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…

During this trip to Tokyo I started with Sushi Mizutani, then Sushi Kanesaka and ended up at Sushiko Honten (6-3-8 Ginza, tel. 03 3571 1968 ). Ironically, my favourite of all the three was the latter, the sushi place that has only one Michelin star, the least from all the…

I loved sukiyaki at Michelin starred Yoshihasi (1-5-25 Moto-Akasaka, tel. 03-3401-3129) not only because the wagyu beef was mouth-watering, but also because the place was so beautiful and serene. Yoshihashi is a traditional minimalistic restaurant with zen garden behind a window. When you come to the place you have to…

Since Japan has opened up for foreigners at the end of the 19th century, beef has become a very popular product in Japanese cuisine. In fact, the Japanese are so obsessed about the quality of their beef that when you go to a good teppanyaki or sukiyaki restaurant, they would…

Kaizen (“continuous improvement”) concept is deeply tied not only to manufacturing and business(where it originally comes from) but to Japanese culture in general. Anything Japanese do, they will try to do their best. Whether its service in a hotel, asking directions in a metro station or simply growing vegetables and…

Before going to Sushi Kanesaka, I was preparing to spend my evening in a formal environment with an austere sushi master leading the show. Instead, I found myself in a friendly and vibrant place where the chef Shinji Kanesaka san was chatting with his guests and obviously enjoying doing so.…

Some say that Sushi Mizutani is the best in Tokyo, while Hachiro Mizutani san is one of the best sushi masters in Japan. And if one can rate sushi places with stars that were first meant to rate French cuisine, Sushi Mizutani together with Sukiyabashi Jiro are the only sushi…

I am in my favourite city in the world and my first dinner here was at Ukai-tei Ginza , teppanyaki restaurant in Ginza. Needless to say the “super top quality” beefsteak was a reminder that the Japanese have the best beef in the world…

Interesting how the concept of gastronomy has changed over time. Before, a gastronomic restaurant would have been unimaginable without foie gras and other products typical to French ” haute cuisine”. Now people travel not to have foie gras but instead experience new and refreshing. “Experience”, “new” and “refreshing” would be…