It might sound ironic, but the most expensive part of bluefin tuna, nowadays served at the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo, New York of Los Angeles, was not considered valuable at all by the general Japanese population 50 or so years ago. According to Trevor Carson, the author of “The…

This was certainly not my favourite tempura I’ve ever had (my all-time favourite is 7 Chome Kyoboshi), but still better than any tempura outside of Japan. I love how Japanese are able to perfectionize anything from growing melons to frying vegetables in some batter, which actually end up tasting so…

What makes a good sushi restaurant great? Excellent fish and seafood? Chef’s experience, skills and obsession with consistency? Takashi Saito seems to correspond all these criteria, but it’s much more than that. Saito-san hits the perfect gustative balance in each morsel he produces, taste and texture-wise. Joel Robuchon called Sushi…

Zaiyu Hasegawa is a superstar among foreign travellers and chefs eating out in Tokyo. The reason why is simple – he and his wife Emi- san are friendly and accessible people. In the secretive city like Tokyo, where sometimes you have to be introduced or accompanied by a Japanese speaker…

Mizutani (9F, Juno Ginza Seiwa Bldg, 8-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3573-5258) is undoubtedly one of the greatest sushi chefs in history. Some call his rice “mushy” or not al dente enough, but the disciple of the legendary Jiro Ono has really mastered the perfect rice. Very different than the…

Chef Oshima Manabu is one of the most charming and nicest chefs I’ve met in Tokyo. He runs steakhouse Shima (9〒103-0027 Tokyo, Chuo, Nihonbashi, 3−5−12, 日本橋MMビルB1; tel. +81 3-3271-7889), located in an office building basement and difficult to spot even when you have a precise map. Different than other steak powerhouses…

Butagumi ( 2-24-9 Nishiazabu, Minato, Tokyo 106-0031, tel. +81 3-5466-6775 ), a tonkatsu paradise 5 minutes walk off the main Roppongi road, is where all the best pigs of Japan go when they die. Think of a double-sided menu, all dedicated for pork fillets and sirloins from various Japanese regions. Good pork…

Matsukawa is an introduction only kaiseki restaurant, considered by many, notably tabelog.com users, as the best in Tokyo. A friend of mine invited me there, but had last minute plan changes and I ended up going to Matsukawa alone. He warned me about two things before transferring his reservation on…

My interview with Die Welt ( in German) and freshly published The Hollywood Reporter documentary review. Meanwhile, my posts from Japan coming soon 😉 (Think Matsukawa, Sushi Saito, Mizutani, Ishikawa, etc, etc!)

To paraphrase the old saying, if the sea won’t come to a Japanese sushi chef, the sushi chef will go to the sea. This is certainly true in the case of 3 Michelin starred chef from Tokyo Toru Okuda, who just opened an intimate, “Edo-mae” style sushi- ya next to…