Restaurants Archive

Finally got some pictures up from Yamada Chikara restaurant. Captions are underneath the enlarged photos.

I was invited to go to Yamada Chiakara, a restaurant founded by the chef with same name. Mr. Yamada and his wife offer a Kaiseki course Japanese food, but with the Ferran touch. Ferran’s restaurant elBulli in the Spanish Catalonia region is best well known for it’s science lab type methods of cooking. Powdering liquids with liquid hydrogen, foamy aired liquids and more. Mr. Chikara has studied under Ferran. What makes this restaurant so interesting is Yamada’s use of Japanese elements and Ferran’s methods.

From Wikipedia

El Bulli is a three Michelin starred restaurant run by chef Ferran Adrian in Roses on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain. The small restaurant overlooks the Cala Monjoi bay, and has been described as “the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet”.[1], with a great deal of work done on molecular gastronomy. Restaurant has judged El Bulli the best restaurant in the world a record four times in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008.[2]

The restaurant has a limited season from April to September; bookings are taken on a single day in the previous October. It accommodates only 8,000 diners a season, with 800,000 people calling to try and book places around 400 requests for every table. The average cost of a meal is 250; the restaurant itself has operated at a loss since 2000, with operating profit coming from El Bulli-related books, and lectures from Adrian.[3][1] As of April 2008, the restaurant employed 42 chefs.[2]

Roger M. Buergel, Director of the Kassel Documenta 12 art show in 2007, designated El Bulli as Pavilion G of Documenta.[4]

September 15th is Keiroukanshano hi, or a national Japanese holiday to give respects to the elderly. Many families take their Grandpa and Grandma to dinner or an outing, we took our grand grand mother to dinner at Sushi Kanesaka. She is 95 years old and still alive and well.

We were lucky enough to a table at?Quintessence. It has been impossible to book this place after the young chef was awarded the highest honors from the French. ?I absolutely did not like it. A lot of exotic cheese (mostly goat which I do not eat) was used in the dishes. I wonder why they kept on serving us dishes with cheese. I will never go here again. I am sure for the gamy fan this is heaven.

Gora Kadan is one of the prime onsen (hot springs) bath and hotel in Hakone. Frequented by international celebrities, the SPA and the bath is said to be one of the best in Japan. Hakone is a nice 2 hour drive from Tokyo. You can also take the train from Shinjyuku.

We Japanese have a tradition of eating Soba Noodles at the end of the year. Traditionally families cleaned their houses at the end of the year called “ousouji” and got together to eat Soba Noodles to pass the year watching TV shows. This is Mr Hori, a Soba Maestro making the noodles from Soba flour and water. Every step needs to be managed extremely quickly and with the right force, otherwise the batter will dry and Soba will crack with the humidity escaping to the ether. Watching a craftsman work is really entertaining and makes you more hungry… Notice the glass walled Soba cubicle and the elegant black chandelier..

Kanesaka is one of the 2 star Michelin Tokyo Sushi restaurant. Make sure Mr. Kanesaka is serving you. Kanesaka is located in Ginza.