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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.
7 / 10
