Not sure how it happened, but we swung for the fence on our last three nights in Tokyo… and hit a bases-loaded home run… we enjoyed three of our top meals in our three-week jaunt through Japan.
This may be the best restaurant in Japan
The restaurant is called DEN and it is probably the hardest table to book in Japan. But leave it to our son Jason to work the room and get us in.
DEN is a Japanese version of Eleven Madison Park, in New York, in that the service and food presentations are original, novel, humorous, and the food itself is some of the best on the planet.
DEN, which is Michelin-starred, is the brainchild of chef/owner Zaiyu Hasegawa, who introduces a modern spin to traditional kaiseki service.
For example: The amuse-bouche came wrapped in a paper envelope:
Inside was a house-made sandwich cookie with a crunchy exterior shell and inside, a mixture of foie gras that had been marinated ten days with miso, dried persimmon and pickled daikon. An outstanding presentation, an outstanding taste, and a novel way to begin dinner.
Another unforgettable course… DFC!
Our host, Noriko-chan, said that if Americans can have KFC… Japan should be able to get away with DFC… DEN Fried Chicken!
So boxes were brought to the table, one per guest, marked DFC….
… and inside was a sensational chicken wing that had been stuffed with a forcemeat of chicken, prawns, pickled plums and finely chopped shizo leaf. Radically delicious. Think “Umami on the bone!”
Dinner went on like this with delicious surprises for nine courses.
Total price with wine, highballs (THE drink of Japan), beer… $275 a person.
A meal like this at Eleven Madison Park, or at a fussy, 3-star restaurant in America would run $1,800 per person with wine, tax and tip. And for that, you would get attitude. At DEN, they make you feel as though you are family.
Observation: You can dine like a king in Japan for about 80 percent less than you would pay for a comparable meal in America.
DEN is at 150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya, Jingumae, 2 Chome−3−18, Tokyo. Reservations required, though nearly impossible to get.
This is, without question, the best pizza restaurant in Japan, probably all of Asia, and quite possibly, the world.
The pizza restaurant on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, in Tokyo, presents the best pizza I have ever had in my life.
And that is a BIG statement because I secured certification as a professional pizzaiolo so that I could make pizza crusts at a commercial bakery I co-owned years ago.
Chef Daniele Cason, actually Italian, has been at the gas-fired oven here 12 years and in this period has made, by my calculation, 1 million pizzas here.
And they are world class. I have never had a more delicious, more ethereally light crust anywhere. Not in New York, not in Naples, not in Rome.
Daniele’s secrets include: he uses bottled San Pellegrino water to hydrate his dough — he claims the minerals in the water add a special flavor to his dough. And when he travels to do promotional tours, he is guaranteed the same flavor to his dough no matter where he bakes.
He personally blends six different Japanese flours to make his pizza flour.. and there is one recipe for pizza flour with a cheese-base, and one for pizzas with a tomato theme.
There are ONLY 8 seats at the Omakase bar… so Daniele makes eight different pizzas in the course of the sitting .. and every guest gets one slice of each pie.. and then there were none!
Dinner basically presents you with ONE complete pizza (eight slices of eight varieties) and you can choose the wine-pairing option, which I recommend, and the total for dinner is about $280 a person, which may sound high for a pizza… but in America, when we are charged $65 corkage to bring our own wine, and $25+ for mediocre pizza…. and you add tax, tip.. trust me, whatever the modest difference in dining here costs.. THIS IS WORTH IT!
Daniele has been named, at various times, the best pizza maker in Asia, in Japan, and in the world. You gonna argue “wit dat?”
Pizza on 38 is located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Tokyo. Reservations are essential but be prepared to get them so far out that you’ll be sending your grandchildren to dinner here with your reserved seats.
I wish we could eat this well in Italy!
This Italian restaurant has a quirky French name — Mon Atelier. They switched from serving French food to presenting Italian fare.. but never changed the name of the restaurant!. The food here is better than 90 percent of the restaurants we send friends to in Italy!
The meal we had was omikase style — a set menu of five courses — chef’s choice. Italian traditions with novel, Japanese twists, and Asian ingredients.
The perfectly cooked spaghetti (above) was served with a topping of uni (sea urchin) and tomatoes… and as weird as the combo sounds.. it was THAT delicious.
Same for the fresh fish with seasonal vegetables (above)…. delicious.
Every course nailed the concept the chef was striving for, and hit the umami gong, which is not something you anticipate in an Italian restaurant. The bread, the olive oil, even the dessert was memorable.
For dessert, we were served the best tiramisu we’ve ever had…. and to make a statement, the slice of tiramisu was laid upon a thin base of house-made caramel gelato. This qualifies at the best original, and tastiest, dessert of our three weeks in Japan.
Mon Atelier is located at 150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya, 1 Chome−10−12.
Tel: +81-03-6427-4611.
Reservations at: mon-atelier.jp, ikyu.com, tablecheck.com
And so, my friends, we are heading back to Napa Valley this weekend…. but you are registered to receive future travel stories and photos when we next set out on a tasty adventure. Thanks for being in my side-car on our Japanese adventure.
Jim
Impressive stuff Napaman! Can’t wait to see ya back in Napa!
One hell o' a ride! Thanks for three weeks of culinary joy XXXX