Perfectly simple seasonal cuisine
Returning from any trip out of the country, it's always Japanese food that we crave. No need for anything fancy: hand-chopped soba at the neighborhood noodle shop will do us fine, or perhaps a few charcoal-grilled skewers of chicken at our local yakitori counter. This time, though, having been away for a few weeks, we decided on a quiet evening at Norabo.
This welcoming little restaurant in the residential back streets of Nishi-Ogikubo is just the place to relax and reacquaint the taste buds with the simple, subtle pleasures of Japanese cooking. It may be far from the bright lights of central Tokyo, but Norabo is drawing customers from well beyond the immediate catchment area. Like us, they converge to enjoy the mellow atmosphere and the distinctive cooking of owner-chef Makio Akemine.
These days vegetables are fashionable and so are the hip restaurants showcasing them. But when he opened Norabo back in 2002, Akemine had no eye on that burgeoning new trend. His only concern was — and still remains — to cook with the freshest ingredients possible.
His parents were farmers in Ibaraki Prefecture and, even after moving into Tokyo, they continued growing vegetables for their own use. Having never eaten supermarket produce while he was growing up, Akemine wasn't about to change after setting up his own restaurant.
The Musashino Plain, the flatlands stretching west from Shinjuku to the hills of Takao, used to be fertile agricultural land until Tokyo's suburban sprawl encroached. There are still working farms and smallholdings out in nearby Mitaka, and this is where Akemine goes every morning to pick up the produce that forms the centerpiece of his menu.
There's no rigid adherence to organic or vegetarian ideology at work here. Seafood is mostly sourced from the port of Odawara, on Sagami Bay southwest of Tokyo. As for chicken and meat, it plays such a subsidiary role in the cooking that Akemine is happy to use whatever tastes best — such as the free-range jidori chicken from Tokushima that he incorporates into a number of dishes.
Regulars at Norabo tend to pick and choose from the a la carte menu. We're happy just to sit back and order the basic set-course meal (at ¥3,675 for seven dishes, it's great value). The exact composition will vary according to what the farmers have harvested that day. But until autumn segues into the chill of winter, it is likely to be very similar to the excellent meal we enjoyed last week.
Norabo
Location: 4-3-5 Nishiogi-Kita, Suginami-ku
(03) 3395-7251
Open: 5 p.m.-midnight (last order 11 p.m.) Closed Mon.
Nearest station: Nishi-Ogikubo (JR Chuo Line)
How to get there: Leave Nishi-Ogikubo Station by the North Exit, and turn left. Continue down this street for about 5 minutes until you reach a 7-11 convenience store on your left. Take the next small side street on the right (by a flower shop) and you will see Norabo on the right after about 15 meters.
What works: Wholesome cuisine with a wonderful lightness of touch
What doesn't: It's not that easy to track down
Number of seats: 22 (plus an outside table for 3)
BGM: Jazzy instrumentals
Smoking: Not permitted
Price per head: Courses at ¥3,675 and ¥5,250; also a la carte
Drinks: Beer from ¥420; sake from ¥450; shochu ¥450/shot; sours from ¥788; wine from ¥945/glass, from ¥3,675/bottle
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; English not spoken
Reservations: Highly recommended
