Cherry blossoms are not only viewed and admired, but also used for cooking during their blooming season in Japan. The very short and almost ephemeral life of cherry blossoms can be an embodiment of many things – changes in nature, fragility of our lives and also seasonality in cooking, for…

Out of all these most amazing steakhouses and teppanyaki restaurants in Tokyo, Dons de la Nature ( Kawai Building B1F, 1-7-6 Ginza, Chuo-ko, Tokyo; tel. 03- 3563-4129) is considered one of the best. Tokyo chef and book author Yukari Sakamoto went there recently and kindly allowed me to republish her…

If you have ever passed by rue Saint-Anne in Paris, you must have certainly seen people queuing outside the Kunitoraya udon noodles shop. Since a while already, the queuing and waiting no matter the meteorological conditions, has moved to the neighbouring rue Villedo, where there are now two Kunitorayas, at…

If I had to name my “cantine”, only one restaurant, where I’ve been mostly in the recent years, it would be Takara (14 Rue Molière, 75001 Paris). It’s a traditional Japanese restaurant located in Paris “Little Japan” where you can have anything from sushi to shabu shabu or sukiyaki. I…

May 1, 2014 update It’s been a while since I last updated the top 50 results of the best restaurants in Tokyo according to the Japanese language site Tabelog.com users. Click on continue reading below to see the freshly translated list. Otherwise, my Tokyo reviews can be found here, while the…

With 7 Chome Kyoboshi chef in Tokyo last August, who until recently was the only tempura chef in the world to hold 3 Michelin stars. Despite him losing the third star, I still think he is the one and only grand master of tempura (Albeit the most expensive!).

I am not a big fan of chicken-based ramen broth, but I must admit that Totto ramen (specializing in only chicken-based broth) overall quality was better than Ippudo (specializing in pork-based broth). I used to love Ippudo in NY and I still do love their small plates as pork buns…

Nobody knows Tokyo’s best foodies’ addresses better than Yukari Sakamoto,a Japanese- American chef and book author living in Tokyo with her husband and their small son. We met with Yukari at her Tsukiji market tour and became friends ever since. I asked Yukari to share her favourite ramen addresses in…

Crossing the threshold into Toru Okuda’s (7 Rue de la Trémoille 75008, Paris; tel.01 40 70 19 19) newest venture in Paris is like stepping into a hidden corner of Japan. Famous for his Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurants Ginza Okuda (2 stars) and Ginza Kojyu (3 stars), Okuda’s first international address…

I’ve never been to Okuda’s san flagship restaurants Koju (3*) and Okuda (2*) in Tokyo, so I can’t compare, but the quality of the products at his newly opened restaurant in Paris couldn’t get any better, while his skills and cooking techniques are simply mind-blowing. Pictures and review coming soon!