Sometimes you just have to put the work in....
The afternoon started with a lucky lottery ticket reservation at Chukasoba Ginza Hachigou which seats six lucky diners at a time. Chef Yasufumi Matsumura has gained quite the following for treating his ramen in the French style of consommé.
I was so excited to be there, I couldn't even focus on the menu (in English no less) and ordered my bowl and beer from the very friendly server outside the restaurant. I completely forgot the rice bowl even though I was embarking on a dining marathon.
As pictures are not permitted inside, I can tell you it was an ethereal experience and eerily quiet, save for some relaxing low-level music. Diners give reverence to Chef and hardly a slurp was even heard.
Of course, I had to break the ice and remark to Chef how gorgeous the raviolo was that felt apart and released ground meat to further cook in the broth.
Delicate. Flavourful. Delicious.
Chef Daniele Cason has been killing the pizza game for a decade at the Mandarin Oriental with The Pizza Bar on the 38th.
Pizza omakase may be an unfamiliar concept to most, but why isn't this in more places? Eight seats. One Pizza (after another). Everyone gets a slice. Your variety of pizza dreams come true.
A 48-hour fermentation lends to a light, but not wafer thin, crust. The dough, cooked on gas, needs to have some chew and in some cases, some heft to stand up to the delicious toppings.
After some seasonal stacks including white asparagus and strawberry, we start with the classic marinara and bufala.
Followed by the outrageous mascarpone, black olive and winter truffle pizzino, a mainstay since opening. This is just unfair. This is the decadent dish you want late night with some premium whiskey.
Now we get in to Japanese mountain vegetables with stracciatella and morel, "burnt sauce" and pancetta. If I could eat one pizza for the rest of my life, it would be that. So earthy and smoky. Two pizzas with completely different contrast.
Mortadella and fontina is up next followed by a six-cheese pizza with truffle honey. More earth and sweet to cut through the fat.
We start dessert off right with Japanese orange chocolate and cardamon followed by affogato.
Chef was enthusiastic answering every question and even let us knead some dough (to little success from the participants). Pizza is a science. After all, it's a baked good which requires the best ingredients with the perfect ratio. Otherwise, you've got junk.
Chef has perfected this science and we're lucky enough to get the benefit of his experience and use of ingredients.
Then it was off to Taronomon Hills Station Tower for the opening of Kei Kobayashi's new bar as part of his Kei Collection of restaurants on the 49th floor (which takes three elevators). This includes a grill concept, a classic French concept, a bar and terrace dining.
There were a couple kinks to work out opening weekend, but there's nothing like it in this busy tower sitting above the Hibiya and Ginza lines, so I expect it to be quite popular, especially the outdoor space in summer.
I was invited on a tour of the concepts and was quite impressed. For some reason, there's an infinity pool (with starirs) for no one, but for show. If this was Miami, it'd be an all-day cabana party making millions before the sun goes down and they transition to the night concept.
Shinjinku in the distance. Only a couple seats at the bar with teo back tables behind.
signature monaka
The pool for no one
What a day of dining in Tokyo. I wouldn't recommend slamming all those bookings togehter, but it's what you have to do to fit everything in your schedule, and in this case, completely worth it!
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