Last time I had a kaiseki dinner, I promised to myself that I won’t have it “any time soon”. “Not any time soon” was exactly two years. I don’t even know if you can have dinner in Kanamean Nishitomiya if you don’t stay at the ryokan. The ryokan has only…

Staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Kyoto was a very special experience. Let’s say, hoteliers who are willing to learn how to host a guest in their hotel should stay in a high-end ryokan for at least one night. The experience was “special” from the moment my taxi…

Harutaka (1*, Kawabata Building 3F, 8-5-8 Ginza, tel. 03 3573 1144 ) – the last sushiya from the sushi from Tokyo series this year. And my favourite so far. Harutaka Takahashi ( left) comes from Sukiyabashi Jiro “school”, so you can see many similarities with Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi (and, I…

I missed my plane back to Europe, so instead of waiting at Narita for the evening flight I went back to Tokyo and had lunch at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi Hills. (The one Michelin English speaking sister restaurant of the three Michelin Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza. The sushi chef is…

Before this trip to Tokyo, I agreed with those who were sceptical about other than Japanese food in Japan. Well, after my dinner at 3 Michelin stars L’Osier, I don’t share this opinion anymore. Imagine what happens when the excellence of French gastronomy collides with Japanese perfectionism. It is a…

If you love Japanese culture, you must have seen or heard of an eighties movie called “Tampopo”, Japanese comedy about love, life and ramen. The movie starts with a younger truck driver Gun (Ken Watanabe) reading a book about ramen to an older truck driver Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki). The younger…

Only in Tokyo – 3 melons for around 500 dollars, found in a fruit shop in Ginza… No, I didn’t buy one.

I find it hard to believe myself but I’ve been three times in Nobu over a stay of two weeks in Tokyo. Why go to an international chain when Tokyo has so many exciting local places to offer? Well, the first time I went there was out of plain curiosity.…

Whether it is a cheap restaurant or a fine and famous place, sushi in Tokyo will be better than in Europe most of the times. At least the fish will be fresher and more various. How the fish is cut is another issue. I don’t think that thick pieces of…