Peter Verey

First time having Italian-Japanese in Japan and this became one of my favourite meals of the trip . Dishes had tremendous balance and creativity and also some Peruvian elements added which further built on a very individual menu from Chef Ken Sakamoto .

Kicking off with Japanese prosciutto served with a dosa flavoured with cardamon and turmeric and filled with an eggplant cream certainly alerted you that this meal would be different. This was a terrific start .

A tartare of Katsuo with cucumber, almond and raspberry had great harmony , I really enjoy raspberry as the acidic element in crudo dishes.

A savoury trio of bites followed , with Hamo, pressed tofu and cucumber serving as the primary ingredients .

Quinoa , cashew nuts , black rice made up a soothing mixed grains dish .

Well set Beef was almost standing proudly by itself , the minimalist accompaniments were a celeriac fondant and brown rice vinegar relish

Pasta course was delicious , asparagus and grilled sea whelk complimented by a Huacatay sauce which perfectly coated the Taglioni

Porcini Mushroon risotto was lifted with a touch of Mikan .

Desserts hit the mark , firstly jasmine and peach which is certainly the combination of the moment/season .

Then a base of rice pudding littered with interesting textures of Amazo Less

La Cime really surprised me in the best way , more subtle than I am usually drawn to , the dishes and the menu really grew on me , this was a very serious adult menu which clearly had a lot of thought injected into it .
The other obstacle to my personal preferences is that the courses here are broken up into 2-3 presentations in the style popularised by Yannick Alleno , and that is something I have never enjoyed , however this once again largely proved no impediment to enjoyment .

Squid sashimi with , kumquat , herbs , along with squid and fish sauce cold broth was one of the 5 amuses bouches but could have easily been a signature course . Squid was shaved as thin as lardo and simply garnished with gorgeous fresh herbs.

Bonito with bonito and watercress jelly, shiso flower and a watercress bozushi - this is one where the quality of the watercress really shined.

Deep fried Ayu with nasturtium cream and knotweed - classic

Broad bean , green peas and Edamame tofu with green bean tempura - highlighting an array of beans this was a great vegan course

Asparagus and spot prawn , asparagus and pomelo jelly , asparagus tart - only the asparagus tart really sang with asparagus . This highlights my pet peeve of the 3 preparation for 1 course style as it’s hard to come up with 3 great dishes when you automatically compare and contrast each one to the other .

Scallop gnocchi , with sake lees beurre Blanc and sea grapes - classic French

Grouper from Nagasaki with wild spinach , taco shell made from fish bone and seaweed, filled with passion fruit and dill - loved the taco here , ingenious.

Turnip filled with duck confit , turnip broth - turnip was essentially transformed into bao dough , this had great deep flavour .

Wagyu from Kumamoto with a variety of vegetable puree , the beef was brilliantly cooked , almost gave NYC smoked brisket vibes , loved this .

Rice cream and jasmine flower ice cream

Peach ravioli with rose sauce , peach and almond cobbler . Both desserts played to familiar and classic flavours very well Less

Final meal in Tokyo was @aca_kyoto_tokyo , an addition to the itinerary due to a late invite from @jtfoodcation 🙏.
I was thrilled to obtain the opportunity to visit a legendary restaurant where bookings are close to impossible.

It was the best meal of the trip .

Spanish cuisine thru a Japanese lens and Japanese ingredients , only 2 ingredients are from Spain ( Serrano ham and saffron ) . Cooking largely over fire is precise , service is warm and Chef was happy to have a long chat at the conclusion of the meal .

Teleport me back !

Spanish mackerel with sherry vinegar and nasturtium - Sawara is perfectly opaque , glazed with sherry vinegar , the sharpness balances the fatty fish .

Kohada, tomato bread , oba leaf - signature dish , the Kohada is cured less than in Sushiyas , the tomato bread and oba bring the freshness .

Squid ink paella with aka uni - as mentioned am loving Aka uni season , this was a great contrast of creamy and sweet with earthy and saline .

Kinome leaf , leek , ayu , crepe - ayu “wraps” seem to be a thing , and I subscribe to that trend .

Fig , with almond and garlic sauce - this one blew me away , fig with a crema from white gazpacho ingredients, amazing marriage .

Garlic Prawn and shark fin - the traditional gambas fish has the addition of sharks fin which really took on the flavours of the sauce .

Serrano ham consommé with Yunnan matautake . Salty and balanced .

Beef fillet from shirame with togarashi peppers - choice of two beef options and we all chose both . I rarely order fillet but this was brilliant with the charcoal flavour .

Matsusaka Sirloin with sancho pepper - again perfect simplicity .

Kegani crab paella with sancho aioli - the sancho aioli was a crowd pleaser , signature dish for a reason .

Goat milk ice cream and olive oil - loved this , local olive oil that the ACA team picks and makes themselves with deeply creamy ice cream . Less

Have had a lot of fine dining meals in Japan now and still haven’t had Tempura !! . This was the closest available option on a public holiday Monday , a Kaiseki/ tempura hybrid. Armed with a Michelin ⭐️ Ginza Kitagawa is from the lineage of Ginza Shinohara but has a greater focus on Tempura .
I ended up enjoying the non-tempura courses more but did enjoy the creativity across the meal .

Hassun - consisted of preparations of shin ika , hamo , tubogai and akigai .
Kuruma ebi tempura
Kyoto eggplant tempura
Matsutake and Suppon soup
Kashiage with green onion
Katsuo with mayonnaise and alium sauce
Black pepper hida beef
Amadai tempura with dashi
Tenbara rice
Matsutake rice
Egg tempura rice
Tempura sweet potato with lemon sherbet ice Less

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

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

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

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

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

Lovely Kaiseki lunch yesterday at Tagetsu . Highly rated on Tabelog (4.12) I was nonetheless surprised to be the only foreigner in attendance . Cooking was very clean and precise , there were few standout dishes but every dish was perfectly enjoyable and it added up to a very satisfying meal .

My favourite dish of the meal was certainly the tempura of fig with whipped tofu . The tempura batter was thin and shatteringly crisp , it essentially created a mock pastry layer coating the fig which was ripe but still holding its shape beautifully, the tofu gave a nice respite of texture and from sweetness .

Edamame mochi with corn puree and yuzu peel was the first course , each flavour quite distinct, the yuzu gave a great fragrance.

Mushroom and snapper dashi was also served with a hint of citrus which really elevated the broth.

Wood fired bonito tataki , with perilla sprouts and egg yolk shoyu . Bonito is one of my favourite fish and appears to be in season right now based on my last few meals …no complaints !

Tai ( sea bream) sashimi with uni and okra - lovely sashimi course .

Grilled butterfish with cucumber , myoga and green onion . Fish a little overcooked to my liking , another straight forward dish.

Hassun - tilefish sashimi, shishito pepper stuffed with shrimp paste and sesame
sauce , jellied eggplant , Anago nigiri . The hassun course had one main highlight , the peppers stuffed with shrimp paste and sesame sauce were highly addictive .

Pumpkin and duck mousse , wild mushroom sauce - this dish screamed of autumn despite the sweltering heat outside . Terrific

Grilled conger eel, eel skin with cucumber and sesame. The cold eel skin salad was very refreshing .

Sendai beef round with Japanese pepper sauce and matsutake . Loved the Japanese pepper so floral .

Deep fried Spanish mackerel rice with lotus root , carrot . Rice dish finale was excellent , the fish flaked in larger pieces than usual to match the also larger size of the lotus root . Have since enjoyed 2 of the 5 onigiri that I took home post meal .

Maple and hazelnut monaka
Peach compote with wine jelly and kudzu starch noodles. Always happy with peach desserts . Less