Shibuya, Tokyo: Meiji Jingu Shrine

The Meiji Jingu Shrine is a Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. It is located in Shibuya, Tokyo. Before entering the shine, you have to wash both of your hands and raise your mouth out. Here's a good video demonstration.

At the shrine, we watched several ceremonies during the Autumn Grand Festival as well as other Shinto activities, like offerings at the main hall, buying charms and amulets or writing a wish on an ema. 

Tokyo, Japan: Takazawa

I learned about Aronia de Takazawa after reading this article from the Wall Street Journal. It was a two seat restaurant located behind the Sanyo building in Akasaka. Aronia de Takazawa closed earlier this year and reopened as Takazawa in May. The restaurant now accommodates at its maximum capacity of 10 seats.

For years I was intrigued by this small restaurant. As soon as I booked my flight to Tokyo, this was the first reservation I made. Unfortunately, the restaurant didn't take reservations until up to 2 months in advanced. I had to wait 4 months to make a reservation which was probably the longest wait I had to endure for any restaurant. The wait was worth it because I was not disappointed.

The menu consists of dishes created by Chef Takazawa from previous menus. Sort of like the greatest hits of Chef Takazawa. The wine program was superb but we opted to do a partial wine tasting as I get full easily with wine.

Amuse Bouche

Salmon Roe and Rice

 

Ratatouille (2005)

Vegetable Parfait (2011) 

Pucchin Pudding (2009)

Powdery Dressing (2006) 

Candleholder (2007)

 Hot Balloon (2008)

Dinner in the Forest - Wagyu (2009) 

Macadamia Nut (2009) 

My favorite Japanese wine - Clateau Mercian (2008)

Takazawa's Special Blue Cheese (2011) 

 Petite Fours

 Espresso

I'm glad I found the WSJ article as Takazawa was able to deliver a unique experience like no other. The intimate setting along with whimsical dishes shows that you don't need to have three Michelin stars to have a great meal.

Takasawa

3-5-2 Akasaka Building 2F

Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

http://www.takazawa-y.co.jp

Tokyo, Japan: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

It's no surprise that any Joel Robuchon restaurant will be on my dining agenda. Hubs and I have dined at his restaurants in Las Vegas, Monaco, Singapore and now Tokyo. Japan has the most Robuchon establishments than any other country, even France (he has restaurants in 9 countries).

I chose the L'Atelier restaurant because I was too lazy to dress up for the ultra elegant Le Chateau de Robuchon in Ebisu. To be honest, I enjoy restaurants where there is no dress code.

L'Atelier is similar to all of the other locations around the world. I think the Tokyo restaurant is by far the largest compared to Las Vegas and Singapore. It seems all of the chefs were Japanese and no French chef yelling at anyone. I still feel bad for the chef in Singapore who almost burned the foie gras.

After being seated, we were greeted by our French server Sylvan. I make it a point to remember the names of our servers or sommeliers at every Robuchon restaurant. We met the sommelier from Las Vegas (Jonathan) in Singapore last year. We hope to see Sylvan again at another location someday.

Amuse Bouche

Pork Rillette Crostini

Le Jambon

Iberico de Bellota ham with toasted tomato bread

 I forgot what this was called. It was a grilled fish dish. I can't seem to find a description anywhere.

Le Boeuf

Wagyu ribeye with truffled mashed potatoes

Le Foie Gras de Canard

Foie gras with Parmesan Risotto

Caramelized pear with a cinnamon tart

La Tendance Chocolat

araguani chocolate ganache served with a cocoa sherbet covered with bitter biscuit powder

The sauteed foie gras with parmesan risotto was epic. Now I understand why this place is busy during lunch. This is THE dish to order. 

Next door to the restaurant is a small bakery called La Boutique where you can purchase pastries, teas, cookies and small desserts.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Sylvan walked out of the dining area to bid us farewell. He was an excellent server and we hope to see him again perhaps in Singapore or Hong Kong!

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Roppongi 6-10-2, Roppongi Hills, Hillside 220
Tokyo, Japan