I am not too far from that, lol. Working on finalizing Tokyo lodging, which will hopefully enable me some concierge services, but for now I’m looking into just about every sushi spot on @jc_eats list that takes online resys.
A small goal of mine is to compile a list of all the restos recommended by FTCers (is that the correct suffix, lol) with notes on when reservation windows open and how to get them. So many places that look incredible that I’ve already missed the proverbial boat for!!!
Yes, get that squared away, pronto. As soon as you have secured your lodgings, contact the concierge there, introduce yourself and your aims, give them your available dates, and make them start working for you. Don’t hesitate to ask them for their concierge recommendations, as this is how a lot of us expand our sushi chef connections.
As I’ve said, Aman Tokyo, Tokyo Station Hotel, Palace Hotel, and Ritz-Carlton all have traditionally strong conciergeries. I stayed at Hoshinoya Tokyo last time, where I found the concierge service to be unfortunately a bit lackluster (but truly a six-star property in every other facet otherwise #UrbanRooftopOnsen).
I recommend going to at least one high-end tempura place in addition to kaiseki and sushi. It’s a special experience. Definitely use Michelin (and/or Tabelog) to avoid ending up at one of the old and popular but not so great tempura places. (Don’t trust concierges on tempura. They will try to send you to one of those places.)
In my experience the easiest 3-star reservations to get are Ishikawa for kaiseki and Yoshitake for sushi. I’ve gotten those same day before. Ishikawa is where Hayato’s chef trained. It probably helped that I was dining solo.
For an unusual coffee experience try Cafe de l’Ambre in Ginza.
@jc_eats getting around to booking and your list has been a godsend. Have a resy at Zai (pretty stoked on it, really solid Tabelog, though just a B+ on the big list haha) and plan on doing the stand-up sushi for sure. Also, Ushigoro S i think will happen.
Any on the ground reports yet? The journey over there was relatively smooth?
Night 1
Way too tired to get food; got into my lodging at 6pm and needed to make a 11:30pm meeting so just kept it casual. ajinomoto frozen fried rice is absolute alchemy. Objectively maybe like a 5/10 fried rice, but still shocking how good it is for frozen
After having Hawaii heavyweight Tonkatsu Tamafuji in February, and being introduced to the world of pork tenderloin katsu, and having a slight preference for that over rosu/fatty loin, my mind was locked in for trying Kippei’s tenderloin
This tenderloin katsu was marvelous and an open kitchen for you to see the process take place. The process is relatively straightforward and nothing theatrical. The frying is done towards the back wall of the shop; but there’s something magical when you can see your plate come together and it’s placed on the elevated counter on front of you to receive.
This was probably 4 inches thick in diameter and a perfect medium-rare-plus cook
During Covid, I made a ton of tonkatsu, usually using a pretty well-marbled 1.5 inch pork loin. I thought my tonkatsu came out significantly less moist despite higher marbling
The chef at Kippei doing som real alchemy out here meanwhile my katsu technique is truly some caveman technology
The lettuce was feathery thin, borderline fluffy. It was impossibly shaved thin and also made me painfully aware of how bad my homemade tonkatsu is
The crust on the tenderloin has the texture of a really good Lay’s potato chip, but without feeling greasy. I felt like the wire mesh that supported the weight of the tonkatsu was more for allowing air circulation to keep the tonkatsu crispy rather than for draining any excess oil
The accompanying rice is standard white, delicious and aromatic. No frills
The unpictured miso soup was loaded with julienned daikons, and topped with grassy daikon sprouts and bits of pork scraps. Hearty, yummy, and delicious
Tonkatsu sauce is homemade and delicious, my palette isn’t trained enough in tonkatsu sauces to tell you any house secrets/specialties, but definitely tasty
For the salad dressing, just a tableside bottle of
As I was eating my meal, maybe 15 people started queuing up outside waiting for a seat. So definitely a reliably good spot for Kanda locals.
Mid-Day Snack Ringo Apple Pie [ 500Yen each; 2 pies]
A chain owned/operated by the same group that owns Bake Cheese Tarts, this chain is focused on flaky apple hand pies.
I devored these bad boys way too fast to get a picture of the cross section so i’ll just have to use google images to fill in the blanks for storytelling.
the Caramel custard filling was incredible. Imagine the Japanse pudding/purin, where you can taste a slightly burnt caramel that’s offset by custard but now all blended into a singular viscous liquid
This buttery dark caramel is then balanced by the stewed apples that still have a bit of texture and acidity that is beautifully harmonious
This whole time, i was hesitant about caramel and apple because honestly, I hated caramel apples growing up in America - just so gross to me and so lazy, but this was prophetic
I also had this at room temp, so I can’t even imagine the insanity this would be fresh out of the oven.
I believe they bake a second fresh batch at 2pm daily, but cannot confirm that, just what I inferred from a chalk marker reading 14:00 as a highlight on an item
the standard apple pie was also good, but I much preferred the caramel version
Most restaurants close between 3pm and 5pm to get ready for dinner service. Bad news for me since I want to be home by 5pm to sleep by 6 to sleep well enough for work. On my way home, this was a neighborhood ramen joint that was open and felt perfect after being out in the cold and on my feet for 6 hours
-Sous vide pork shoulder was tremendous; wish more spots in LA did pork shoulder instead of defaulting to pork belly. Sliced thin on a deli slicer and warmed up from the residual heat of the broth, this had just a wonderful balance of chewy to tenderness that is super refreshing to have
The menma/bamboo shoots had a super deep mushroom flavor to it, a certain pleasant stinkiness that shoots through your nostrils. Crunchy and not fibrous
The broth is clean with an even ginger aroma permeating throughout the entire broth. I’ve read somewhere that they confit ginger and use that as part of the aroma oil for the ramen. Pretty nice!
The ramen noodles were hearty, chewy, and speckled with grain and had a light grain aroma to them – again, refreshing after only being exposed to the standard Sun Noodles we see everywhere stateside
On the table is a large bowl of raw eggs that you’re welcome to use–I mixed a raw egg into the sidecar of rice a la tamago kake gohan [partially because I thought these were free for all hard boiled eggs and I didn’t want to just throw the raw entire egg into the soup LOL]
From there, just taking spoonfuls of the egg and rice mixture and lowering it into the broth to have as like some weird congee x tsukemen lovechild – actually pretty tasty mistake
they did have some awesome garlic chives with chilis as a table condiment. Incredibly intense aroma, first thoughts are of the Korean chive kimchi but noticeably spicier and excellent to add to the rice
Lunch plans were a little later today since I was meeting up with a friend; we showed up to the shop at 12:40pm, and didn’t get seated till 1:40pm. By the time I got to the front of the line, there were maybe 40 people behind my group waiting for some ramen
Incredibly quiet restaurant with the soundtrack being the whip-crack of ramen noodles being shaken dry and lofi beats
I opted in for the Yuzu Shio Ramen, but my dining partner got the Shoyu Porcini; sharing isn’t technically discouraged, but it is highly awkward as there are covid-dividiers between seats so I didn’t get the chance to try the Shoyu. We both crushed our bowls and thoroughly enjoyed it though – Will definitely return
Initial observations is that the shop really has an eye for presentation. The urushi-lacquered placemat was beautiful to look at–especially when contrasted with the eventual ramen that sits atop it. While you wait for your ramen and take it all in, you see the chefs meticulously taking care of the noodle folds, and assembling the ramen to be so-so beautifully presented. There’s technique and finesse applied to almost every step of the ramen
Flavor-wise the broth tastes like a really really good Vietnamese pho ga, or the poaching liquid for hainanese chicken.
The kujo negi onions are substantial, fibrous, and super fragrant.
The egg is borderline crimson, and marinated beautifully–probably the best ajitamago I’ve had, emotionally speaking. Maybe top 5 objectively?
The chicken chasu is fine, super tender and juicy breast; contrasted with the noticeably darker and minerally duck breast
Sleeper topping would be those white meatballs that were delicate enough to break in your mouth by pushing your tongue up against the roof of your mouth. Feels like this is a mix of chicken and shellfish [crab??]
Definitely awesome, but I’ll try coming back right as they open
Dinner
Soba shop near my apartment was closed, so I decided to be antisocial, pick up a few random premade food at a local supermarket and have a nice night in
1000Yen Plate of Akami x Chutoro discounted to 800Yen since it was after 6pm
Nigiri Set 500 Yen
Smokey Katsuo Bonito 500 Yen
Honestly, even though this is mediocre it really hits and I was enjoying every bite of it. And mediocre according to what metric? For $13 US this is absolutely incredible and a filling amount of food LOL
I’d describe this as like maybe 1 or 2 steps above Mitsuwa sushi since the selection and textures are just that much better
However, the biggest sleeper hit was this 500 Yen plate of Duck Pastrami
this is a left-field suggestion, but the best rice i’ve had in the states (by a very very wide margin, excluding the high-end LA sushi establishments) has been from sumidaya shoten
might be an interesting side-quest to stop by their shop on the way to another eating stop
Just walked through the entire basement of Takashimaya and ended up not buying anything. Got way too overstimulated by choice and will be returning with reinforcements. Everything looked incredible
Showed up to Tsukuji’s location of stand up bar Akira 15 minutes before open, and there are already 12 people queued up ahead of me. Definitely show up maybe 30-45 mins early. I’m luckily the second seating but was hoping to be faster
you only have one chance to order and that’s when you’re queuing up and filling out the sheet. Basically they don’t want you lingering too long since they want to bring in the next seating.
basically 1 seating per hour, but it’s loose depending on how much any given seat orders
if you double up on any pieces, there’s 2 things that can happen
he serves you the first piece seasoned with soy sauce; and shortly after served you the piece this time simply with salt and sudachi juice. Sublime and refreshing
Or, he serves you the second piece at the very end. I didn’t notice any particular rhyme or reason for why, just what I noticed
the rice is excellent, maybe not compared to elite Tokyo, but definitely better than the lower frills spots around
my first green flag was the iwashi and how he tamed any offensive intense flavor and you’re left with this meaty tender fish
Japanese patrons around me were enjoying the shirako so maybe this is a good spot to try If you haven’t before
there were a few things the Japanese patrons in my dining group also ordered that I have never heard of or seen before and a part of me wished I just got OOE just for the experience
the torotaku temaki is extraordinary. Awesome way to cap the meal
All in, I believe it damage was 11.6k yen, I got charged $84.78 by capital one so this is like sugarfish money lol, but many many many times more delicious. With all that being said let the photos commence
My god I thought the mozuku was like a brulee’d egg a la Portuguese egg tart imagine that .
Off to Taiwan for a week so I’ll share the other stuff I had my first week in Tokyo here
Spicy Curry Udon @ Taniya, Ningyocho
biggest distinction here is that the udon truly has the texture of a perfectly cooked boba where it’s Q all the way through without a sense of chalkiness/Al dente. Pretty damn pleasant!
the curry sauce was good, not mindblowing but super comforting in the cold winter. I’d come back to try their dashi udons for sure.
the tempura was also competent - didn’t hit the same highs as Carlos Tendon Jr. in Torrance, but
the shrimp tempura was outstanding - pink shrimp that was cooked just enough to barely have a snap; leaned sweeter and delicate compared to rich and fragrant
dipping tempura into curry feels strange since it’s a lot less substantial to say katsu, but still a fun experience!
since my family always makes prime rib/roast beef for the holidays and I’m missing out on a get together, I really craved some holiday meat. This definitely delivered
thinly sliced wagyu with a nice caramelized onion soy sauce over great rice - addictive
it did feel rich af times and wish I got a sidecar of horseradish/wasabi/pickles to cut through it
family friend recommended the fried fish sandwich and described it as an elevated fillet o fish. Yup definitely. Awesome tartare sauce studded with mince shallots, dill, and pickles. Fish that stays crispy despite being a cold sandwich. 500Yen
koign amann 300Y. Basically tastes like a super tall palmier. Sugar coating shatter like glass to then reveal crispy puf pastry and then a very nice honeycomb structure interior
first time ever having this snail shell pastry 400Y, but cinnamon sugar and butter- basically a cinnamon roll made with puff pastry and stuffed with walnuts.
even if the yen and US had parity 1usd = 100yen, definitely cannot find this level of execution anywhere at this price point
Top of mind, try sushi keita, sushi taichi for large vinegary shari.
I think sushi Taichi should be the easier of the two to book. Also keep in mind the week after Christmas till like January 5 are like dead weeks for most things.
Beyond that check the 178 list I shared earlier in the thread and you can do a filtered view on what is recommended for lunch Omakase. Filter further on what isn’t too hard to get a res for and that should be a decent short list
Beyond that, the standing sushi counter I just went to was pretty great for the price, albeit not a la carte and devoid of otsumami. Best of luck!
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