Matsubara-an (0467) 61-3838

Making soba a fresh tradition

The Japan Times, Friday Jan.8, 2010

From the very first sip of aromatic otoso sake and steaming-hot ozoni soup, we always love the time-honored ritual and ceremony of New Year's in Japan. But even more than that, we like it when the hallowed traditions are brought up to date and placed in a contemporary context. That's the way they do it at Matsubara-an.

The main dining room is beautifully restored with impeccable shoji screens, period lampshades, retro furnishings and views out onto the garden. But the tatami mats are covered with carpets, and instead of zabuton cushions you sit at stylish modern tables and chairs.

Too often this kind of hybrid look can feel stilted and forced, but at Matsubara-an the mood is comfortably casual. A buzz of conversation drowns out the bossa nova emitting from the sound system. The waitresses are polite but friendly, putting you immediately at ease.

The menu reflects a similar blend of simplicity and sophistication; Japanese and Western, traditional and modern. The specialty of the house is te-uchi soba, buckwheat noodles that are prepared fresh each day, rolled out and cut by hand and served with considerable refinement. However, there's plenty more to explore at Matsubara-an besides noodles.

Just take a look at the mixed hors d'oeuvres plate...

Read more here...
Matsubara-an
4-10-3 Yuigahama, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken
tel: (0467) 61-3838
Open: Daily 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Nearest stations: Yuigahama (Enoshima Dentetsu Line); Kamakura (JR Yokosuka Line)
Map here...

Kamakura soba

Other soba houses to discover in Kamakura

The Japan Times, Friday Jan. 8, 2010

Kamakura has no shortage of good soba restaurants. Like Matsubara-an, many occupy freestanding traditional buildings. Here are three more worth tracking down on a visit to the ancient capital.

Issa-an

It's not hard to find Issa-an. Located close to the entrance to Kamakura's main shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, this is a favorite lunch spot for visitors. And with good reason too: It's an attractive, old-style restaurant, recently refurbished but still boasting low tables, tatami floors and large windows giving views onto a narrow garden.

Besides the excellent noodles themselves, all freshly chopped, there is a small selection of side dishes, donburi rice bowls and desserts. In the peak tourist seasons (especially New Year's), it may be hard to get a look-in at meal times. But for a light afternoon snack, it's recommended.

If you don't want to leave Tokyo, Issa-an has a branch in the Marunouchi Building, in front of Tokyo JR Station.

Sobadokoro Goto

Because the noodles at Sobadokoro Goto aren't rolled and chopped by hand, hard-core soba aficionados tend to ignore it. All the better for the rest of us, as it boasts a classic traditional setting.

An ancient wooden gate and a narrow path lined with bamboo lead the way to a beautifully preserved old house set in a wooded compound well away from the street. You leave your shoes at the door and sit on tatami floors in the spacious dining room.

This architectural gem is hidden away a block north of the Kinokuniya store on the west side of Kamakura Station, off one of the backstreets leading up to Zeni-Arai Benten, the atmospheric "money-washing" shrine in the western hills.

Takenoya

Takenoya is a small family-run restaurant tucked away on the eastern fringe of the city. It's an area little visited by tourists, though there are some beautiful temples up in the hills. But this diminutive place is well on the map for committed soba enthusiasts.

There's just one table with chairs, plus a raised tatami area that gives a glimpse of a tidy little garden. If those places are taken, you sit on squat wooden stools around the large irori grill by the door.

The soba is righteous, hand-chopped by the master and served by his wife. There are usually three kinds to choose from: regular noodles; dark, coarse, country-style inaka-soba; and finer, lighter noodles with a seasonal flavoring, such as yuzu (citron) or powdered green tea. To sample each of these, ask for the sanshoku (three-colored) soba, which is served in three-level lacquered-wood trays.

Issa-an, 1-8-24 Yukinoshita, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 22-3556; open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; soba from ¥985. 
www.issaan.net

Sobadokoro Goto,1-1-3 Ogigayatsu, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 24-4855; open 11 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Thurs., soba from ¥630
hw001.gate01.com/eric/goto.htm

Takenoya, 4-3-2 Omachi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken; (0467) 25-3872; open 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mon.; soba from ¥1,000
gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0001456823/P001858

Map here...

Ryugin (03) 3423-8006

Refined flair in the dragon's lair

This is power decor for power dining, Ryugin-style

The Japan Times: Friday, Dec. 18, 2009

It's that season once again, when we pause, look back and savor some of the outstanding meals we have enjoyed over the past year. High on that list has to be going back to eat at Ryugin last month.

This brilliant, high-end Japanese restaurant on the outer fringe of Roppongi is no secret now. How could it be with three consecutive appearances in the mighty Michelin Guide? But when it first opened, back in December 2003, it quietly built up a loyal following and an almost cult reputation on the strength of the innovative approach of its young chef, Seiji Yamamoto.

Just 33 when he set up Ryugin, Yamamoto took inspiration from the new-wave culinary techniques being developed in Europe, especially Spain, adapting them to the Japanese tradition. However, although his cuisine was well worthy of its two-star status, there was one drawback — the setting just didn't look or feel as exciting as the food that was being served.

All that changed this year. In February, Ryugin underwent a major refurbishment, emerging transformed as if from a chrysalis. Out went the sleek but bland interior that could have been anywhere in the world; in its place is an ornate, elaborate dining room that's a one-of-a-kind.

Read more here…

Ryugin
7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku; tel: (03) 3423-8006;
www.nihonryori-ryugin.com
Open: 6 p.m.-1 a.m. (last seating 10:30 p.m.)
Closed: Sun. and national holidays
Nearest stations: Roppongi (Hibiya and Oedo lines)
How to get there: From Roppongi Station Exit 2, walk along Roppongi-dori (in the direction of Shibuya), then turn right down the first side street. You will see the steps leading up to Ryugin on the right after about 100 meters.
What works: Outstanding contemporary take on kaiseki tradition.
What doesn't: It's too bad Ryugin no longer offers a la carte options.
Number of seats: 20 (plus a private room for 4)
No-smoking areas: All no-smoking
Price per head: Fixed menu at ¥23,100 per head (10 percent service charge added)
Drinks: Champagne from ¥1,800; beer ¥700; sake from ¥1,300; wine from ¥1,800/glass, from ¥8,000/bottle; digestifs from ¥1,500
Credit cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; English spoken
Reservations: Essential — check Web site for details.

map here...

Mario i Sentieri (03) 6418-7072

A personal touch from super Mario

I Sentieri may be smaller and less celebrity glitzy, but it still has the buzz

The Japan Times: Friday, Dec. 4, 2009

You're booking a table for a nice night out, so which is it to be: punctilious precision in a bubble of privileged privacy; or something a bit warmer and jazzier, with a personal touch, plenty of atmosphere and a hint of glamour? Each to their own, of course, but — all things being equal when it comes to the cooking — we know which we prefer. And we know where to find it. Make that a table for two at Mario i Sentieri.

It's been more than a year since Mario Frittoli closed down Luxor, his ritzy, high-end ristorante in Shirokanedai and moved to his current premises in the better-trod back streets of Nishi-Azabu. It was a retrenchment, certainly, in tune with the economic climate; but it has also brought him back closer to his core clientele — those that appreciate the quality of his creative cucina.

I Sentieri — the name means a trail or mountain footpath — may be smaller and less celebrity glitzy, but it still has the buzz expected from Mario (thanks to his books and TV shows, everyone knows him on a first-name-only basis).

A curving flight of stairs leads up from the street to imposing metal doors. Inside, the color scheme is moody matte black and glowing red, with a couple of large contemporary artworks against the far wall and subtle lighting to illuminate the tablecloths. The feel is operatic, much like the background music — sensuous, passionate, serious but with a sense of fun.

There's a small bar counter on one side of the room, where you can perch youself and nurse a drink while waiting for your table to free up or even settle in for a light snack. But the focus of the room is the long rectangular window to the brightly lit open kitchen, where Mario directs the proceedings, observing the dining room and saluting customers as they arrive...

Read more here...

Mario i Sentieri

Location: 4-1-10 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku

(03) 6418-7072
www.mario-frittoli.com
Open: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (last order 1:30 p.m.); 6 p.m.-midnight (last order 11 p.m.); closed: Sun. and Sat. lunch
Nearest station: Roppongi (Hibiya & Oedo lines), Hiroo (Hibiya Line), Nogizaka (Chiyoda Line)

How to get there: From the Nishi-Azabu Crossing, walk along Roppongi-dori (in the direction of Shibuya) and take the first side street to the left (by Almond coffee shop). You will see the stairway leading up to Mario i Sentieri on the left after about 30 meters.

What works: Mario does it his way: sensuous cucina in a setting to suit.

What doesn't: Be prepared to wait if you haven't booked ahead.

Number of seats: 44, plus 6 at the bar

Smoking: Only at the bar seats

Price per head: Lunch: from ¥1,000; dinner menu from ¥7,000, also a la carte; 10 percent service charge added (dinner only)

Drinks: ¥800; aperitivi from ¥1,000; wine from ¥1,000/glass (¥500 at lunch), from ¥5,000/bottle; digestivi from ¥1,000/shot

Credit cards: Major cards accepted

Language: Japanese/English/Italian menus; English and Italian spoken

Reservations: Highly recommended

map here...

Tempura Uoshin (03) 3796-4041

A masterclass at the counter

Simplicity and refinement highlight classic, traditional flavors at Tempura Uoshin 

The Japan Times: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

Among Tokyo's specialist restaurants, Tempura Uoshin in Nishi-Azabu may not rank in the highest echelons — after just two years in business that might be considered presumptuous. But it certainly has the gravitas and polish you'd expect from the offshoot of Totoya Uoshin, a ryoriya in Akasaka boasting more than 110 years of history, and a Michelin star to go with it.

Like the parent restaurant, Uoshin does not flaunt its presence. Tucked away on the second floor behind the hulking rear wall of Gonpachi (a Japanese gastrodome no-one has ever called modest), the decor is plain and the layout intimate — a single L-shaped scrubbed-wood counter just big enough to seat 10, with a small table at the back for four more. The feel is old-school traditional, with not a hair out of place — and absolutely no aroma of cooking oil.

Chef Shinji Miyazaki is a 27-year veteran of the tempura wok. After working two decades at Uoshin's branch in Roppongi (now long gone), he oversaw the launch of a sister restaurant in Nihonbashi before returning to his former territory to open this branch in Nishi-Azabu.

Dressed in crisp white, he works solo, helped by a single assistant out of sight in the prep kitchen and a kimono-clad waitress. His movements are meticulous, unhurried, almost effortless, making the process of batter-frying morsels of fish or vegetables seem so simple. That is deceptive: getting it absolutely right every time requires considerable expertise. His tempura is orthodox and precise. In contrast with the heavy traditional style of old Tokyo, his cooking is light, almost airy in its refinement. It also tastes exceptionally good. 

Read more...

Tempura Uoshin

2F Iwata Building 1-12-10 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku 

(03) 3796-4041 

www.uoshin.ne.jp/nishiazabu/

Open:  lunch 11 am-2:30 pm (last order); dinner 5:50-9:30 pm (last order)

Closed: Sundays and holidays

Nearest station:Roppongi (Hibiya and Oedo lines)

How to get there: From Roppongi Station (Exit 2), walk down Roppongi-dori toward Nishi-Azabu. Just before you reach the Nishi-Azabu Crossing, turn left (along the side of Gompachi). You will see the stairs leading up to Uoshin on the right after about 40 meters.

What works: Great value for quality tempura

What doesn't: The interior is very plain and sober.Number of seats: 10 at the counter and one table for 4

Smoking: Permitted but discouraged

Price per head: Lunch: tendonfrom ¥1,575, set menus from ¥3,150; dinner menu from ¥8,400, also a la carte; 10 percent service charge

Drinks: Beer from ¥630; sake from ¥840; shochu ¥840; wine from ¥945/glass, from ¥3,150/bottle

Credit cards: Major cards accepted

Language: Japanese and English menus; a little English spoken

Reservations: Recommended

map here...

Norabo (03) 3395-7251

Perfectly simple seasonal cuisine

The Japan Times: Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

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.

Read more here...

Norabo

Location: 4-3-5 Nishiogi-Kita, Suginami-ku

(03) 3395-7251

http://park10.wakwak.com/~kouzou/iwa-norabo.htm

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

map here...

Balthazar (03) 3331-0522

Natural nourishment for body 

and spirit in Nishi-Ogikubo

The Japan Times: Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Nishi-Ogikubo — or Nishiogi as the locals like to call it — is a quiet, low-rise neighborhood, a backwater that most people overlook in their hurry to get to bustling Kichijoji. Therein lies its primary appeal.

Its main claim to fame these days is its high concentration of antique shops (63 listed on the free tourist handout map), kimono dealers, bric-a-brac merchants, recycling outlets and secondhand bookstores. Back in the day, though, the area was perfumed with a heady whiff of counterculture.

One pocket of that righteous hippie ethos still lives on at Hobitto-mura ("Hobbit Village"). It's not hard to find: Just south of the tracks, it's the tatty building with star-shaped windows up the stairwell and foliage covering its facade.

The produce store at street level stocks a motley selection of natural foods, homemade cookies and farmhouse miso. Two floors up, the tiny Nawa Prasad bookshop crams in a remarkable range of alternative books (some in English) and new-agey CDs; while the tatami space of the Hobbit-mura Free School offers yoga workshops and butoh dance performances.

And, providing sustenance for the physical body, the second-floor cafe-bar-restaurant Balthazar serves worthy, non-additive meals blending Japanese and Western ingredients and influences. Whether you prefer grilled fish and sake, spaghetti and organic wine, or the classic genmai pizza — a patty of brown rice topped with either salad or spicy ground beef — the cooking is capable, if hardly stellar.

But it's a friendly, casual space where you can settle in and take as long as you like to chat, read or just gaze at the annotated Allen Ginsberg photos on the wall and slip back into the time warp.

Balthazar Hobitto-mura 2F, 3-15-3 Nishiogi-Minami, Nerima-ku; (03) 3331-0522; nearest station: Nishi-Ogikubo (JR Chuo line); open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 6-11 p.m. (Sun. 6-10:30 p.m.); closed Tue. and 4th Mon.

map here...

Tokyo Christmas dining

Staying in Tokyo for Christmas dinner

The Japan Times, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009

These days, just about every restaurant in town offers a Christmas menu — in just about any cuisine you want. Whether you're craving turkey and stuffing, oysters and risotto or gravlax and smoked trout, there's a place for you. Here are just a few Food File recommendations...

New York Grill

One of our all-time favorite venues for any celebration is the New York Grill at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku. Boasting unrivaled cityscape views, it feels as special as it looks. Better yet, it has the cuisine to match the setting. Chef Nadine Waechter Moreno will be delivering a sumptuous menu featuring (among plenty else) grilled Kagoshima kuro-ushi beef accompanied by mashed potatoes with winter truffles.
New York Grill & Bar, Park Hyatt Hotel 52F, 3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; (03) 5323-3458; tokyo.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/
Christmas dinner menu: five courses, ¥22,000, available Dec. 16-25, 5:30-10:30 p.m.; also open daily for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.  map...


Aquavit

The Tokyo outpost of Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson's much-lauded New York restaurant exudes a sleek, refined sophistication that perfectly reflects his signature Modern Scandinavian cuisine. Blending French technique and Big Apple sophistication with traditional Swedish recipes and ingredients, Aquavit's Christmas menu might be the lightest, healthiest holiday fare in the city. Start with champagne; round it off with one of the trademark homemade aquavit liqueurs.

Aquavit, Aoyama OM-Square, 2-5-8 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku; (03) 5413-3300; www.aquavit-japan.com 

Christmas dinner menu: appetizer and five courses ¥12,000; available Dec. 23-25, 5:30-10:30 p.m. (last order); also open daily for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (last order) map...

Brasserie L'Artemis

L'Artemis was given a full makeover this autumn, metamorphosing in the process from a formal restaurant to a more casual brasserie feel. What hasn't changed is the quality of Chef Yusuke Nakada's cuisine or the fantastic cost-performance of his menus. The centerpiece of his Christmas dinner (far more affordable this year) will be venison.

Brasserie L'Artemis, 2-31-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; (03) 5786-0220; r.gnavi.co.jp/g853800

Christmas dinner menu: appetizer and four courses ¥8,400; available Dec. 24-25, 6 p.m.-midnight; also Christmas lunch menu ¥5,000; 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (last order) map...

Wine Cellar Davis

The annual Christmas feast offered by Shoko Davis at her intimate restaurant/wine bar is now a firm fixture in the local calendar. This will be the 12th such event and, as ever, the focus of the banquets will be roast goose with trimmings. For homesick Britons, though, the promise of authentic Christmas pudding for dessert may be just as much of a draw.

Wine Cellar Davis, 2-5-6 Takanawa, Minato-ku; (03) 3440-6007

Christmas dinner menu: four courses, ¥7,900; available Dec. 23-26 (Dec. 24-25, two sittings: 6-9 p.m.; and 9 p.m.-midnight) map...

The Hobgoblin

Flying the flag for English ale and pub grub for almost a decade, the Hobgoblin has become a Roppongi institution and so has its Yuletide fare. If it's the Great British Christmas dinner you're after, this is the place. There's roast turkey (with stuffing, of course) plus all the essential trimmings — roast potatoes, bacon-wrapped chipolatas (translation: mini-wieners), carrots, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and gravy. No figgy pudding here, but you do get a slice of Christmas cake to round off your meal.

The Hobgoblin, Aoba Roppongi Building, 3-16-33 Roppongi, Minato-ku; (03) 3568-1280; www.hobgoblin.jp

Christmas dinner menu: three courses, ¥5,000; available Dec. 25 only. Four sittings: noon; 2:30 p.m.; 6 p.m.; 8:30 p.m. map...

The Pink Cow

A lively and welcoming cafe-bar, art space, alternative music venue and community nexus, the Pink Cow has many facets. It's also a home away from home for the foreign community, and never more so than in the festive season. The kitchen will be serving a wholesome, hearty Christmas dinner of turkey (there's stuffed tofu for the vegetarians) with plenty of other kinds of goodies and entertainment.

The Pink Cow, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; (03) 3406-5597; thepinkcow.com 

Christmas dinner menu: three courses, ¥4,200; available Dec 24-25, 7-10 p.m. map...