J T

Tabelog 4.35 🥈
⁡
Akasaka Ogino is currently one of the most difficult to book kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo. A lot of restaurants reserved seats for regular customers but this 7-seat restaurant is genuinely fully booked till 2026.

The omakase started off with a beautifully plated uni and kegani on a giant lotus leaf. It was followed by multiple hot dishes, including the perfectly executed grilled unagi which was crunchy, juicy and flavor packed. Hassun is always my least favorite course in a kaiseki meal but Ogino San managed to turn the small dishes unique and delicious! Needless to say, the hassun platter was stunning!

I also rejoiced the tsubugai and its liver sauce that was mixed with freshly made goma paste, bringing a unique bittersweet aftertaste to the sweet and oceanic tsubugai. The showstopper was definitely the grilled mushroom and masu donabemeshi which was packed with charcoal aroma and umami ikura jus. I added 3 bowls during the build-your-own-gohan session with the delicious condiments curated by Ogino San.

Outstanding food, service, aesthetics and cospa – this is probably my favorite modern kaiseki in Japan right now!
⁡
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💴Budget: 40,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 9⁣.5
🍹Drinks: 9
🏢Vibes: 10
⚖️C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.51 🥈
⁡
Sugalabo was established by Celebrity Chef Yosuke Suga who worked for Joël Robuchon for 16 years. Thanks to his talents, he became the Executive Chef L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo at the young age of 26. He subsequently went to various parts of the world to lead restaurant openings by the Robuchon group. Suga San eventually returned to his homeland and opened this introduction-only French restaurant in 2015.

The cuisine curated by Suga San is a perfect symphony between French cooking techniques and top-notch ingredients from Japan. The most memorable dish was the tender awabi steak with intense liver sauce. Underneath the awabi was mashed aged potatoes, flawlessly complementing the bittersweet liver sauce. The prosciutto curated by Mr. Tada’s workshop, which is the only certified Parma Ham producer in Japan, was so soft and intense. Its aroma and fattiness were enhanced by the smoking hot Gnocco Fritto underneath. I was also a big fan of the lobster and ezo venison dishes which were both elevated by well executed side dishes and sauces.

Reservation is limited to regular customers only and you will need to arrange the table 1 year in advance.
⁡
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 75,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 9⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⁣
🏢Vibes: 9.5
⚖️C/P: 8 Less

Tabelog 4.23 🥉⁣
⁡⁣
Sushi Obana commenced its legend in Tatebayashi 32 years ago. Taisho, Obana San, is one of the most respected sushi chefs in the industry. In fact, Obana San was also one of the 3 masterminds behind Sushi Tokami [鮨とかみ].⁣
⁡⁣
September is a good season for sushi as we will still get decent uni and maguro at the same time. My favorite nigiri was the kita-murasaki uni produced by Tachibana which came with a lychee flavor. The aka-uni was concentrated, creamy and very sweet - I just had to add one more piece to catch the last bit of aka uni season. As for tsumamis, the depth of flavor of the awabi was out of this word. I also enjoyed the warayaki sawara a lot - not much surprise, just sheer deliciousness. Let’s not forget the signature senaka and shimofuri otoro nigiri that struck a perfect balance between fattiness, sweetness and meatiness.⁣
⁡⁣
Reservation is only open to regular customers only, and you are advised to make your reservation 6 months in advance.⁣
-—————⁣⁣⁣
💴Budget: 33,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: 8.5⁣
🍹Drinks: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 9.5⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

🇯🇵 Tabelog 4.07 🇯🇵 
⁣ 
Tomidokoro is hands down my favorite spot for sushi quick fix as Sato Taisho’s skills and interpretation of neta are truly unique.
⁣ 
Sato Taisho sources most of his neta from Nozomi, a subsidiary of Yamayuki Group. With all due respect, his neta might not be the most expensive ones but they truly stood out, especially the hikarimono and traditional netas. The anago nigiri with salt we added was my favourite, elevating the natural flavor of anago.⁣ I was equally impressed by the tsumamis as they were more complicated and well executed when compared to my previous visits. 
⁣ 
I honestly recommend this sushiya to every sushi-lover. Trust me, if you go for the nigiri only lunch, you’ll be impressed by the cost performance ratio when you receive the bill. ⁣ 
⁣ 
-—————⁣⁣ 
💴Budget: 15,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🐟 Neta: 8.5 
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🦪 Tsumami: 8.5 
🍹Drinks: 8.5⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🏢 Vibes: 8.5⁣ 
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.35 🥈
⁡
Akasaka Ogino is currently one of the most difficult to book kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo. A lot of restaurants reserved seats for regular customers but this 7-seat restaurant is genuinely fully booked till 2026.

The omakase started off with a beautifully plated uni and kegani on a giant lotus leaf. It was followed by multiple hot dishes, including the perfectly executed grilled unagi which was crunchy, juicy and flavor packed. Hassun is always my least favorite course in a kaiseki meal but Ogino San managed to turn the small dishes unique and delicious! Needless to say, the hassun platter was stunning!

I also rejoiced the tsubugai and its liver sauce that was mixed with freshly made goma paste, bringing a unique bittersweet aftertaste to the sweet and oceanic tsubugai. The showstopper was definitely the grilled mushroom and masu donabemeshi which was packed with charcoal aroma and umami ikura jus. I added 3 bowls during the build-your-own-gohan session with the delicious condiments curated by Ogino San.

Outstanding food, service, aesthetics and cospa – this is probably my favorite modern kaiseki in Japan right now!
⁡
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 40,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 9⁣.5
🍹Drinks: 9
🏢Vibes: 10
⚖️C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.51 🥈
⁡
Sugalabo was established by Celebrity Chef Yosuke Suga who worked for Joël Robuchon for 16 years. Thanks to his talents, he became the Executive Chef L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo at the young age of 26. He subsequently went to various parts of the world to lead restaurant openings by the Robuchon group. Suga San eventually returned to his homeland and opened this introduction-only French restaurant in 2015.

The cuisine curated by Suga San is a perfect symphony between French cooking techniques and top-notch ingredients from Japan. The most memorable dish was the tender awabi steak with intense liver sauce. Underneath the awabi was mashed aged potatoes, flawlessly complementing the bittersweet liver sauce. The prosciutto curated by Mr. Tada’s workshop, which is the only certified Parma Ham producer in Japan, was so soft and intense. Its aroma and fattiness were enhanced by the smoking hot Gnocco Fritto underneath. I was also a big fan of the lobster and ezo venison dishes which were both elevated by well executed side dishes and sauces.

Reservation is limited to regular customers only and you will need to arrange the table 1 year in advance.
⁡
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 75,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 9⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⁣
🏢Vibes: 9.5
⚖️C/P: 8 Less

Tabelog 4.23 🥉⁣
⁡⁣
Sushi Obana commenced its legend in Tatebayashi 32 years ago. Taisho, Obana San, is one of the most respected sushi chefs in the industry. In fact, Obana San was also one of the 3 masterminds behind Sushi Tokami [鮨とかみ].⁣
⁡⁣
September is a good season for sushi as we will still get decent uni and maguro at the same time. My favorite nigiri was the kita-murasaki uni produced by Tachibana which came with a lychee flavor. The aka-uni was concentrated, creamy and very sweet - I just had to add one more piece to catch the last bit of aka uni season. As for tsumamis, the depth of flavor of the awabi was out of this word. I also enjoyed the warayaki sawara a lot - not much surprise, just sheer deliciousness. Let’s not forget the signature senaka and shimofuri otoro nigiri that struck a perfect balance between fattiness, sweetness and meatiness.⁣
⁡⁣
Reservation is only open to regular customers only, and you are advised to make your reservation 6 months in advance.⁣
-—————⁣⁣⁣
💴Budget: 33,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: 8.5⁣
🍹Drinks: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 9.5⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

🇯🇵 Tabelog 4.07 🇯🇵 
⁣ 
Tomidokoro is hands down my favorite spot for sushi quick fix as Sato Taisho’s skills and interpretation of neta are truly unique.
⁣ 
Sato Taisho sources most of his neta from Nozomi, a subsidiary of Yamayuki Group. With all due respect, his neta might not be the most expensive ones but they truly stood out, especially the hikarimono and traditional netas. The anago nigiri with salt we added was my favourite, elevating the natural flavor of anago.⁣ I was equally impressed by the tsumamis as they were more complicated and well executed when compared to my previous visits. 
⁣ 
I honestly recommend this sushiya to every sushi-lover. Trust me, if you go for the nigiri only lunch, you’ll be impressed by the cost performance ratio when you receive the bill. ⁣ 
⁣ 
-—————⁣⁣ 
💴Budget: 15,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🐟 Neta: 8.5 
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🦪 Tsumami: 8.5 
🍹Drinks: 8.5⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 
🏢 Vibes: 8.5⁣ 
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

🇭🇰 Krug Room 🇭🇰

Krug Room is in my opinion the most exclusive and unique private dining experience that is open for public reservation. It’s stunning designed to create an elegant yet homey ambiance, resembling the experience of dining at one of your friends’ mansion.
⁡
The menu is curated in order to pair with Krug Grande Cuvee, Vintage and Rose. During our service, there were only 4 guests so we basically shared the entire bottles on a complimentary basis. Considering the experience and exceptional Krug champagne, the tasting menu is simply a steal, not to mention the current credit card promotion.
⁡
Huge thanks to the host, Marti, who is very knowledgeable and extremely enthusiastic. His hospitality truly elevated the dining experience. He also told me the whole venue and menu will be revamped by December, and I’m excited to go back for another private wine dinner.
⁡
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💴Budget: HK$ 3,888 Less

🇯🇵 Tabelog 3.93 🇯🇵

Sushi Riku is one of the new sushiyas that relocated to Hiroo which is a prime residential area in central Tokyo. Chef Riku Toda was trained by two of the most prominent sushi chefs in the last decade - the retired legend Mizutani San and Chef Sugita who needs no introduction. He was subsequently entrusted by Chef Sugita to lead the opening of a high-ended sushiya in Bangkok called Sushi Ichizu. Needless to say, Sugita’s classics like kohada and iwashi isobemaki were both outstanding but what impressed me the most was the first ever piece of shark fin I have had in Japan – it’s crispy outside and perfectly moist inside, finishing with a spicy kick from black sansho. What an ingenious tsumami, marrying the best Thai produces with Japanese cooking technique and seasonings.
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The photos were captured last year during a pop-up event that was held at Restaurant l’equateur, and I am sure the experience will be more pleasant at a properly furnished sushiya.

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💴Budget: 32,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less