Gold HOTEL SHIBUYA

The billboard says ‘Chinese home cooking, Yoshida style’ and refers to nourishing Chinese food, based on yakuzen (medicinal food). Having experienced the healing power of Chinese cuisine, the owner-chef strives to devise dishes that restore bodily vigour. Helpful comments on the menu detail the effects of each, such as how mapo tofu stimulates the appetite, or sweet and sour pork with black vinegar relieves fatigue. The Beatles and other classics play in the background, making everyone feel at home.

Inside a modern space enveloped in the warmth of wood, the concept is togetherness, complementing daily life in Yoyogi Uehara. Based on Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines, the restaurant offers set meals like mapo tofu and boiled chicken during the day, and an à la carte menu in the evening. Like side dishes at home, the small dishes allow you to sample a variety of flavours. The whole crispy chicken is perfect for sharing. Friendly service makes for a pleasant experience.

The concept is ‘neo-machichuka’, ‘machichuka’ denoting an unpretentious neighbourhood Chinese restaurant and ‘neo’ referencing an upgrade for modern tastes. A culinary tune-up, so to speak, with the accent on changing aromas and textures. Red sea-bream salad, for example, is dressed with scorched rice for a smoky fragrance. Mouth-watering chicken, prepared in black vinegar to deepen the flavour, accentuates red pepper and nutty texture. Menu items are reassuringly familiar, yet each recipe harbours a novel twist.

A place to enjoy organic wine and bistro fare. The blackboard menu is filled with charcuterie such as salami and rillettes, a plentiful serving of crudités, and steak frites. Portions of this classic French cuisine are generous, perfect for sharing a plate. Signatures of wine growers who have visited the restaurant hang on the wall, telling a tale of ongoing exchange.

Chef Shinsuke Ishii brings the passion of the producers to your table with his unique recipes. Using underutilised fish species and local ingredients, he passionately conveys human connections. The fish wrapped in pie pastry, resembling taiyaki, hides a playful twist within its sophistication. The chef personally serves his creations, and the whole team unites to engage with guests. The dining experience is filled with energy and a sense of togetherness.

The second-generation chef passes on the Catalonian cuisine that the first-generation chef acquired in Barcelona. Salad of sardines and egg like grandma used to make honours the memory of this couple’s mentors. Dried cod and parsley sauce and homemade sausages convey the flavours of Catalonia, while the well-worn pots attest to the popularity of the paella. Cuisine interwoven with warm memories echoes the journey this restaurant has traced.

Sushi got its start as hawker food that flourished in Edo (old Tokyo). To impart a feeling for that culture, Tachiguisushi Sushikawa is a standup sushi bar (and is what the name means). No drinking snacks; this is nigiri only, which you can order piece by piece according to your taste. Sushi toppings display an old-school craftsmanship. The chef harbours doubts about the recent trend of taking sushi up-market, which is why he recreated the atmosphere of a real-deal, no-nonsense sushi joint. A sushi local where regulars come to chat with the chef.