HOTEL Hermitage Ogikubo

The chef devotes himself to good health through a balanced diet, using Chinese medicines as seasoning to serve food that is salutary for both mind and body. Vegetables from his native Oita are grown by natural methods, making them gentle to the constitution. At dinner, there is a wide range of à la carte dishes, leaning toward Sichuan and Shanghai influences. The chef allows himself an individual take with the mapo tofu: drawing on a wealth of experience, he offers a choice of Sichuan, aged doubanjiang (Chinese broad bean chili paste) and salt. Lunchtime set menus are also popular.

The chef ’s aim is to create a ramen shop beloved by locals. He sources ingredients from greengrocers and butchers in Nishiogi, treasuring his interactions with local people. The distance from the train station is also a blessing, as neighbourhood schoolchildren and their families can be seen sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, happily slurping noodles. As befits the ‘Seimenjo’, or ‘noodle-maker’, in the name, his use of Japanese wheat is a selling point. In addition to standard thin noodles, he also offers flat noodles. The miso flavour is a much-anticipated treat in autumn and winter.

The chef heard the call to the culinary life one day while riding his father’s motorcycle on a long tour around the Seto Inland Sea. When he happened upon a ramen shop along the way, the taste of the salty soba touched his soul. He combines a clear seafood broth with homemade noodles crafted with aroma in mind. The ceiling decoration recalls the roof of an old-time food stall, honouring how ramen culture spread in his native Hiroshima Prefecture.

This restaurant is temporarily closed due to relocation. This counter-style restaurant hangs out its shingle in a corner of the roundabout in front of the north entrance to Ogikubo Station. Chef Kotaro Tachibana bases the menu around vegetables, showcasing the depth of Japanese cuisine. Takiawase highlight the ever-changing faces of nature, with colourful vegetables that cool you in summer and warm you in winter. Appetiser platters arrayed with salad with mashed tofu dressing, seasoned boiled greens and vegetables dressed with sesame sauce calm the soul still further with their savoury flavour

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.

Aged sushi prepared with originality and passion. Yutaka Isayama rests fish to bring out aroma, tenderness and flavour, focusing closely on ageing technique to impart a certain wildness of taste. Snacks are interspersed so as not to jade the palate with a succession of intensely flavoured sushi toppings. Aged sushi pairs well with sake, so ask the proprietress, an accomplished sake sommelier, for suggestions.

Piped jazz fills the air at this little counter wrapped around a grill. When his mentor let him open up his own branch, the chef put down roots in Asagaya. Emulating his mentor, he grills Okukuji Shamo chicken, pairing it with wines. Prix fixe menus alternate between chicken and vegetables. The value of the rare chicken cut known as the ‘oyster’ was revealed in this area as well, leading to its popularity. Free-range chicken as you’ve never tasted it.