RESTAURANTS YOU MUST TRY IN TOKYO’S GOURMET TOWN, MINATO CITY

There are many places throughout the world, like London, New York and Paris, renowned as gastronomic cities. Tokyo, meanwhile, is also a world-class gourmet city. Browsing through the international restaurants in the Michelin Guide, Tokyo has the most Michelin-starred restaurants. In fact, in the guide’s 2015 edition, Tokyo had 226 restaurants, while Paris came in a distant second with 94 restaurants.

Among so many Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo, Minato City -- a special ward in Tokyo city -- has gained a reputation as a gourmet district where the embassies of various countries and the headquarters of international companies, including Sony and Toshiba, are located.

Should you ever have the opportunity to get a taste of Minato City’s restaurants, here’s a guide to six of them that are highly recommended by people we know. Some of the restaurants are very historical and prestigious, while others have a history of welcoming well-known celebrities.

COMPTOIR MISSAGO: FRENCH CHARMS

This is perfect for those who want to try exquisite French cuisine in Minato City. The restaurant’s owner and head chef, Yoshimasa Tsuchikiri, gets prized ingredients from all over Japan and across the world on a personal quest for delicious fare.

Of particular recommendation are the carefully selected, natural wild game dishes – a term for exotic foods – uncommonly seen at other restaurants, like the wild mallard duck, caught by the head chef’s father-in-law without inflicting any wounds on the animal, as well as wild boar from Gifu prefecture.

The dishes are causing a buzz even among Japan’s seasoned epicureans. The pairing of exquisite French and Japanese tastes that unfolds on the counter before your eyes is surely a unique food culture experience which, in all of Tokyo, is offered only in Minato City.

Name: Comptoir Missago
Address: 4-17-22 Nishiazabu,
Minato City, Tokyo

OKAMEZUSHI: SUSHI DELIGHTS

Sushi lovers should try the delectable selections provided by Okamezushi, a restaurant with a distinguished history that was established during the Edo period. The highest-grade fish, procured daily from the Tsukiji fish market to provide unbeatable freshness, is pressed onto sushi rice prepared using a technique preserved from the Edo period. You can’t help but feel that the refinement of an art is incorporated in that seemingly unremarkable and negligible effort.

Spend a night on the town in Tokyo and experience authentic sushi unaffected by the passage of time, safeguarded at this restaurant that has been serving people for over 160 years.

Name: Okamezushi
Address: 2-3-2 Shibadaimon, Minato City, Tokyo

NODAIWA: GLAMOROUS EEL RESTAURANT

For those who want to try tasty eel (or unagi in Japanese) in Minato City, we recommend Nodaiwa, a restaurant that has been in operation since the Edo period. Japanese kabuki actors and renowned literary masters also love the restaurant thanks to its excellence. Moreover, the restaurant’s fame has extended to the gastronomic city of Paris, where a branch is currently operating.

The juicy eel meat, lightly steamed using an Edo-style technique preserved for over two centuries in which an unskinned fillet is grilled at a high temperature over charcoal, is truly an enchanting dish.

Name: Nodaiwa
Address: 1-5-4 Higashi-Azabu, Minato City, Tokyo

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MITA SARASHINA: WARM AND YUMMY SOBA NOODLES

Warm and savory: these are why a lot of people are noodle lovers. To taste one of the most outstanding Japanese soba noodles you should try Mita Sarashina, where you can enjoy homemade Japanese soba at a reasonable price.

The restaurant’s owner, who actually serves as the branch head of the Tokyo Noodles Cooperative, is a leading figure in Tokyo’s noodle field. The building is designed in a way that allows restaurant operations on its first floor and basement, while the noodle production takes place on the building’s sixth floor. Every morning, the owner personally makes the udon and soba noodles offered in the restaurant.

Come and try Japan’s tasty noodles at a restaurant where the owner is fully dedicated to personally offering every delicious item at a reasonable price.

Name: Mita Sarashina
Address: 5-29-25 Shiba,
Minato City, Tokyo

TSUKUDA STEAKHOUSE: GRILLED TO PERFECTION

Those who want to try mouthwatering steak in Minato City should go to Tsukuda steakhouse, owned by a veteran hotel chef who cut his teeth serving grilled teppanyaki cuisine to numerous celebrities and has 30 years of experience at the Tokyo Prince Hotel.

Needless to say, the menu comprises only top-class items. Diners can enjoy the art of teppanyaki grilling at its finest with the highest-grade beef and seafood that the restaurant can procure to ensure the great reputation of the head chef and owner. He also pays great attention to detail, preparing the exact amount of dressing and steak sauce needed for the day on a daily basis. Come to this secluded restaurant, which has only eight seats.

Name: Tsukuda Steakhouse
Address: 3-1-1 Mita, Minato City, Tokyo

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