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…

So on top of updating the 30 best Tokyo sushi restaurants list according to the Japanese language site http://tabelog.com/, this time I compiled a list of top 50. Once you go further down the results, you can also find some “off the beaten track”, more casual and more affordable sushi…

If internet rumours can be trusted, Sukiyabashi Jiro was not the first choice for prime minister Abe and president Obama dinner (see the Grub Street article here). 2 Michelin starred tempura restaurant Kondo was, but it was fully booked and the chef refused to cancel any of his bookings that…

Below you can see my freshly compiled list of the top 50 results of the best restaurants in Tokyo according to the Japanese language site Tabelog.com users. The world’s most famous sushi restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro with its 51st position has never been so high on this site. Otherwise, my Tokyo…

My post about the sushi restaurant in Tokyo where Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe had a dinner last night. Sukiyabashi Jiro is one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo and, without any question, the most famous in the world thanks to the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. According to the…

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…