Dosanjin 土山人, Nakameguro

The chef at this unassuming restaurant in a basement toward the Yamate Dori end of the Meguro River in Nakameguro creates some delicious and beautifully presented  food at very reasonable prices. Today we're here for the ¥ 1,500 lunch set which, if you're looking for a delicious light meal, and like soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) it's a perfect choice. That's not to say this is exclusively a soba restaurant, far from it; there is a wide selection of imaginative and delicious dishes available at dinner, but that's another story.

Be warned... there is no English menu here, so if you can neither read nor speak Japanese, dinner here will be a challenge to say the least, but if you can smile sweetly and say "runchie setto onegaishimasu" then you'll be all set for lunch.

After crossing the miniature rock garden, you enter and see a blond wood counter on the right which seats six, and is my favourite spot to sit; from here you can see the chef at work, and drool like one of Pavlov's dogs as he prepares the tantalising morsels you are about to taste. In addition to the counter there are a couple of semi-private spaces with tables and upright chairs, and a much larger area with low-slung seating and low tables which I personally do not find conducive to enjoyable dining.

As you sit, you'll be brought a hand towel and a cup of buckwheat tea. What follows varies slightly each visit, but is always delicious. Today we are served a small dish of salad containing warm aubergine, myoga ginger, salad leaves and a vinaigrette dressing with ume sour plum and grated radish (7/10); this is very tasty, but... next to this is another small dish containing a deliciously creamy pale green avocado tofu with a mayonnaise and white miso sauce sprinkled with crunchy soba wheat grains; it's hard to describe how good the tofu tastes or how perfectly judged the sauce is; you just have to come and try it for yourself (8/10).

The next part of the meal includes chilled soba and tempura served together. As you wait for your food to arrive, a myriad of small bowls will appear with salts - coarse for the tempura and smooth for the soba - grated wasabi root, thinly sliced green table onions and a dipping broth for the soba.

Earlier we were asked whether we wanted our soba to be normal or coarse milled (arabiki). We've chosen the coarse milled as it has a superb texture and bite. It's served cold and perfectly cooked; I could easily eat double the serving (8/10).

The soba-yu (cooking water) in a lacquered tea-pot is brought to the table toward the end to pad out the dipping sauce.

At the same time as the soba comes a selection of vegetable tempura which includes lotus root, burdock, lady's finger and baby corn, all covered in the finest, crunchiest batter. It's not the least bit oily; tastes fresh with the vegetables retaining just the right amount of crunch. Seriously well prepared and seriously healthy (8/10).

If you want dessert it's extra. Today we didn't choose to eat it.

I'll be making a dinner visit here soon and writing about the wonderful food this gifted chef serves up in the evenings. Find a Japanese friend and bring them along to translate, you won't regret it. In this reviewers opinion, the cooking at this restaurant is easily worthy of a Michelin star.


3-19-8 Aobadai
Meguro-ku
Tokyo


More information at www.dosanjin.co.jp

Aronia de Takazawa, Akasaka

I was lucky enough to be invited to dine here again this weekend. Another splendid meal was about to unfold; but first some trivia...

Ever wondered what Aronia meant? So had I; Aronia or chokeberries are cultivated as ornamental plants and also as food because they are very high in antioxidant pigment compounds. Like a kind of obscure superfruit that's really good for your health and well-being - not a lot of people know that. The implication being that eating Chef  Takazawa's food is good for you in ways you only hitherto imagined. 

Again this evening it's the nine course menu at 20,000 yen per person we will be working through; as I've mentioned before, if you want to mix it up a bit, there are shorter and longer combinations available; have a chat with Akiko when you're making your booking.

Also, as mentioned in a previous post, an email to Akiko requesting a copy of the wine list in advance helped to avert a very nasty case of "last bottle syndrome" for this visit. Feel free to email your host if you require a sneak preview of the wines on offer.

Amuse Bouche 

Tonight's opener comes in a ceramic sardine tin, which when opened reveals delicious piece of Tokizake salmon dressed with olive oil and herbs. Alongside it is another small pot of foie gras creme brulee with some tiny slices of a wholemeal nutty melba toast to accompany. The salmon is good, but the foie gras and the melba toast is very good. (7.5/10)

Next to arrive is warm bread laced with edomame beans served with a small corked glass beaker of the creamiest rillette de porc you could ever hope to taste. Thankfully a staple here. (8/10)

N.B. As always the dishes here are followed by quasi-vintages to denote the calendar year in which they were first served at the restaurant.

Ratatouille (2005) 

This dish is served on a spoon and looks like slice of a vegetable terrine wrapped in a red cabbage leaf with a jewel of crystallized salt and a piece of red bean sitting at the side. Each of the 15 constituent vegetables is cooked, steamed, vinegared, sliced, pared and seasoned to perfection. Guests are encouraged to eat it in one mouthful. Hours to prepare and about a minute to eat, but what an enjoyable minute it is! (8.5/10)

Ayu Cappuccino (2009)


Ayu is a sweet tasting Japanese fish, related to smelt. This ayu is smoked and served in a very light sour cream dressing, topped with a foam of cucumber and a generous dollop of oscietra caviar. On the side plate are a few sweet cherries, which appear to be dusted in icing sugar; the icing sugar is, in fact, salt and contrasts beautifully with the sweet cherries. Additionally we are served what appears to be a very thin square tuille which is described as ayu paper made - goodness knows how - from the bones and other left-overs from the fish; it is perfectly seasoned, translucent, impossibly thin and bursting with fishy goodness. A very complicated yet harmonious dish. (8/10)

Summer Vegetables (Seasonal)


A beautiful and delicious arrangement of various vegetables including a pate of gorgonzola and miso atop which sits a perfectly poached egg with the reddish coloured yolk described elsewhere in this blog, a sweet baby carrot, fruits tomato, baby aubergine tempura, radish, zucchini flower tempura, baby turnip and a large slice of dessicated salty black cabbage leaf. A vegetarian smorgasbord both perfectly cooked and crunchy in all the right places with the wonderfully salty hit of the dessicated cabbage leaf. A joy to look at, and a joy to eat. Never had this before. Very good. (8/10)

Puccin Pudding (2009)


This playful dish is named after a cheap convenience store creme caramel pudding. It resembles it in name only. The yellow creamy element of the pudding is a delicious blend of sweet hairy crab meat and sweetcorn. The caramel topping is constructed from tiger prawn jelly. I've eaten this before but it it truly lovely and still brings a smile to my face. (8/10)

WASABI -196ºC (2010)


This dish is brought to table with a few choice morsels of perfectly cooked wagyu beef sitting on a base of white sliced mild onions and japanese ginger (shoga) with a hint of Japanese pepper (sansho). At the side of the dish is a small dollop of freshly ground green wasabi root. Now the chef comes to the table carrying an insulated bowl full of liquid nitrogen into which he drops fresh wasabi leaves. The leaves become immediately frozen solid and placed on top of our beef. We are instructed to smash then in small pieces with our chopsticks. The combination of wagyu beef and wasabi is a very harmonious one, and the sansho leaves a very low frequency tingle on your tongue. Well constructed, delicious and extremely theatrical. (8.5/10)

Caprese (2010)


A play on the Italian Tricolor. The red colour is provided by fruits tomatoes, the white by beautifully steamed seabass, and the green by a topping of tiny basil leaves and and chervil flowers. It's all topped with a foam created from the tiger prawns. All the elements are very tasty indeed, with the chervil flowers giving a hint of aniseed to the dish. (7.5/10)

Lamb Curry Rice (New)


First new dish of the day. A plate with a lamb chop and a spare rib are served. Arranged around the plate are small silver onions covered in breadcrumbs and black sesame and deep fried - to die for. And small servings each of onion compote, carrot with cumin and finally potato with apple vinegar and garlic - again all very delicious. The chef then comes to table with a rice cooker and offers us our "curry rice". It transpires that the curry rice is a very clever thin, translucent and crispy sheet which we are told to crumble over the dish. The taste is precisely that of curried rice. Another very theatrical dish which I enjoyed very much but for one flaw; namely the fat on my and other guests' lamb chops was not seared on the outside or sufficiently softened by the cooking process, instead it retained a rather nasty  crunch. This is frustrating, because in every other way the dish was terribly clever and inventive. The tastes of all the other elements were delicious, and the "curry rice" simply boggled the mind. (7/10)

Cheese and Mango (New)


Pudding time! A cold summer cheese made from ewe's milk is served like a scoop of ice cream alongside the most deliciously sweet Miyazaki mango. The most expensive mangoes money can buy! Simple but delicious. (7.5/10)

Gazpacho (New)


It's so true that we eat partly with our eyes, and I begin to drool as soon as this dish is brought to table. Baby watermelons have been topped and hollowed out to make soup containers. They contain a delicious plum sorbet floating in a soup of salted watermelon juice and flesh, skinless Delaware grapes and peach pieces. It's a fruit explosion and utterly delicious with the salt giving a real lift to the watermelon juice. Perfectly conceived, perfectly prepared and perfectly delicious. A blissful dish. (9/10)

Petit Fours

• Green tea Madeleine 
• Mini chocolate bar (made from 56% cocoa with a hint of black pepper)
• Coconut Meringue Finger
• Aoyouzu Marshmallow

Getting rather full now, but manage to force them down. The chocolate and the marshmallow being particularly delicious. (7/10)

Dining here is always special; part gastronomic event, part theatre, and enormous fun. Tonight was no exception. And with only one bump in the road, this has to go down as one of the best meals I have ever eaten here.

Email well in advance, and Akiko, who speaks excellent English, will help you to arrange your evening.

2F Sanyo Akasaka Bldg  

3-5-2 Akasaka

Minato-ku

Tokyo

〒 107-0052 

Tel :03-3505-5052 

Chez Olivier, Ichigaya

If you're coming here for the first time, and taking a taxi, make sure the driver uses his navigation, as this charming restaurant is a little off the beaten track, and you won't want to be late...

For those of you who don't know, the Chef Patron, Olivier Oddos, eventually moved to Paris where he worked at the Drouant Restaurant and the Hotel Meurice. Later, Olivier was invited to become the Sous Chef at La Tour d’Argent where he worked with Chef Bernard Guilhaudin.


In 2000, Chef Oddos joined L'Ecole Cordon Bleu in Japan. In 2003 he became the Executive Chef at the Kobe school, and in 2007 became the Executive Chef Cuisine for Japan, and Technical Director for Tokyo before setting up on his own in 2009.


We are welcomed by the friendly staff and offered a glass of of Louis Roederer NV champagne at a counter bar area close to the entrance While our party gathers, we are served home-made meaty pork rillette - which is a little over-chilled, and slightly cold to the taste, but quite delicious nevertheless. (6.5/10)

With the rillette we are offered  some rather good home-bread; it is cigar-shaped, with a firm crust and a soft interior. (7/10)

Soon we are ushered to our table in the light, simply decorated and modern dining room. There is no linen tablecloth, which is a pity, but the table is very pleasantly presented and more than comfortable enough for the four of us.

The menu is brief and well constructed, with an a la carte section and several tasting menus but on several friend's advice we opt for the dinner tasting menu - the most extensive meal on offer - priced at ¥8,500 per person (subject to 10% service charge).

Amuse Bouche

A rich, deep tomato soup is served in a small glass, topped with a mousse of halloumi cheese. On the side is a ceramic spoon with what appears to be a small albino egg yolk topped with basil and olive oil. The egg yolk is, of course, a "soup" of yet more halloumi cheese cleverly transfigured using the techniques of molecular gastronomy. Good taste combinations; I could have eaten several helpings of this dish. Delicious. (7/10)

Foie Gras de Canard Poele, Vinaigre de Mange et Mangue Caramelisee

I need to get out more, because this is the first time I've ever eaten caramelised mango with foie gras; I sincerely hope it will not be the last. There's just the right amount of tartness in the caramelised fruit and vinegar to cut through the richness of the duck liver. Even the delicate arrangement of leaves sitting quietly in the corner of the plate taste extraordinary. It's all washed down nicely with a glass or two of Domaine Cauhape Jurancon 2008. Bliss. (8/10)

Veloute d'Asperges Vertes, Emulsion de Poitrine Fumee


I love the asparagus season, and this soup is quite delicious, not overly creamy so you can really taste the asparagus; topped with a light mousse with the flavour of smoked pork belly. It's finished with a dusting of minute salty, crunchy bacon bits. Very well done indeed. (7.5/10)


Dos de Bar Cuit a la Vapeur, Risotto a l'Ence de Seiche, Emulsion de Roquette et Gingembre


We are told this is the signature dish of the Chef, and from the moment it arrives at table it's clear why. Visual appeal is very important in dining, and this dish is as pretty as a picture. It is filled with vibrant colours; the kind of dish that makes you drool with anticipation. But unlike some pretty looking dishes, this one only gets better when you taste it.
A perfectly moist piece of steamed bass sits on top of a perfectly cooked squid ink risotto. The risotto is surrounded by a moat of vibrant green rocket soup flavoured with a perfect hint of ginger. The fish is topped with a sliver of dried tomato and a rocket leaf.
I have used the word perfect a lot in this description, and that is deliberate. This is one of the most delicious dishes I have eaten in a long time. Superb. (9/10)


Sorbet Pommes Vertes et "Wasabi"


A palate cleanser of apple sorbet flavoured with wasabi. An unusual and surprisingly pleasant combination of tastes. Is it just me, or is that wasabi getting fierier the further down the glass I get? This one certainly blows away the cobwebs. (6.5/10)


Filet de Boeuf de Hokkaido poele, Legumes de Moment, Polenta Cremeuse, Sauce Bordelaise


Here we have another beautifully presented dish. The meat is moist, perfectly a point (medium) and not too fatty, as is too often the case with wagyu. A small selection of flavoursome vegetables are well cooked and tasty. We also have a creamy polenta which has a wonderful texture but is a little under-seasoned for my taste.The dish is finished with an unctuous red wine sauce bordelaise. I'm not keen on the rather odd knives we are given to eat our meat; I think meat always tastes better eaten with a Laguiole knife; but then I'm a dreadful snob about things like that.(7/10)


Cheeses


We order, at extra cost, two plates of assorted cheese, which is more than enough to share between four diners. The selection includes:

• Brillat Savarin
• Montbriac
• Valencay
• Comte (18m)
• Lou Caussinhol

The cheeses are all presented in tip top condition, although they are served in a rather austere way with no gorgeous bread, compotes or other bits and pieces to augment the pleasure of the cheese. (7/10)


To bring the meal to a close we are offered a choice of desserts from the following six selections:

• Creme Brulee aux Epices
• Gelee de Fruits Rouges Infusee a la Citronelle, Fromage Blanc au Gingembre Crumble
• Mousee au Chocolat au Caramel Sale
• Fondant Chaud au Chocolat Guanaja "Valrhona", Glace a la Vanille de Tahiti ou Sorbet de Framboises
• Macaon a l'Huile d'Olive, Creme Citron et Olive Confite, Sorbet Citron
• Cafe Liegeois

The desserts we chose generally well received. The fruit jelly with ginger crumble (7/10) and the macaroon with lemon sorbet (7.5/10) are both very good. Sadly two of four diners, myself included, go for the chocolate fondant; we both agreed that something here was not right. Rather than a soft and yielding cake filled with a slowly oozing chocolate centre, we both found the exterior to be rather hard-baked and the filling too runny, although the raspberry sorbet that was served with it was delicious. (5/10)

Dinner is followed by tea or coffee.

At ¥8,500 per person (excluding cheese) this menu represents very good value for money. The ingredients are  high quality and cooked with imagination and flair. The dining room has a warm atmosphere, with polite and knowledgeable staff. From time to time the inscrutable Chef Olivier shimmers calmly through the dining room to ensure everything is running smoothly.

In this diner's opinion, this restaurant easily warrants one Michelin star. Improvements could be made to the wine list to better compliment to the high quality of the food. Linen tablecloths would also be a welcome improvement. All this said, I will coming here again, hopefully before Michelin find it and I can't get a table any more. And if you haven't been yet, you should.


Chez Olivier
4-1-10 Kudan Minami,
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-0074


Tel: 03-6268 9933