Makiyaki Ginza Odonera is playing with fire. Chef Keiichi Terada is cooking in next-level territory.
There are a lot of concepts where everything is kissed by some form of fire. This is the best execution of that concept I've seen in the world. Past blog posts have featured these types of restaurants. No one is doing it better and it holds one star.
There are three Onodera's in the building, so make sure you are reserving the correct one. There are only eight prized seats per service. In fact, there are many restaurants in the Onodera group, but this is the only one exclusively using fire as a technique.
Chef, overloaded with personality and positive energy, says he's getting a lot of international guests and the team is learning English. I say nonsense. His English is amazing.
green asparagus soup with wood-fired cherry salmon
A GENIUS dish, and I am trying to convince chef this should be his signature and always stay on the menu. I would come back here just to eat this. He ages a potato for two years which gives it a sweetness after it hits the fire. Combined with the smoothest of puree and caviar. It actually beats Clare Smyth's "potato and roe."
A deceptively simple dish two years in the making:
Chef plating the potato dish.
foie, local citrus, green beans
Spanish mackerel, Spring cabbage
Yamagata Waygu tenderloin with black truffle puree. Elegantly perfect.
Lamb and sauteed ramps. I seriously wanted to Flinstone this bad boy, because lamb fat rules! I frenched the bone with a knife and fork.
That was the finishing savoury course in a spectacular progression. Oh wait, it wasn't! Kinka pork ramen with noodles from Akita! The depth of flavour in the soup almost had a French onion quality. So luxurious but also not too filing after everything that came before.
Then chef makes marsh mellow and uses the freshest citrus of the season for a smore pre-dessert.
To finish, airy and deliciously burned Basque cheesecake
washed down with a 1959 Mas de la Garrigue Vieux Rivesaltes!
This meal was an unexpected highlight of the trip. I can't wait to return and see what Chef will cook up next. Please leave the potato dish on the menu!
The Single Table pays in full for all meals it posts about.
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