguro .

Beef and turbot roll- one of his signatures , clean and umami laden
Confit Botan shrimp with caviar - beautifully cooked shrimp
Kobe rump tataki - charcoal flavour comes thru , once again the meat and its juices is transcending

Fugu shirako with black truffle - shirako and truffle 👌

Beef tongue roast - this tongue was cooked in front of us for an around an hour , with various charcoal cooking methods . It was so light and flavourful

Shabu Shabu with oboro kelp - a little too subtle for me and found the kelp too strong

Ramen with beef consommé - great broth

Kobe beef tenderloin - I rarely order tenderloin but this was terrific , its temperature and texture was tender yet somehow reminiscent of raw squid , the skin approached Peking duck level of crisp and a light smoke ring had also formed despite minimal cooking . This was art . Less

Despite 2 Michelin stars and a high Tabelog rating I was somehow unprepared for how good Myoujyako would be .
An effortlessly minimalist space which does well to hone in on the concept of purity that transcends the menu. Water is a big feature with 2 courses relying purely on sea water as the flavour agent . Zero dashi is used .
We start off with the essence of Myoujyaku , sweet potato boiled in water and salt. The potato is firm yet very tender and the water has taken on a lot of its sweetness.
Gently cooked pike eel is paired with chrysanthemum petals , beautiful and satisfying .
Sashimi course is outstanding , octopus whose skin has been meticulously removed rendering it into a stunning albino colour . The protein has been very lightly cooked but still feels raw, it’s cut in a way to relax the tissues and give a satisfying melting bite , it tastes like raw lobster, an absolutely masterful dish.
Accompanied by two textures of sea bream , also excellent but it’s hard not to be fixated on the Octopus.
Today’s soup is sea water with whelk , clam and winter melon . The additional ingredients reign in the salinity .
Beautifully grilled Amberjack is served with perilla and green onion , love the piquancy of the relish .
Haven’t been a big fan of Turtle in the past but this may start to convert me , texture and flavour reminded me of fish maw and was set with a ginkgo nut cream which also elevated another ingredient that I am not that fond of .
The signature dish is the ayu hand roll , first the head and bones are placed on a super thin egg white crepe , the ayu is then grilled and placed onto the crepe hissing as it releases its steam, you then wrap up the crepe like an envelope . Awesome !
A palate cleanser of sorts follows , multiple marinated chilled fruit ( grapes, fig, peach,persimmon,Asian pear, walnut ) .
Fried dish is again a creative success , edamame paste encasing Bottarga , vegetal and salty .

Continued in comments .. Less

A glimpse of Kyoto Kaiseki in Tokyo . Miyasaka is Michelin starred and Tablelog silver , the food is understated, well curated and overall satisfying .

Highlight was the rice course , the rice was “niebana” freshly cooked, so over the course of 10 minutes it transformed from al dente to “perfect” to a little over as it rested in the claypot , the differences in flavour were also pronounced as time went on .

Each broth or dashi served thru the meal were also excellent .

Boiled soft cod roe and Bean curd skin With Wild vegetables in White miso soup

Tuna and Flounder with Homemade kelp soy sauce

Steamed crab dumplings with rice cake in clear soup

Steamed SHOGOIN radish and “Tajimaguro” beef shabushabu style

Niebana steamed rice, Pickled vegetables, Dried young sardines,
Tuna and fried Red bream with lemon soy sauce

TSUBAKI-MOCHI Less