Luxeat

Nishiki market in Kyoto

When i go to a new city, i always try to visit it's market. Like this you can approach the local culture a little bit better. A small photo "reportage" from this 400 year old market...

Kikunoi, Kyoto

Kaiseki – is a traditional Japanese multicourse meal that originates from tea drinking ceremonies in the 16^th century. Kyoto and its region is the cradle of the Japanese culture as well as of kaiseki. Many say that multicourse small portions menus in the “Western” gastronomic restaurants are influenced by the tradition of kaiseki. It is not only about many different plates(some can be only few bites), but also about using the best quality ingredients of that particular season.

Kikunoi restaurant is considered as the best in Kyoto and probably the most famous kaiseki restaurant in the world.Yoshihiro Murata, the third generation chef of Kikunoi , has even his own book with Ferran Adria’s introduction...

The most exclusive soba in the world...

When visiting the beautiful Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto we passed by this small eatery serving soba and drinks. The soba (hot noodle soup) costed only 600 yens (around $6),but it was the best hot soba  I have ever had... And the view and the surroundings were simply beyond any words...

"Kitsune-soba.Hot buckwheat noodles,soy sauce based soup with a deep fried-bean curd"

Teppanyaki. Dinners at Morimoto XEX and Keyakizaka

The Kobe beef and the Japanese beef in Morimoto XEX

If there is another product  (apart of toro) that is uncomparably better in Japan than anywhere else in the world is the Japanese beef. Any, not only the famous Kobe beef. What i found out in Morimoto XEX and Keyakizaka teppanyaki restaurants(each of them has one Michelin star) that other Japanese beef kinds are even better than Kobe.

Tsukiji market

Jet lag on the first day in Tokyo was tough. At 4 am I still didn't feel like sleeping, so being awake early in the morning  was a great opportunity to visit the Tsukiji market. What i saw there was mindblowing, the most impressive market i have ever seen. Huge stands with all kinds of fishes and, in the back, the famous tuna fish auction. Tourists were not allowed to enter the auction, but i took some snapshots from outside.

Kyubei

The main sushi chef of Kyubei, a real virtuoso of the art of sushi making.

When i asked the concierge of our hotel to book the three times starred sushi place called Sukiyabashi Jiri for our first night in Tokyo, he immediately answered that foreigners can't book in Sukiyabashi Jiro. For sure, I didn't feel discrimintated- i am prepared for the fact that the Japanese society is "reserved", but still don't  understand why Michelin guide has wrote about this restaurant if no foreigners can get there? My trip in Japan has just started and I am still optimistic about Sukiyabashi Jiro-will try to ask my Japenese friends to call there...

To make the long story short, i asked the concierge what he thought about the one star Kyubei (8-7-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel. 81 3 3571 6523), if the sushi quality was comparable to the one in Sukiyabashi Jiri.

Tokyo,Kyoto,Nagano...

Otoro sushi in Kyubey. Now this is what is called "melting in your mouth"...

Today I arrived to Tokyo, the city with most Michelin stars in the world. In fact, each of the restaurant listed in Guide Michelin Tokyo 2008 has at least one star- we will see what it gives... For the moment i am just fascinated by this remarkable city (even if it is my third time here) and try to put together the positively overwhelming impressions of my dinner in one Michelin starred sushi restaurant Kyubey (in Ginza). ( I have "borrowed" the address from  Chuck's research for his upcoming trip). Will post more about it later this week...

1 Michelin macaron choucroute

I wanted to try something typical Alsatian in Antoine Westermann's Drouant and i got it! I do agree that it is difficult to transform this rustic dish into something gastronomic, but when you pay 28€ for it and the chef has one Michelin star, you expect a little bit more of elegance ?