My wife & I got back from our 12 day trip to Japan, we stuck to Tokyo and Kyoto since it was a relatively short trip stacked with reservations and places to go to. First night we went to Bar Salon De Shimaji, a whisky centric bar who’s owner use to be the Playboy editor in Japan for decades. Very cool spot with hard to find Japanese and Scotch whiskies. He has connections to many of the big names like Suntory, so they make private bottlings like a 30 year Hakushu! This place is frequented by some very eccentric folks (just like the owner). Steeze for days as the young kids would call it!
We then went to Izakaya Narukiyo, which was featured on Netflix. When I think of an Izakaya, this is exactly the type of place I’m looking for. Pure fun vibes all around. Everyone is loud, beer/nihonshu is flowing, and the food is awesome. Highly recommend.
Lunch at Torioka, a newly opened offshoot of Torishiki in Azabudai Hills. This meal showcased the art of yakitori and how extraordinary Japanese chicken can be. Drool worthy. Highly recommend for lunch. It is inside the Azabudai Hills Market center, which also has a Yamayuki tuna station, Sushi Saito branch, and an insane selection of everything you can dream of; it reminded me of a higher end Erewhon or whole foods.
Dinner at Cignale Enoteca, a Japanese Italian spot tucked into a residential alley in Meguro.
Service was outstanding, and I loved every single dish. I think both my wife & I teared up as we left since it was such a beautiful experience. This is a must go in my opinion. Pro tip: buy a couple of their chili oil bottles on the way out
Sushi Higashiazabu Seiko. Neta was flawless, but unfortunately his shari was way off. Hard and cold. Otsumami were great though. Not sure I can recommend it unless it was an off night in terms of the rice…
Dinner at Lurra in Kyoto. I use to work with Jacob for a short time. This meal solidified my opinion of Jacob being a culinary genius, which I don’t say lightly. Truly amazing. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful, sound track was bangin’, and the food was just as gorgeous as it was fucking delicious! He use to work at Noma, and with this menu it felt like I was eating at Noma using only ingredients from Kyoto. His non alcoholic pairing is mind-blowing. Highly Highly recommend, more FTC’ers need to come here!
Dinner at Nikuryori Oka in the Gion District. I wanted a meat focused omakase and this delivered in spades. Beautiful and diverse cuts of wagyu. Chef is very humble and hospitable.
Lots of ramen lunches, including Kikanbo in Tokyo, Gion Duck noodles in Kyoto, and Ramen Afrobeats in Tokyo. They were all next level compared to what we have here.
Tempura Kyoboshi in Gion. Really enjoyed the batter here, super thin and uniform. Just really solid delicious tempura, nuff’ said.
Thanks to Dylan (Tori Tory Tore!) for this recommendation, Yakitori Takahashi was the best yakitori meal during my trip. I believe they got their first star a day or two after I dined here. Absolute perfection on every skewer. If you only go to one yakitori meal in Japan, this should be it.
Lunch at Savoy. Dare I say it, Savoy > Sei > PST.
Dinner at Kanjo, a duck & soba themed omakase in Tokyo. Chef’s father was a soba master and his grandfather was a sushi master. The soba was the best I’ve tried. Raw duck nigiri tasted like akami. Very unique, I loved the grated daikon mountain we were encouraged to eat in between each piece of kamo.
Lastly, lots of delicious sake, especially from Eureka!
