Nesthotel alt Kuramae Station

‘Tonkatsu is food for the masses’, explains the second-generation chef, as he aims to serve up fare that is familiar and comforting. Copper pots polished till gleaming and plain wooden counters display a craftsman’s spirit. Two pots are used: one containing hot oil and the other cooler oil. Pork loin is shorn of extra fat and thinly battered. Tonkatsu is the star attraction, so no meat is added to the pork miso soup. As the chef works, a photo of his father in chef’s whites watches over him.

‘Harmony’ and ‘circulation’ are the keywords of this dining experience. Through his partnerships with farmers, the chef returns compost to revitalise the soil. The prix fixe presentation starts with a bowl of soup. Vegetable ends are used in the soup’s creation, expressing a wish for a society that doesn’t waste food. Prepared with French techniques, the fare is simple and light. The grey of the interior creates something of a laboratory feel.

‘Simple and minimal’ is Noboru Arai’s guiding philosophy, grounded in precision. Using few ingredients and minimal seasoning, he pursues a refined, elegant expression of French cuisine. He communicates regularly with chefs of other countries, borrowing from a wide range of culinary cultures in search of originality. While French in spirit, the proprietress greets guests in kimono—an Asakusa touch that reflects the charm of Tokyo’s traditional downtown.

The chef defends the traditions and skills of Edo-style sushi while showing creativity with some innovations of his own. Japanese halfbeak and horse mackerel are accented with ginger and mirin–soy reduction; simmered conger eel is served both salted and dipped in eel sauce for taste comparison. Nigiri is shaped using rice seasoned with red vinegar—a showcase of techniques cultivated over years of experience. Treading the path of the sushi chef was a dream in his teenage years. Steady devotion to craft is a lesson learned from sushi.

Asakusa is a second hometown for the chef, who has lived here since his apprenticeship. He inherited both spirit and skill, along with tools and serving ware, from his mentor. He reveres the old teachings of the sushi world but does add a few twists of his own. He adds sweet potato shochu to rich soy syrup; to rolled omelette, he adds soy milk. The character for the chef’s surname of ‘Oku’ developed from a combination of the characters for ‘house’, ‘rice’ and ‘palm of hand’; a sign, he contends, that he was destined to run a place where he would fashion rice meals with his hands.

The motto on the noren, ‘After having tempura, finish with soba’, declares the personality of Sonoji. The chef learned the arts of both soba and tempura when he ran a shop in his native Shizuoka. For tempura pieces, he focuses on the bounty of Shizuoka’s Suruga Bay and traditional Edo seafood. Vegetables shipped directly from farmers accentuate each season. The soba served at the end of the meal is topped with kakiage of sakura shrimp, ‘the jewel of Suruga Bay’. The unique menu reflects each stage on the chef’s gastronomic journey.

Tempura pieces are deep-fried in high heat to draw out moisture for a fragrant coating. Shrimp are served two pieces in succession, fried at different temperatures to contrast the texture of rare and medium. Depending on availability, you might receive two kinds of squid, each imparting a different flavour. On the wall hangs a work of calligraphy — a gift from his mentor — casting a quiet but discerning eye over the apprentices at work. It reads ‘Menkyo Kaiden’: ‘attain full mastery of the arts of our trade’. The words seem to whisper, ‘Catch up, and surpass me.’