I love
food. I really do. When I book a holiday, I book my flights, I book my hotel
and then I book my restaurant reservations. Sometimes I will even book the food
and plan around. That is how much I love food. When I heard rumours of a restaurant with
only three tables. I knew this was the place for me. Research told me it was
hard to get in, and that many people are rejected, but I was determined. I
emailed Akiko about two months out and decided to try my luck.
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Their favourite poem is inscribed on the hand rail:
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree". (Joyce Kilmer) |
We settled on the seven course menu without matching wines for AUD$195 (Y16,000). Expensive, but this was an experience. Reservations are difficult to get, so make sure you confirm them. I asked my Concierge to reconfirm my reservations a week prior and also the day before. There was no way I was missing this place.
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| Chef Takazawa in action! |
Getting there seemed straight
forward but I got seriously lost. We got off the train and walked up and down
the street. Some locals tried to help us but no one had heard of this
restaurant. Finally realised we need to go off the main street, and it was
around the corner on the second floor.
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| Chef Takazawa and his wife Akiko |
Words cannot describe the food, so I
hope that the pictures do.
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| Takazawa shows me his favourite cook books which decorate his kitchen |
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Signature
dish - The Ratatouille
Uses 15 types
of vegetables each prepared differently.
Takes at
least half a day to prepare,
and is enjoyed in a single mouthful. |
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Amuse bouche
-
Rice pudding with salmon roe and
lime vinaigrette.
Corn ice cream with black pepper
|
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Amuse bouche
-
Rice pudding with salmon roe and
Corn ice cream with black pepperlime vinaigrette |
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| Basil and pine nut
bread with Okinawa pork pate. This was good, had to get seconds! |
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Takazawa's
Farm -
Mix of fresh and tempura vegetables Seasonal Hokkaido vegetables with gorgonzola and miso puree. (in the shopping bag) |
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Sizzling ayu cocotte with shimeji and enoki mushrooms,
topped with truffles. |
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Sous vide
chicken breast with guinea fowl liver pate
(Japanese foie gras),
raisins and
tomato and chilli jam.
The dish was
called KINCHO which is a
(and the shape of the dish)Japanese mosquito coil company |
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Liquid
nitrogen frozen balsamic vinaigrette, marinated potato
The plates were beautiful - and sama (fish). Glass with gold leaf sourced from Greece |
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| This dish was called 'Dinner in the forest' and was served on bark Wagyu seasoned with ayu fish sauce, ground Japanese black bean (pepper), corn, onions and baby potatoes. |
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| BEST DISH EVER!!!! Carbonara - Looks like your standard pasta dish ... |
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| But it was made of pineapple, with coconut milk and vanilla bean sauce ... |
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... and topped with grated frozen preserved apple
(to look like grana padano cheese)
|
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Takazawa told me his favourite part of the restaurant
is the bathroom. I think it fits his style perfectly.
(Don't worry the reflection is me!). |
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Japanese hospitality!
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in summary: It is not what you
think you see, but what you pay for is what you get. This is an experience not
to be best. Should you go? Put it
this way, you should have been.
aronia de takazawa
$: from $195/Y16,000 (7 courses)
address: 3-5-2 Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo
Akasaka Building, 2F backside Sanyo
Sanyo Akasaka BLD. 2F Minatoku 3-5-2
*** Note: I visited here in August 2011, but the restaurant has since
rebranded as Takazawa. Just Takazawa (kind of like the Prince).
