Hyperlocal Tokyo

It's been a while, but I was taken to "Kawada" in Ningyocho. It's a 5-minute walk from Ningyocho Station, and you'll find the entrance to the basement along a small street. The restaurant has a luxurious counter with 7 seats. The course started right away. I visited in September, so I enjoyed the seasonal course. First, there was white sweet potato stem. It was warming with a hint of ginger. Then, there was steamed sea bream with sesame rice. The sticky sea bream and the sesame flavor were delicious. Eggplant was served with miso uni. The uni was delicious on its own, but the richness of the miso enhanced the flavor. It was a visually autumnal dish. There was fried abalone mushroom and conger eel with fresh ginkgo nuts. The fluffy ginkgo nuts were also delicious. There was a dish with chestnut and a rich, sticky sweet bean paste. The sashimi was a two-piece assortment of sea bream and bonito. It was full of aroma. Next, there was soup. A luxurious soup with conger eel and matsutake mushrooms. It was pure bliss to savor the seasonal ingredients in their simplest form. The grilled fish was fluffy and moist. Matsutake mushroom tempura with a crispy, thin batter. The rice dish was colorful with shrimp, taro root, and other ingredients. And what surprised me was the final rice dish. There were four different kinds! I didn't take a picture of the first one, which was seaweed rice. The second one was pickled egg yolk rice. The third one was dried shrimp and sansho pepper rice. And the last one was beef simmered in soy sauce rice. I was amazed that there were so many final rice dishes. They were all delicious, and I understand why this restaurant is so popular and hard to get a reservation at. I wonder when I'll be able to visit again. Thank you for the meal!

The head chef and staff are wonderful. Personally, I wasn't impressed by any of the dishes. Considering the price, I think each dish could have been more substantial, and the quality of the ingredients was also lacking. I believe they should improve the quality. The first dish was a chilled consommé of sea bream with uni. Since it's the first dish, when you're hungry, it would be better to include some ingredients with a more substantial texture to chew on. The second dish was grilled sushi with conger eel. It felt like it had been prepared in advance, so serving it with warm vinegared rice and freshly grilled conger eel would raise the temperature and create a nice contrast with the cold first dish. The rest of the dishes didn't leave much of an impression.

This restaurant was opened by Kawada-san, who trained for 13 years at Isetsuki. It's been about a year since he became independent. The meals are relatively high in carbohydrates, starting with mochi and rice. There are also about six different rice dishes to finish with, leaving you feeling full. With drinks, the cost per person is around 37,000 yen. As of the end of January, the next reservation is in April.

The owner is from the Ginza restaurant, Isetsuki. Like Isetsuki, Kyoaji serves meticulously prepared dishes, presented in small portions so you don't feel overly full. The owner is also very humble and approachable, never giving off an arrogant vibe. The restaurant has a very comfortable atmosphere. I think it will become a popular spot in no time.

I visited Kawada! The dishes were all made with the freshest ingredients, showcasing their peak season flavors. The main course was rice, but there was so much I couldn't finish it all. The plating and seasoning were simple but delicious. While there weren't any particularly surprising dishes, everything was pleasantly tasty.