Hotel Noel

The lines that form outside Tensuke at lunchtime are a part of the Koenji landscape. Inside, one voice after another calls for the ‘Egg Lunch’. Accompanying the speciality of deep-fried egg on rice, tempura items are fried in a set order. Another speciality is the performance of the chef, who tosses the eggshells in the air in poses worthy of a kabuki actor. The idea is to make the waiting time fun, too. Deep-fried eggs fill mouths with yolk and smiles.

Sushi items lined up inside a glass display case ooze Showa-era ambience. A sushi shop of the old school, and that’s how the chef likes it. Cutting and serving the sushi himself, the chef offers everything from omakase set menus to à la carte. Tuna is marinated in soy sauce; conger eel is coated in a thick, sweet eel sauce; and egg is served ‘kurakake’ or ‘saddle-style’: layered into a cake and split over a bite-sized mound of vinegared rice. The character for ‘sushi’ combines the characters for ‘fish’ and ‘delicious’. The pursuit of essential Edo style expresses the chef’s pride in his craft

With close cooperation with food producers as his creed, the chef devotes himself to his 100% buckwheat juwari soba. He only uses ingredients native to Japan, to convey the charm of old-school soba. Depending where his ingredients come from, his soba may be served on a wickerwork tray, and may be either coarse-ground or ground with husks included. His inquiring mind drives him to check each day’s soba, adjusting thickness and serving temperature according to its nature. His diligent application is raising soba to new levels, as his many regulars would agree.

The soup accentuates the umami of the meats with the flavour of dried sardines; if you’re looking for soup with a unique and beguiling taste, you’ve found it here. Chashumen, ramen topped with roasted pork, is so covered in pork slices that they hide the noodles. Rice is available as an extra with the ramen, so try placing some of the roasted pork on top of it to make chashudon, roast-pork rice. Impressive and satisfying indeed, as if to say there is ramen here.

The founder of Sushi Yoshino was once an apprentice at a well-known sushi restaurant in Tokyo’s Kyobashi district. When he became independent, he inherited the shop name, and now his heir and son have hung out their shingle together. Sushi toppings prepared in the old-school way are paired with sushi rice made with red vinegar. The shop captivates with the spirit of a true sushi restaurant. Lighting is used effectively in view of the basement location and the long counter of zelkova wood is a striking feature. Enjoy craftsmanship in both the sushi and the décor.

A Thai restaurant that showcases the cuisine of the ancient city of Chiang Mai and the Isaan region in northeastern Thailand. The menu includes a salad of pounded green papaya, fermented pork sausages, and a soup of stewed beef and herbs. The local style is to eat these with sticky rice steamed in a bamboo basket. The sour and spicy flavours of fermented seasonings, along with the aromas of citrus and fresh herbs, evoke a Thai dinner table.

The name ‘sanka’ refers to three aromas — a trinity of ingredients, sauce and wine. Classical foundations are revisited and reinterpreted through original ideas. A signature dish showcases several varieties of potato, prepared using a range of techniques, sauces and powders to draw out their deep, earthy character. In the spirit of ‘onko-chishin’, the restaurant seeks to evolve French cuisine by learning from the past.