Photos by Takahiro Takiguchi ()
When you’re planning on splurging for a fancy dinner date, Kikkoman soy sauce might be the last thing you’d consider as an example of luxury.
A new restaurant in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza District is proving that the staple you find on every table in every cheap Chinese food joint in the States can be fancy, too.
Kikkoman Live Kitchen is a unique open-style “live” restaurant where you can enjoy high-quality fusion dishes while watching renowned chefs preparing gourmet dishes.
World-renowned chefs Shaohua Sai and Keita Tarikino set the full-course meal offerings for the day using fresh ingredients and Kikkoman seasonings at this high-end, reservation-only restaurant.
I recently had the luck of snagging a seat to check out the exclusive spot after touring the soy sauce factory in Chiba last fall.
The restaurant itself opens at 6 p.m. Much like an opera house or concert hall, here patrons wait for the curtain to go up by perusing the Kikkoman gift shop or having a pre-show cocktail at the bar.
The interior of the venue was chic and made me feel like a VIP at a palace waiting for a lavish state dinner to commence.
Soon, Chef Sai and Chef Tarikino took to the stage with the Master of Ceremony to present the theme of the night and the dishes slated to be served – a Taiwanese-Japanese fusion food course using ingredients from Fukui Prefecture.
Fukui, located in north-central Japan and facing the Sea of Japan, is known for delicious Echizen Crab, wagyu beef, and quality Ichihomare rice.
Soon, the chefs were cooking up a storm in the kitchen with their sous chefs along for the ride. The course featured seven dishes: an appetizer, a steamed dish, a grilled dish, a deep-fried dish, a stewed dish, a noodle dish and a dessert, served one right after the other.
As the chefs cooked, the MC entertained the crowd and explained some of what was happening in the kitchen. Cameras installed on the ceiling inside the kitchen and playing on the TVs in the dining area gave us a bird’s eye closeup of the process. For a second this made me feel like I was in an episode of Master Chef, rather than a fancy restaurant in Ginza. The atmosphere was thrilling and the chefs moved quickly to make sure our dishes were served just right.
I was served sushi with mixed slices of fish, grilled yellowtail and radish with sweet Kikkoman soy sauce, stewed Echizen crab, shrimp and potato, along with wagyu beef noodles. For dessert, we were treated with two— two color dumplings swimming in a sweet soymilk and a Japanese white wine sherbet.
My favorite of all the courses was the deep-fried crab. The batter gave the tender crab meat an excellent texture. The flavor was a dream and though this was a fusion dish, this taste was not something I’d ever had in a Japanese or Taiwanese dish before.
No detail was spared in what we were served, including drinks. The restaurant offers two drink sets. One features three selections of Champagne, red and white wine for 5, 000 yen (about $45). The other set is five selections, including the champagne, red and white wine, and sake from Fukui Prefecture (the last offering changes depending on the theme of the menu) for 7,000 yen.
This is not, by any means, a cheap date, but it is an unforgettable experience worth the expense. Don’t let the Kikkoman name put you off, the food is amazing, and you can really taste the thought behind every last detail the chefs painstakingly put into the meal. This is a great place to celebrate a romantic evening out with your significant other or one where you can treat yourself.
takiguchi.takahiro@stripes.com
Kikkoman Live Kitchen is a unique openstyle “live” restaurant where you can enjoy high-quality fusion dishes while watching renowned chefs preparing gourmet dishes.
Location: 2-2-3 [B1F] Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hours: restaurant: Mon-Fri, 6:30 p.m – 10:30 p.m., shop: 7/365, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Live Kitchen: start 7 p.m. (door open: 6 p.m.) about two hours. Accommodation: 70 seats Price range: Starting from 15,000 yen (or about $136) URL (reservation): www.kikkoman-livekitchen-tokyo.com/en/index.html Tel: 03-5521-5158
