With 24,000 Japanese restaurants around the world, how do you find the real deal? Here's a guide to some of the best in cities around the globe-from Tokyo to Paris to that city by the Bay.
Along with anime and karaoke, food has been Japan's biggest cultural export hit in the past decade. There are now about 24,000 Japanese restaurants around the world, according to the Japanese Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries Ministry. Those eateries prepare everything from sushi to soba noodles, tempura to skewered grilled chicken. The U.S. alone has some 9,000 Japanese restaurants — more than double the number 10 years ago, according to the ministry's estimates.
The good news for hard-core foodies: Most of the world's big cities now have their share of high-end Japanese restaurants. But the boom also has brought a huge disparity in quality and authenticity. That's a cause for concern in Japan. The country's culinary establishment fears a bad meal could hinder rather than help the popularity of Japanese food overseas. Tokyo even briefly flirted with the idea of an official seal of approval to help restaurant-goers overseas find eateries serving genuine Japanese cuisine.
World's Ten Best Japanese Restaurants:
1. HamadayaTokyo
www.hamadaya.info
When Michelin published its first guide to Tokyo restaurants last month, Hamadaya was one of five Japanese restaurants that received the highest, three-star rating. Established in 1912, Hamadaya favors seasonal dishes served in tatami-mat rooms that overlook a Japanese garden. This style of traditional restaurant is known as a ryotei, which serves kaiseki, or haute cuisine, and rotates its menu weekly. Hamadaya is often the venue of choice among politicians, financiers, and corporate bigwigs. It's certainly not for everyone: A power lunch will set you back $135 per person.
2. Komuro
Tokyo
Specializing in kaiseki cuisine, Mitsuhiro Komuro's eponymous restaurant is set in Kagurazaka, one of Tokyo's few active geisha districts. Six days a week, Komuro stands in a kitchen about the size of a walk-in closet, chatting with customers who sit on the other side of a waist-high, L-shaped counter that fits just eight. Diners pay $150-$200 for his 10-course meals, which feature delicacies such as hamo, or pike conger eel, in the summer and forest-harvested matsutake mushrooms from Tamba in western Japan in the fall. Komuro's widely acclaimed meals earned his restaurant one star in the Michelin guide, which honored 150 restaurants in Tokyo with one or more stars.
3. Kiku
London
www.kikurestaurant.co.uk
Located in London's West End, Kiku is popular with staff from the nearby Japanese embassy. Critics reckon that the authentic dishes and atmosphere, and sushi prepared in front of diners by the master chef, make Kiku close to a true Tokyo experience.
4. Isami
Paris
Often rated the best sushi restaurant in Paris, Isami also ranks first among the city's top 50 Japanese restaurants in a guide to Japanese food in France published by Cuisine Japonaise Authentique, a private organization. Expect to find plenty of Japanese tourists among the diners, and not just because of the delectable dishes. Isami was also a favorite of Keiko Kishi, a renowned Japanese actress who lived in Paris for years.
5. Aida
Paris
www.aidaparis.com
Aida's specialty is its teppanyaki—fresh seafood, meat, and vegetables grilled on a searing hot stainless-steel grill. Also featured in Cuisine Japonaise Authentique's guide to Paris, the restaurant has seats along a counter where diners can watch chef Koji Aida whip up meals.
6. Kinugawa
Paris
Kinugawa is a landmark among Japanese restaurants in Paris. It has offered Japan's exquisite kaiseki cuisine for more than two decades. Only a few minutes' walk from the Tuileries Metro station, it's a favorite among French celebrities. Wine and dine with the rich and famous for $110, which gets you a bento box lunch with dessert.
7. Matsuhisa
Los Angeles
www.nobumatsuhisa.com
Founded in 1987 by superstar chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Matsuhisa is arguably the most famous high-end Japanese restaurant chain in the world. Many dishes combine traditional Japanese sauces and spices with food grown locally. With actor Robert De Niro as a business partner, Matsuhisa's empire extends to 19 restaurants worldwide, including in New York, Tokyo, and London.
8. Jewel Bako
New York
Located in New York's East Village, this sushi restaurant features a striking tunnel of curved bamboo slats that was conceived by Japanese architect Hiromi Tsuruta. The husband-and-wife proprietors who run this tiny eatery are a stickler for fresh fish and boast a bountiful list of sake imported from Japan.
9. Asanebo
Los Angeles
Situated in the fiercely competitive Los Angeles district abutting Hollywood's studios, Asanebo offers a wealth of innovative dishes to satisfy the most discerning palates. Popular dishes include halibut with citrus pepper, sautéed baby abalone with shiitake mushrooms and garlic, and steamed red snapper with soba noodles.
10. Sushi Ran
San Francisco
www.sushiran.com
Sushi Ran is ranked among the top five restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and recently added a Michelin star to its trophy case. Run by Okinawa native Yoshi Tome, this restaurant's delightful mixture of traditional Japanese and Pacific fusion dishes is the creation of ponytailed Executive Chef Scott Whitman. Sushi Ran has a 300-bottle wine list and 30 types of sake, spanning the taste spectrum from sweet to dry.
Source: BusinessWeek
Pics from Perago89, Helengliu
Comments