Tabemono in Tokyo – Jimbocho Den

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Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa showing the clay pot rice dish with the in- season ingredient, shirasu (tiny ice fish)

March 26, 2015

Hands down, my favorite restaurant in Tokyo was Jimbocho Den. Perennially a top 50 restaurant in the world, their food is renown, yet it was one of the most creative and fun dining experiences I have ever had.

The resturant is very small with only 8 counter seats and one private dining room, making reservations very difficult.  The style is modern kaiseki, but according to the sous chefs and apprentices, Chef Zaiyu prefers to see his cuisine as home cooking.  No matter what they call it, the food was amazing, bold, daring, and playful. Continue reading “Tabemono in Tokyo – Jimbocho Den”

Tabemono in Tokyo – Sukiyabashi Jiro – 90 year old Sushi Master in Ginza

August 2014, Ono Jiro with my oldest daughter who’s 12 at the time and helped contribute to this write up.

August 1, 2014

My first post review will be to post on Sukiyabashi Jiro which I took notes on as I have dragged my feet in creating this blog. In August 2014, Jiro Ono was 90 years old, yet he was vibrant and alert as he expertly served us some of the best sushi in the world.

Scoring reservations was difficult as Jiro Ono continues to be exceeding popular and famous after appearing in Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservation”, his documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”, and even a visit by President Obama in April 2014. Yet, my concierge from the Peninsula in Ginza was able to score two seats for lunch for August 1st, 2014. My wife lucked out as she was scheduled to fly back two days before, so my lucky twelve year old daughter got to enjoy a fantastic lunch with me.  That’s her in the picture above. The hotel warned us that Jiro may not be present as he had heart complications earlier in the year, but we were lucky as he was back as a healthy 90-year old this year. Continue reading “Tabemono in Tokyo – Sukiyabashi Jiro – 90 year old Sushi Master in Ginza”