Peter Verey

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

An incredible sushi experience @____kurosaki_____ last night .

Chef ( and ex-rapper ) Kazumi Karusaki is absolutely meticulous, not a movement is wasted , all while exuding a calm , cool, effortless manner ,his team work frenetically to keep pace , it is kitchen ballet and it is beautiful to witness .

The food itself is faultless , an astounding array of textures and flavours , additional dabs of flavours are trademarks .

All the gratitude to @jtfoodcation and @chi.champagnefeast for arranging the magical experience!
Great to be part of a dining dream team with @ssstephkannn @miffylee046 @ryankongg @gourmet.over.here

Hirame
Mackerel - incredibly buttery
Raw Octopus - sweet !
Just set Warm oyster from Nagasaki
Squid stuffed with the sperm from three squid - creamy and delicious .

Kawahagi- with its own liver , amazing .
Marinated iwashi
Fugu Karage with fugu broth and skin jelly
KOHADA
Best Kuruma ebi to date
Snow crab chawanmushi - crab to egg ratio was seemingly 80% crab . Phenomenal!
Geoduck
Bafun Uni from Hokkaido
A trio of Maguro which shined with sweetness
Fugu shirako nigiri - this was brilliant
Crispy prawn head
Clam broth rice
Saury
Anago
Tamago Less

Onjaku is a Tabelog Gold restaurant located just outside of Shizuoka . They are privy to some of the best seafood available , and today the sweetness was certainly evident . While no individual dish was anything but satisfying , the overall menu composition would have perhaps benefited from a dish or two with more fat or a stronger garnish as the subtly sweet produce was a little monochromatic.

But let’s talk about the leek ! I think this is the best leek I have had in my life , somehow deep fried with a crisp casing that slightly separates from the vegetable, the leek itself was absurdly tender and sweet . I have had great leeks from the hands of Rene Redzepi, Magnus Nillsson and Sato Hideaki - but this dish blew me away .

Horse mackerel and deep fried gobo
Squid and choy sum blossom
Baby aji
Gurnard and bamboo
Spanish mackerel and squid
Leek
Langoustine
Shiitake with langoustine roe
Hairtail and kale , sancho pepper
Hokkaido Wagyu rump , cabbage , lotus root and squid Mochi
Bamboo and Wakame rice
Tamago donburi
Strawberry 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

A little break from fine dining, with a visit to @terusumi0422 for terrific yakitori, great r&b tunes from the 00’s , terrific sake and awesome friendly vibes .

Hidai chicken from Akita prefecture is used , and we enjoyed a great selection of pieces .
My first time having Chicken sashimi , it was juicy, fresh and had great mouthfeel , would certainly have no qualms about having it again .
The chicken liver was outstanding , perfectly cooked, sweet and earthy . Speaking of liver there were a few non-yakitori courses and the liver parfait was sublime . It’s been forever since I last ordered one and it had to go back into the dining rotation .

But the highlight was the alchemy between the many courses and the sake , a terrific endless flow over the course of 3+ hours !

Full menu below, the starred dishes were my favs and are also pictured .

***Chicken sashimi
Breast with skin
***Chicken liver
Quail egg
***Chicken neck with mountain wasabi
Chicken skin and elbow in miso vinegar
***Minced chicken with cured yolk
***Chicken liver parfait
Duck and chicken croquette with aged potato
Chicken thigh
Muscovy duck with aged mushroom sauce
Chicken wing
***Chicken heart
Tip of chicken thigh
***Chicken hanger steak
Chicken oyster
Chicken rice 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

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