旅馆 Katsutaro

‘Tentenkyokyo’ carries the heartfelt wish that guests will enjoy tempura and soba to their heart’s content. Shiba shrimp, skewered and deep-fried, is a standard of soba-shop tempura beloved since the Edo period. Although the sea from which shiba shrimp were once harvested has been reclaimed as land, the tradition lives on. Shiba-shrimp tempura embodies the spirit of Edo, and the food culture resonates even today. For your omakase set menu, you can choose whether to include small dishes in the bill of fare or focus solely on tempura.

‘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.

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 chef opened a small restaurant, Ma Poule to celebrate the appeal of Jura, in eastern France. This region, with its beautiful forests, valleys and wetlands and its wonderful ingredients and people, made a profound impression on the chef. Chicken and morels in sauce vin jaune is a Jura dish in which the chef takes great pride. This dish is paired with specially produced yellow wine. The façade and interior, and even proprietress’s clothing, are yellow as well. A restaurant filled with love of Jura.

This popular spot lies in a back-alley near Ameya-Yokocho. Defending the restaurant’s noren is its third-generation chef, who grew up in this part of Ueno but sharpened his skills in Europe. Tonkatsu here is primarily pork loin cutlets. Applying his knowledge of Western techniques, the chef fries thick cuts of pork in relatively cool lard over a gentle flame. With rock salt, Worcestershire sauce, tonkatsu sauce and soy sauce on offer, it’s fun to compare how each tastes. Be prepared to queue first.

Since its inception in 1905, this Western restaurant has been run by four generations of the same family. The chef’s famous cutlet is deep-fried in lard carefully trimmed from the pork he will fry. Everything is done by hand, as it has been from the first generation. The youthful energy and practiced skill of the chef is evident in every detail, even down to the hand-chopped cabbage. Traditional flavours and skills testify to his mettle. Delicious fare and the gentle ambience of a family enterprise make everyone feel at home.

Thai culinary culture interpreted through Japanese ingredients. She moved to Bangkok and honed her culinary skills, now offer her cuisine prix fixe. Chopped mix of pomelo and seafood derives from the table of the royal court; rice vermicelli yakisoba is inspired by Bangkok street food. Curries are prepared with fresh-pressed coconut milk. Regional cuisines are reproduced using fermented or matured homemade seasonings. KHAO overflows with inquisitiveness and passion for Thai cuisine.