Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pâtisserie Sadaharu AOKI Paris (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

It's so great to stay near the Roppongi area. With just 2 hours left before my flight departs, I can still squeeze in a little bit of time to visit Midtown. I got to grab something from Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki before I go. I am craving for some macarons.



Master pâtissier Sadaharu Aoki is best known for incorporating traditional Japanese flavors into his French pastries. I was so happy to hear that his boutiques can now be found outside of Japan, in Paris and Taipei.

If you have just enough time for one dessert here, I suggest you to try their matcha ice-cream macaron. It was so so good.....




Food Rating: 7/10
Price:
Address: Tokyo Midtown B1F, 9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Roppongi
Tel: +81(0)3 5293-2800
Website: www.sadaharuaoki.jp


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Ikanimo 以蟹茂 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

When it comes to crab specialty restaurants in Tokyo, Kani Doraku is not the only choice available. If you are looking for an alternative, Ikanimo may just be what you are looking for. 

First of all, a little warning - if you are not familiar with the Yoyogi district...Ikanimo is not the easiest of all places to find but if you are adventurous enough to try, then the first thing to remember here is to locate the following building, which should be next to the NTT building. The google map on the bottom of this page should help (along with a compass).



If you are lucky enough to find this plaza, then congratulate yourself and immediately head to the third floor.



As the name Ikanimo already indicates, this place is famous for its crab dishes. In fact, the entire menu is dedicated to different parts of a crab or different ways cooking a crab.

The crab croquette will be a nice way to start this journey of crab.



Crab salad with vinegar sauce was one dish I could do without.



Pan fried crab legs with butter sauce was good but a little too buttery.



Deep fried Taraba crab leg. This was my personal favorite. A must-try here!



Taraba crab two ways - hotpot and BBQ. This would take hours to finish but believe me, it was totally worth it.



An order of crab salad sushi to keep our stomach warm while we "slow-cook" our crab legs. 



A total of 3 hours and change for the entire meal. Now time to take a slow walk back to the Yoyogi Station.




Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: 5 Chome-24-3 Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo 151-0051, Japan
151-0051 東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷 5-24-3, NTT ドコモ代々木ビル, アネックスⅠ 3階

Closest Metro Station: Yoyogi
Tel: +81 (3) 3341-4429
Website: www.ikanimo.jp


Seryna Shinjuku (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Teppanyaki has always been an expensive affair so when we first learned about this franchise Seryna (also known as Mon cher ton ton for shabu shabu) from a close friend of mine many years back, we did not bother to take immediate actions. It was until most recently, when Seryna Shinjuku introduced a special lunch menu starting at 1,900Yens, we decided that we could not resist the temptation any longer.



The restaurant is located on the 52/F of the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building. It boasts a magnificent view of the neighbouring Shinjuku area. We ordered the special sirloin steak lunch and despite it's not of Kobe-beef caliber, it was absolutely mouthwashing with melt-in-your-mouth sensation.

Throughout the meal, our chef never stopped showing off his cooking techniques right in front of us and from both the quality of food and entertainment standpoint, we got full values.



Perhaps the portion of our steak could have been a bit bigger but the fact that they offered complimentary amuse bouche, salad, dessert and drinks more than made up for it. You may be tempted to try other seafood options on the menu but my recommendation is to try sticking with the meat.







Food Rating: 7.2/10
Price:
Address: Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 52/F, 2-6 Nishi-Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Nishishinjuku
Tel: +81 3 3344-6761
Website: www.seryna.co.jp



Monday, September 26, 2011

Tapas Molecular Bar (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★★

Molecular cuisine has always been an intriguing subject when it comes to the fine dining scene. The element of suspense simply takes the enjoyment of food to another level. That was exactly why we were partcularly looking forward to our visit to the Tapas Molecular Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo this night. Chef Jeff Ramsey made things rather simple for us - there was only one tasting menu served, one which happened to be a nice blend of traditional recipe and innovative molecular gastronomy.

Dinner was served at the counter where only 8 guests were served every session (2 sessions per night). We got to see Chef Ramsey working diligently behind the counter and after each dish was served, he explained each and every ingredient to us in great details. That was important because most often than not, we had no clue what we were putting into our mouth!

The most interesting dish had to be the molecular miso soup. A "jello ball" containing a warm broth served with tofu pearls and seaweed powder combined to create the flavours of the miso soup. That was clever.

We also got to see how they worked with a "caviar box" first hand. By virtue of a technique called spherification, "caviar" of sweet corn flavour was produced in matter of seconds. The texture was perfect although the taste of sweet corn was a bit too plain to my liking.

But the star of the night belonged to the A5 wagyu beef. It was simply magnificent and we got the feeling that we were having a fatty toro that melted right in our mouth. The best part of all, I got 2 slices of heaven since one diner was absent. Thank you, Jeff!

We were thoroughly entertained throughout this 2-hour gastronomic journey. What separated this meal with other gastronomic experience was the ability to interact with the chef and his team while seeing each dish being made at center stage. That alone was already an unique culinary experience and not to be outdone was the superb quality of food here (especially the main courses in my opinion). It's definitely worth every single yen.

Appetizer with porcini, parma ham, potato, truffle and apple. Even adding the aroma of woods to enhance our dining experience (5/10).
1-star Michelin chef Jeff Ramsey demonstrating the use of a 'caviar box' for the making of pearls (artificial caviar).

Caviar of corn favour. I thought the taste was too plain (5/10).
Lobster bisque with roasted langoustine (6/10).
Slow cooked iberico pork cheek from Spain with chestnut. That was very tender but the sauce was just okay (6/10).
They called this "xiao long bao" which is traditionally steamed soup dumpling with pork. The recipe originated from Shanghai. The team took a page out of this traditional recipe and re-interpreted it with lamb loin (as the bun) and lamb soup. (7/10).
This was easily the best dish of the night - A5 wagyu beef. Mouthwatering and melted in our mouth. Felt just like eating a fatty toro (10/10).

Miso soup "jello ball" with tofu pearls and seaweed powder. (8/10).

The key is the 'Miracle Fruit" from Ghana (red one next to the orange). One minute after we bite the juice out, it started stimulating our taste buds turning very sour lemons and oranges into the sweetest fruits on earth (8/10)!
A quick photo with Chef Jeff Ramsey and his team



Food Rating: 8/10
Price: ¥¥¥¥
Address: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Tokyo 38/F, Nihonbashimuromachi, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Shinnihonbashi
Tel: +81 (3) 3270 8188
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo/fine-dining/tapas-molecular-bar 



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Ciappuccino (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Ciappuccino is a bakery store that specializes in pancakes, cupcakes, and whoopie pies. When I first hold it in my hand, I thought it was a matcha macaron only to find out later when I taste it that it was a whoopie pie. What exactly is a whoopie pie?

According to wiki, it's a "baked good" that may be considered as a cookie, pie, or cake. Whatever it is, I still like macarons a lot more. Enough said.





Food Rating: 4/10
Price: ¥¥
Address: 1-36-14 Uehara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Yoyogi-uehara
Tel: +81 (3) 6676-5615
Website: http://ciapshop.jp/

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Pierre Gagnaire Pains et Gateaux (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Pierre Gagnaire is an iconic chef famous for his avante-garde interpretations of classic French cuisine. But here at ANA Intercontinental Tokyo, he is doing more than that. He is bringing authentic Parisian breads, cakes and pastries to his Pierre Gagnaire Pains et Gateaux on the second floor of the hotel. 



I was drooling over the colorful display of cakes and tarts. Too bad at 8 pm, choices were slim picking.



We got the taro mousse tart (called Mount Fuji) and ginger chestnut cake with lemon coating to bring back to our hotel. These were so good that got us going back for more the very next day.




Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: ANA InterContinental Tokyo, 1-12-33, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Tameike-sanno
Website: www.anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp/pierre_gagnaire/pains_et_gateaux/index.html


Les Creations de Narisawa (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★☆☆☆

We were pretty hyped up about our visit to Les Creations de Narisawa after it's been rated as "The Best Restaurant in Asia" in the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants award 2 years in a roll. Japanese are very passionate about food and to be the best in Asia, or even Japan said a lot about this place. Expectation was very high.

The restaurant was fairly easy to find, just a 2-minute walk from the Aoyama Itchome Station. To keep things simple, we ordered the set lunch with an appetizer, main course and dessert. There were no optional items in the menu so my brain got a well deserved day-off.

The first to come was the amuse bouche which was a leave with its root that looked just freshly dug out of the soil. And it tasted exactly like one. It's nice for phototaking but honestly not something I enjoyed putting into my mouth. The rest of our lunch also failed to impress. For example, my chicken breast which was slow cooked for one day according to our server, was a bit raw in the inside. The dessert, which was nicely presented, was actually pina colada mixed with passion fruit, mango and marshmallow. Enough presentation but what we want genuinely was food that tasted great so forget about presentation!

7,000 wasn't a crazy price to pay for a good lunch in Tokyo standard but I would definitely prefer to spend it elsewhere. The usual suspects such as Joel Robuchon at Ebisu, Benoit by Alain Ducaisse etc would be much safer bet.

The restaurant is quietly located on the ground floor of a commercial building.
We could see the kitchen through a glass window.

Gift from "Satoyama" and "Le Potager" - a fresh leaf served with mustard dirt and fresh onions with black coating. Too innovative for me!  (2/10)
Raw hirame fish, baby leaves and edible flowers served with yuzu sauce. Great presentation but didn't have that fresh taste we were expecting (3/10).

"Gift from the Sea" - Snapper from Hagi and Yamaguchi+"Asari" from Aichi - Again underwhelming (3/10).

"Gift from the Forest" - Amagi no Shamo, Chicken from Shizuoka. The chicken breast was slow-cooked for almost a day but still raw inside (3/10).

Okinawa Dessert = Pina Colada + marshmallow + assorted fruit (5/10).
Another dessert - dumpling with passion fruit sauce. Average.

Petite Four

12th Best in the World in 2011.

Food Rating: 3/10
Price: ¥¥
Address: Minami Aoyama 2-6-15, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Aoyama Itchome
Website: www.narisawa-yoshihiro.com
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 12th (2011)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Kyo Hayashiya (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Opened in 1753, centuries-old Kyo Hayashiya is one of the pioneers in Japanese matcha desserts and is widely credited with inventing the popular matcha milk. I've always wanted to check them off my list and was finally able to do so with a little bit of help from my partner in crime.



We've walked past this branch of Kyo Hayashiya in Tokyo Midtown at least a million times without indulging ourselves in one of these matcha dessert set. 



So, this was really long overdue. Here they have one of the best baked matcha cheesecake in the business. Perfectly served with matcha ice-cream, glutinous rice balls, sweetened red bean paste and strawberry.



Of course, it's impossible for us to leave without trying the always popular Kyo Hayashiya Anmitsu. Their signature dessert came with matcha ice-cream, matcha flavored agar gelatin, matcha sponge, sweetened red beans and sweet red bean paste. It's best to enjoy it with their sweet black syrup!



Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: Galleria Level B1 Shop 25, Tokyo Midtown, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Roppongi
Tel: +81 (0) 3-5413-0396
Website: www.kyo-hayashiya.com/midtown.html


Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu 權八 西麻布 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★★

For the past few years, Gonpachi has been a permanent fixture in our itinerary whenever we go to Tokyo. Commonly known as the "Kill Bill" restaurant in the tourist circuit, this Gonpachi outpost in Nishi-Azabu is often credited with providing an inspiration for the famous Hollywood film "Kill Bill".




Gonpachi is an izakaya-style restaurant located in the "quiet" side of the Roppongi neighborhood. Decorated in a warm and rustic style with wooden furniture, the two-storied restaurant offers a short menu full of charcoal-grilled skewers and soba noodles.  



The "Gonpachi Supreme" is a must-try here. This platter contains three of the most popular skewers at Gonpachi including toro, or tuna belly with wasabi and daikon radish, foie gras with balsamic sauce and fresh strawberry and lastly, Japanese Kuroge beef sirloin.



And if you are feeling adventurous, try the "Sunagimo" gizzard which is served medium (left).



Another house specialty is the "Tsukune" ground chicken stick with special soy sauce. Be sure to add an onsen-style egg to enrich the flavor.



Still have room for some more? Try their "Tebasaki" chicken wings. They are not as good as the ones we had in Nagoya but it's worth a try.



Gonpachi (Nishi-Azabu) is much more than just an izakaya. It's a culinary institution not to be missed by any foodie.




Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: 1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Roppongi
Tel: +81 03 5771-0170
Website:
www.gonpachi.jp/nishiazabu/?lang=en




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