Gonpachi Odaiba 權八 台場 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Day 3 of our Tokyo trip saw us visiting Ginza for an early lunch at the Michelin starred Bulgari Il Ristorante and soon following that, we put on our cruise control and headed over to Odaiba (台場). For the past few years, I've been to Odaiba many times so I pretty much know the place inside out but it was just mom's first time here and I could see her getting real excited about it.

We checked out many places including Diver City Tokyo. A close-up photo with the "life sized" Gundam statue was a definite must, especially for first timers like mom.



Same can be said for Aqua City. And before we could sit down for a sip of coffee, it was already dinner time.



There are quite a lot to choose from when it comes down to dining options in Odaiba. I wanted to bring mom to somewhere special, and a place with a jaw-dropping view to the Rainbow Bridge would certainly be nice. Gonpachi (權八) immediately came to mind.



With so many empty seats out there, I was a little surprised that they made us wait for 15 minutes and even after that wait, gave us these awful seats besides the charcoal grill.



Were these window seats taken? Well, there seemed to be no sign saying they were reserved but I guess I would never find out.




"Zaru Tofu", special cold tofu in a bamboo basket - While I was still sweating like a pig next to the charcoal grill, the first dish was ready to be served. This was a special cold tofu, homemade and served in a small bamboo basket. It tasted really smooth and soft; and the cold temperature was perfect in this sizzling atmosphere.



Beef tongue with spring onion and sesame oil sauce - Skewers are supposed to be Gonpachi's bread and butter but this beef tongue skewer was way too chewy for us. Complete fail!



"Gindara", miso glazed black cod - But it didn't take long for them to redeem themselves. I had the honor of watching the chef prepare this dish from scratch and see how he flipped the cod fish over on numerous occasions to ensure that it's been grilled from different angles. A well executed dish with a lot of work and undisputedly the most delicious dish of the evening. 



"Oyako Don", chicken and egg rice bowl - Pretty nice. 



Buckwheat noodle soup - I've slowly fallen in love with buckwheat noodles in recent years. It's pretty good to go with the miso glazed black cod fish.



This Odaiba branch is better known for its view but to experience Gonpachi at its best, their flagship at Nishi-Azabu (西麻布) is the obvious choice.





Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 4/F, Mediage, 1-7-1, Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Daiba
Tel: +81 03 5771-0170
Website: www.gonpachi.jp/odaiba/?lang=en

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