Odakyu Hotel Century Southern Tower

The counter spreads like a fan, so guests surround the kitchen. Chef and apprentice serve snacks and nigiri in turn, moving in perfect harmony. The house snack is iwashi-isobemaki, bite-sized pieces of pilchard wrapped in nori. Old-school sushi craftsmanship is woven in, such as spring sea bream topped with sweetened egg yolk flakes and lean tuna paired with mustard. In mutual support between restaurateur and farmers, sushi rice comes from the chef’s native Noto Peninsula. The team keeps the sushi smoothly flowing with deft motions, serving each guest with just the right intervals. ‘Takumi’ me

The chef’s grandparents’ house once stood on this land. He harboured a lifelong dream of becoming a sushi artisan; the first knife he ever held was a gift from his grandfather. Never forgetting the spirit of the novice, the chef takes an honest, no-nonsense approach to his ingredients. “Letting the ingredients do the talking is not the same as doing nothing,” he says—and indeed, the chef devotes great time and effort to food preparation. As an apprentice, he learned from his mentor that cooking means thinking for yourself. The work of the old days inspires today’s creativity.

This has been in operation since starting life as a food stall in the postwar years. An old photo on the first floor shows the original sign from those early days. The ‘Tori’ in Torishige reflects an earlier usage, when yakitori referred to pork as well as chicken skewers; ‘shige’ is in honour of the Prime Minister of that time, Shigeru Yoshida. In place of chopsticks, two bamboo skewers are used; meat-stuffed bell peppers are a tradition since the first generation. Beef was added by the second-generation chef; the use of rare cuts is an innovation by the current chef. In era after era, Torish

The team at Den welcomes guests with bright smiles and easy conversation. A playful, inventive menu brings a fresh perspective to Japanese cuisine. The omakase menu begins with monaka, a wafer sandwich filled with foie gras seasoned with miso, along with fruits and vegetables. Fried chicken wing tips are stuffed with iimushi, mochi rice steamed with seasonal toppings. The delight of his guests is what drives the chef. Original thinking gives rise to the sort of fun dining experience only Den can offer.

Prix fixe is the rule here, but with plenty of room for choice. Traditional fare includes favourites such as pâté de campagne, smoked salmon and roast lamb. Standard dishes are always on the menu, constantly being improved as the chef hones his skills with each dish. The chef prepares his creations in silence, the very picture of the craftsman, pouring his passion into simple French cuisine that brings out the native goodness of the ingredients.

Love of shellfish above all else led the chef of Ubuka to tread the culinary path. He has done his homework, and the results show in a menu filled with crab and prawn suggestions. Some items follow kaiseki style, while others are Western in influence. Terrine of hair crab is an idea borrowed from French cuisine; fried prawns are immersed in sauce américaine. The meal concludes with crab and vegetables on rice cooked in an earthenware pot. Portions are generous to ensure guests can fully appreciate their shellfish. No wonder this restaurant is so busy.

Makoto Onozawa finds inventive ways to break the mould while respecting tradition. Soup dishes and sashimi uphold the basics, reassuring the diner. Broiled unagi seasoned in soy-based sweet sauce is served together with broiled unseasoned unagi for a special treat. Rolled sushi of tuna and pickled daikon radish are served in the intervals, bringing satisfaction. The meal concludes on two comfort-food notes: soba and curry. Breaking tradition, after all, is about seeing the job to completion.