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 in Tokyo like Kawamura ( No one can’t get into it anyway) or Aragawa ( Can a piece of beef really taste like $700? ), you will not leave the restaurant feeling broke.
The restaurant behind that ordinary door in the basement seems more like a private club, whose members have been frequenting the place for years. Like Steve Plotnicki wrote in his review, Oshima-san doesn’t oversell his beef and that couldn’t be more true. 150g of beef from Wadoyama town was more than enough for me. Despite the beef, demonstrated before the grilling, was very marbled, the steak was not too fatty at all, it was juicy, tender and yes, some of the best beef I’ve had in my life. For the scallop with white asparagus starter, some wine, the steak and a sandwich, which the chef gave me as a present to take away, I paid less than 20 000 Yen. I guess I could call that “reasonable” for a Tokyo steakhouse.
