KISAKU in Ginza : Tokyo's New Breed of Chefs-Proprietors

Tokyo delivers such divine dining experiences. I am always amazed at how good everything tastes. Thankfully, I have a dear Japanese friend who is as much of a gourmet as I am a gourmand.

His constant pleasure is to find new and excellent restaurants and when I am in Tokyo, he shares his latest and best discoveries with me.

It is through this friend that I was exposed to a different dining trend. All over Tokyo, there are small, intimate places -- sometimes 20 seaters, sometimes just 14 seaters, where young chefs are proprietors and where they serve up their own take on Japanese food.

Sometimes traditional, sometimes inventive and bold but always an astounding taste experience.

This last trip to Tokyo, my friend told me that he had again found a new small restaurant for us to try. He said it was in Ginza but as we walked from Shiodome towards Shimbashi and onwards, it seemed more in the direction of the Yurakucho area.

As we walked through Tokyo's deepening dusk, we almost missed the building. It was one of the many narrow buildings that stood side by side along the street, right by the JR railway tracks.

There are signboards and menus of the different restaurants occupying the building -- one restaurant per each floor. Our destination was at the very top, on the 6th floor of this building. A small elevator, big enough for just four persons would take us to the restaurant.

It had been a very warm day and I was parched after the 15 minute walk. An ice cold glass of beer was the very thing I needed to cool down. And one glass of beer is never really enough.

My friend had ordered the set menu. We were seated at the small counter as the small, 18 seater restaurant was fully booked. It was a good thing we were still able to get a reservation, albeit at the rather un-dinner like hour of 6:00 p.m.

First on the menu was a small cold salad of octopus and seaweed. Very refreshing -- I felt as if the ocean had suddenly materialized in the room.

Next up was a clear soup made with the very expensive mushroom I had seen earlier in the Tsukiji Outer Market. A piece of very soft fish which I was told was conger pike nestled on a spoonful of eggplant puree. Thin stalks of young asparagus and small slivers of tart and slightly bitter yuzu skin added to the complexity of flavors of this seemingly simple soup.

After the soup came a small dish of sashimi with slices of otoro or tuna belly, sole and mackerel.

My friend explained to the chef that I did not eat meat so instead of the grilled chicken that was part of the set menu, he prepared this utterly simple yet delicious slice of grilled alfonsino. Served with a slice of lemon and grated daikon, it was a truly melt- in- your- mouth taste experience.

Consider this golden brown, crisp, lightly salted skin of the grilled alfonsino -- it was heavenly! So decadently succulent, I wondered how could fish skin taste so good?

The chef had a whole range of different plates, trays, bowls, spoons -- he always chose the ones that best showed off the dish he was about to serve.

This next dish was another fish dish -- delicately steamed, right in the bowl that it was served in. A slice of soft cod in a lotus seed infused sweetish broth with a small smidgen of wasabi artfully placed on top.

The next dish was not part of the set menu but my friend explained that the simple tamagoyaki dish that seems just like scrambled eggs is always served up differently by each housewife, cook or chef. Each person brings his own stamp to this deceptively easy dish thus creating a unique taste.

My friend said that the chef made his tamagoyaki with shaved daikon and ordered one for me to try. I must admit, scrambled eggs pale in comparison to tamagoyaki.

When the chef placed individual bowls filled with rice and broth, I knew that this was the end

of the meal.

The Japanese, like the Chinese, finish up their meals with rice. Rice and broth make for comfort food and balance the meal at the very end.

The chef's version had steamed rice, seaweed strips, slices of white fish and sesame seeds in a yuzu flavored broth.

I was surprised to be served dessert at the very end. In this other restaurant that my friend and I frequent, much like this one and run by another young chef proprietor, no dessert comes with the meal.

At Kisaku, a small glass dish with a soft coconut cream based flan and topped with a dollop of green tea flavored syrup was a welcome distraction at the very end.

Here is a photo of the chef of KISAKU -- apparently the restaurant is also named after him.

He was warm, welcoming and engaged throughout the meal -- even though he sliced, prepared, cooked and plated each and every dish. All the cooking happens behind this counter, it was so interesting to watch him cook the whole time.

There is only one other person in the restaurant to help him -- a young waitress who serves drinks, clears the plates, washes the dishes and serves as cashier.

I speak very little and very bad Nihongo but that has never stopped me from always trying to converse with the Japanese in Tokyo.

Throughout the meal, as he was busy cooking behind the counter, I talked to him -- addressing him as Chef san and asking him about each dish, telling him how great and awesome his food was.

He conversed with me in Nihongo, always cheerful and quite amused as I muddled along. My friend added to the merriment by translating the more difficult parts of the conversation.

As we were about to leave, I wanted to thank him for such a terrific dinner.

Oishii or delicious in Nihongo was somehow too trite and couldn't capture just how much I had enjoyed myself and how I really loved everything I ate.

So I asked my friend -- how do you say "melts in the mouth" in Nihongo?

"Chef san", I said, " Zenbu wa kuchi no naka toberu!

Everything just melted in my mouth!

As I was leaving, I bowed to him and said "Gochisosama deshita"

It was a feast!

Chef Kisaku -- see you next time I am in Tokyo!

A Delightful Early Morning Walk Through the Tsukiji Outer Market

Tsukiji Fish Market is well known as the source of the best quality fish and seafood in Tokyo, in Japan and yes, perhaps the world.

More than ten years ago, on my first visit to Tokyo to attend a meeting at Dentsu, I roused myself at 4 am on a bleak and cold November dawn and hied off to the fish market in Tsukiji.

Without knowing anyone, without speaking a word of Japanese, I silently crept through the gates and found my way to the fish auction where I watched wide eyed as hundreds of frozen whole tuna were quickly sold and hauled off.

I noted that I was the only non Japanese in the entire auction area and certainly, the only one who had no business being there.

But that was then -- the past few years have seen a heavy influx of visitors to Tsukiji from famous chefs to tourists to food groupies.

Today, those who have no business at all in the Fish Market are barred from entering until after 9 am. You can only come in after the auction has finished, and after most of the morning's operations have been completed.

But there is another perhaps less tourist frequented attraction in Tsukiji -- the Outer Market right outside the gates. It's composed of little alleyways full of shops selling edible and non edible goodies -- where Tokyo's restaurateurs and housewives alike shop for their kitchen needs.

The 15 minute walk from Shiodome where I stay, to the Tsukiji Market is pleasant and lined with flowering shrubs and willow trees.

This is the block where the Tsukiji Outer Market stands. It opens early morning and closes at 2 pm every day except Sundays, holidays and two Wednesdays each month.

One side of the market has food stalls standing side by side, each one selling its specialty dish. There are donburi stalls, tempura stalls, noodle stalls, etc. Shoppers and office goers drop by for a quick bite to eat, some take their meals standing up, ready to slurp and go.

There are many stores within the market that sell all kinds of wet and dry goods.

There are also a number of sushi restaurants that can obviously offer the freshest and best catch of the day -- being so near the Fish Market.

Pick up kitchen and pantry supplies like chopsticks, baskets, knives, toothpicks and other essentials. I sometimes find interesting things to take home for pasalubong like hand towels and chopstick rests.

There are a lot of packaged food items like spices and seasonings...

You can even find the best cuts of beef from all over Japan. Who says you can only find seafood and fish at Tsukiji?

There are stalls that sell food that's ready to eat. I specially like these fried fish and seafood cakes which come in brown paper bags -- the better to sop up the oiliness with!

It may be just scrambled egg to you but to the Japanese, these yellow blocks of cooked tamago

are specially prepared and come in different varieties -- with herbs or spices or even other ingredients like seafood or meat.

I love these unaju or unadon or unagi donburi boxes. While not inexpensive, these grilled and smoked eel fillets brushed with a special sweetish sauce are so delectably good. With skin that is lightly crisped, these succulent and tender fillets are placed on top of a bed of rice, to make for a rich and satisfying treat.

Naturally, there are many other types of seafood found in the market -- crabs and shrimp that are very much live and fresh and expensive of course.

The market also sells a lot of fresh produce. These matsutakes are some of the most expensive mushrooms I have ever seen -- Y6,500 for a small box! Little did I know, I would be enjoying these very same mushrooms later on at dinner.

There are fat asparagus stalks ...

And a dear favorite of mine -- all kinds of tsukemono or pickles which are a perfect accompaniment to hot freshly cooked rice!

All sizes and kinds of ceramic bowls, plates, trays, saucers and sauce dishes are laid out on the sidewalk. Some are really so pretty and unique but I always worry they won't survive the trip home.

When you get to the end of the Outer Market, you see the entrance to the Tsukiji Fish Market.

Unfortunately, you can no longer just saunter in.

Just outside the Fish Market is the lovely and quiet Namiyoke  shrine specially dedicated to the people of Tsukiji.  Many workers and shop owners drop by, pay homage and give thanks -- for the continued blessings and abundance that the Fish Market brings to their lives.

Tsukiji Sushi Sen : You know you're in Tokyo when you're having Sashimi and Sushi for Breakfast

It's 7:30 a.m. and I'm still a little sleep deprived. Yet, my feet take me automatically from my hotel through a 15 minute walk to Tsukiji where a sashimi and sushi breakfast awaits.

Tsukiji Sushi Sen has two outlets in the Tsukiji Outer Market, which is located right outside the world famous Tsukiji Fish Market.

I have had many breakfasts here, always trying to squeeze one in every time I am in Tokyo.

There are lots of expensive, high quality sushi restaurants all over Tokyo but those around the Tsukiji Outer Market feel like neighborhood restaurants and have neighborly prices.

We were not the first customers that morning but the place was pretty empty when we arrived. Lunchtime is when it can be hard to find a table and solitary diners usually sit at the counter where they get a close up view of the sushi chefs at work.

Sushi Sen's menu comes in japanese and english and you may order sushi by the piece or by mixed sets. There are handwritten signs on the walls featuring daily specials but of course, they're written in Japanese.

A piping hot cup of strong green tea prepares the palate for the feast that is about to begin.

For starters I always order a large bowl of miso soup, overflowing with plump clams and julienned green onions. This really warms the stomach -- I finish the clams and feel half full but psyche myself up for the sushi feast that is about to begin.

There were just two of us but we order sushi and sashimi plates.

First up is a tuna sushi set with different kinds and cuts of tuna -- each piece is an experience in terms of mouth feel. Tastes ranged from subtle to robust and strong.

One cut, the fatty otoro which comes from the tuna belly, was almost sinfully rich.

As a breaker from all that tuna, we also ordered a mixed sashimi plate with different varieties of raw fish, shrimp and shellfish.

If I were strictly vegetarian, I could still have my sushi and eat it too!

I ordered this all-veg sushi tray which came artfully and appetizingly presented.

Using vegetables like young chives, pickled bok choy, eggplant, carrots and a variety of sprouts and micro greens, it was delicately light and delicious -- definitely something to look forward to on the next breakfast at Tsukiji Sushi Sen!

Food On - The Dentsu Tokyo Cafeteria

Let me indulge in a bit of self promotion here. I work for a company that is housed in this huge, architecturally impressive building -- Dentsu Inc. in Shiodome is one of the 20 tallest buildings in Tokyo and it is the second tallest in the Shiodome area.

Designed by a French architect, the building was finished in 2002, about a year after I had joined Dentsu.

One face of the building is completely occupied by scenic elevators, bringing more than 5,000 Dentsu employees up and down the floors each and every day.

Aside from basements one and two which house the Dentsu Ad Museum and a mini mall of shops and restaurants, and the 42nd floor which has a slew of fine dining places -- the entire building is devoted to Dentsu alone.

With such a large number of employees, you would think that one main problem would be where they could take their lunch break. Most of the restaurants on the basement floors are quite small and also are well patronized by diners from other buildings in the area.

It was no surprise to me then, given the scale of Dentsu's headquarters, that the entire 4th floor of the building is devoted to the company cafeteria
-- a large scale food court called Food On.

Food On has five distinct restaurants and dining zones -- there are two Japanese restaurants, a Chinese place called Den Den, a western type cafeteria called D- cafe and Seagull, a fusion of Japanese and western food.

Each outlet's featured specials, which are changed everyday, are laid out at the entrance of Food On so that employees can easily and quickly choose their lunch.

In addition to very low prices for such attractively presented dishes, menu cards even carry the caloric content of each dish so that everyone knows that they're eating nutritious, balanced meals.

Once you have made up your mind from the many food choices available, in this case, I opted for a sakana tempura meal, you line up at the counter, where in assembly line fashion, cafeteria employees serve up your lunch choice.

Ocha or tea, is complimentary and dispensed from a machine. You have a choice of hot or cold tea to go with your meal.

Here is my assembled lunch tray. The sakana tempura was actually quite good and not at all oily. The fish which was asohos, was fresh and came in a generous serving of four whole pieces.

A miso and vegetable soup was part of the meal but the best part was the table with various tsukemono offerings, all complimentary, which really made my day.

I scooped a spoonful of cucumber tsukemono on my rice and then went back for a second serving!

Some outlets feature a very high tech, state of the art payment system.

After your meal, you take your tray to the self serve payment counter and place it on top of a scale.

This reads the amount you have to pay plus even the calories you ingested!

Truly efficient and amazing!

Since you can pay only if you have a Dentsu Tokyo employee ID card, my lunch was on the house, courtesy of a kind colleague.

Now, who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Ginza Tenkuni -- Terrific Tempura since 1885!

One of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo is a famous tempura restaurant called Ginza Tenkuni. Its sign proudly declares that it has been around since 1885. Everything in Tokyo seems to have been around since forever! Ginza Tenkuni is a ten minute walk from where I usually stay and it's a great place to sit and relax and have a solitary dinner after window shopping along Ginza.

Ginza Tenkuni occupies its own building and the restaurant starts from the basement where diners can sit at a counter and order their tempura by the piece. Not just the usual ebi, sakana, ika, but all kinds of sea food and seasonal vegetables. Prices are astronomical in the basement and I have never eaten there.

As you go up the 2nd and 3rd floors, there are western type tables and tatami style rooms for groups and private functions. Again, the prices are higher and dining is a bit more formal.

The ground floor dining room is more casual and offers tendon sets that are infinitely more affordable. There are various sets and even tempura bento boxes -- all priced at less than Y5,000. Even if the upper floors are filled with people, the ground floor dining area is usually not full, it's quiet and you can eat your meal in solitary contentment.

My favorite is the kakiage don which is chock full of chopped squid, scallops and plump shrimp. The kakiage is a huge patty that totally covers the gohan or rice underneath it. Still crisp and crunchy even if it has been doused with tendon sauce. Every bite yields a bit of fresh, tender seafood. There is quite a lot of gohan but with the sauce clinging to each grain of yummy slightly sticky japanese rice -- I find that I can easily finish the entire bowl!

My kakiage-don set comes with a bowl of miso soup, with little rolls of yuba skin and seaweed. Very soothing and comforting to the palate. There's also a small saucer of tsukemono or assorted preserved vegetables that bring added texture and flavor to the meal. Salty-sour-briny, alternatively crunchy and chewy, tsukemono enhances the taste of the dish.

Of course, I will have my glass of ice cold beer. I always order the chisai or small glass but invariably end up having another one.

Such are the pleasures of dining and drinking at Ginza Tenkuni.