Akasaka Ogino (赤坂おぎ乃)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🇯🇵 Kaiseki / 📍 Akasaka
📓 Visits: 2
Owner/chef Satoshi Ogino has an illustrious CV: trained at Kitcho Arashiyama (which should need no introduction) and Ginza Kojyu and then took the reigns of Ginza Okuda in 2017. Ginza Kojyu was one of only four kaiseki restaurants awarded 3 Michelin Stars in the inaugural 2008 Tokyo Guide. Ginza Okuda (owned by the same chef) opened in August 2011 and, incredibly, debuted with 2 Stars in the 2012 Guide published just 3 months later. Both restaurants were demoted a star in the 2015 Guide when Makimura was promoted from two stars to three and Ginza Ichigo debuted at two stars.
There's no choice of course here: omakase is JPY 30,800 in September through December during matsutake season and JPY 26,400 in other months. Prices are virtually unchanged since the restaurant opened and include tax but are subject to 10% service. The course is served to all diners at the same time.
Spacing is tight. A straight counter seats just 7 diners and I brushed my neighbour's arm a couple of times while eating on my first visit. On my second visit two people had canceled so there was a bit more space. The room is windowless but it was bright and everything in the restaurant is new and clean. Furnishings are traditionally Japanese with a modern finish. I really liked the layout of the kitchen with the counter-facing island grill so everyone can see chef at work and he could maintain eye contact and conversation with diners.
My first meal was fairly uneven to start with. Edamame bavarois, corn soup and uni was fairly good. Next was kuruma ebi with summer vegetables. This was pretty boring and while the vegetables were fresh they weren't amazing. Next was hamo owan. This was delicious. Very much in the Kanto style with more seasoning and, perhaps a little too hot, but the hamo was excellent - 8.5/10 for this dish. Otsukuri was aori ika and mehikari which was fairly standard. Next was torigai yakimono served with freshly ground goma. This was delicious, the sauce and the grilling really enhancing the flavour of the shellfish. Next was katsuo served with egg yolk and nori tsukudani. The sauces made the fish taste muddy and I ended up eating the second piece with as much sauce as I could remove. Next was awabi somen. Half a piece of perfectly steamed awabi, not at all chewy and full of flavour - delicious. Next was the hassun. Presentation was fabulous, especially for pairs of diners, but apart, perhaps, from the satsumaimo tempura, in terms of taste, unfortunately nothing lived up to the presentation with the wagyu being particularly flavourless. Next was ayu, part grilled and part deep fried. Chef chose not to served this with a sauce and the fish didn't have the super bitter or sweet notes you get from the best quality fish and without a piquant sauce was one-dimensional and quite dry. At this point I'd pretty much made my mind up I wouldn't be coming here again but, little did I know, there were still 8 dishes ahead of me! Next was kegani shinjo, tachiuo tempura with two kinds of seaweed simmered. This was delicious - strong flavours that got better and better when mixed together and not something I'd eaten before. Following that was kamo nasu and then unadon. Unagi is often better in kaiseki restaurants than in unagi restaurants and this was the best unadon ever. The skin was super-crispy and the fat was epic. I'd happily pay 5K just to eat that by itself. Still not done. The next dish was takikomi gohan with nodoguro and buttered sweetcorn and was as good as it sounds. The portion was a bit small but I was getting pretty full and, anyway, it would turn out I wasn't going to miss out. The miso soup, which was rich and flavoured with ebi, was served with tsukemono which were not up to the same level as the other food being served at the same time. The final savory dish was tai chazuke. At this point you could have as many refils of the takikomi gohan or white rice with toppings of kinpira or shirasu as you could stomach. Of course I had more of the takikomi gohan and had a final tiny portion of white rice just to check the quality (top) and cleanse before dessert. There were two desserts. First minazuki tofu, which I really enjoyed and then musk melon served with coconut sorbet. Normally fruit is served unadorned and can be a little boring. There was nothing boring about this melon - the highest quality and the coconut sorbet matched it. You might not have complained to be served any one of those 3 dessert elements alone but to get all three and for them to all be so good is exceptional. In a Tabelog review taken in the same month there are pictures of all the dishes, which were almost identical to what I ate.
Somewhere between the unadon and takikomi gohan I reversed my decision and decided I would be booking again. While there was quite a lot to fault in the cooking you cannot fault the generosity and some of the dishes really were excellent. I was able to book my second visit there and then. That wouldn't be until March(!) but there was none of this 'Omakase only' or 'not taking more reservations' business you get elsewhere. It's not hard to see why this restaurant is booked out so far ahead and, in fairness, if the reservation book gets too full they may well change their policy but let's see. I actually wanted to go again in matsutake season a few months later and fast forward to September and I was lucky enough to get a slot that opened up through Omakase.
My second meal was probably slightly better, though there were still some disappointments, one particularly big. The first starter of kegani, shin ikura, shungiku and matsutake was a little fridge-cold but was better than the first starter last time, as was the second starter of nodoguro, ginkan and rice. Owan was as before (strong seasoning, great depth of flavour, a little too hot) but the hamo was not as good as last time. Tsubudai was not as good as the torigai the time before. My mouth started to water when I saw chef grilling unagi again. Since this was one of the highlights of the last meal it was a big disappointment this was not as good as before: the skin was not as crispy, the eel had less fat and less flavour. Suppon chawanmushi was packed with suppon and delicious. The hassun was much better than before and I enjoyed every element. Nimono of nasu, amadai and matsutake was delicious. As before there were several rice dishes. First matsutake gohan simply seasoned with salt. Then takikomi gohan of shake, maitake and shin ikura which had a smokey taste and was excellent, on par with the takikomi gohan served at Suzutashiki (review here). There was just one dessert this time but with three elements: grape jelly with raisin sauce and milk ice. The raisin sauce was particularly good but the milk ice was grainy. There were a couple more unnoteworthy dishes included. The complete contents of the meal are listed at the end of this review. In a Tabelog review taken in the same month there are pictures of all the dishes, which were almost identical to what I ate.
A kaiseki meal is normally 10-12 dishes. The Kyo Aji lineage of restaurants serve a higher number of dishes but each dish is quite small and contains no more than 3 elements. I don't know anywhere else serving 16 multi-element dishes, including a hassun and 3 kinds of rice. On the way out, each diner gets a very generous (I'll use that word again) box of the remainder all the rice dishes. If you go for lunch and eat the bento for dinner, that's the only food you'll need that day.
The tableware is beautiful. Service was the best. Every guest is brought a glass of water as soon she/he sits down. All the staff smiled and were engaging with all diners (not just returnees), particularly Ogino-san who talks and smiles a lot, can speak a little English and (first time but not second) made a special effort to walk over and introduce each dish separately for me. Chef is just 33 years old and the junior staff are quite young. The sous chef is also from Ginza Okuda. You had all the qualities of a top-class Ginza restaurant but with a relaxed atmosphere.
Again, there's lots of room for improvement in the food but, and with no surprise on the bill, this was the best overall kaiseki experience I've had in Tokyo since, well, ever. I'm looking at you, Towa.
📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130801/13245499/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3 (food 4.3, value 5.0, hospitality 5.0)
📱 Booking: 🟧 Difficult. They've stopped taking reservations by phone or waiting list so it's Omakase-only for first timers. A few seats are available each month and there are fairly regular cancelations.
📍 Location:
Map data ©2021 Google
Free WiFi spot.
📅 Visit September 2021
Grape vinegar (normally nihonshu)
Kegani, shin ikura, shungiku, matsutake, kurozu jelly
Nodoguro, ginnan, mochigome
Matsutake, hamo owan
Otsukuri: meichidai, aori ika
Tsubudai, goma
Katsuo warayaki, ranou, nori tsukudani
Unagi, renkon manju
Suppon chawanmushi
Hassun: edamame bavarois; Hida beef; Kuruma ebi; ichijiku; Shine Muscat, goma; iwashi zushi; imo; satsumaimo tempura
Awabi fry, uni
Nimono: nasu, amadai, matsutake
Matsutake gohan
Miso soup, pickles
Shake, maitake, shin ikura gohan
Shiro gohan, kinpira
Shine Muscat and Kyoho jelly, raisin sauce; milk ice
💴 Damage: 33,500 inc 1 drink @ 600
⏱️ Time taken: 2h
📅 Visit June 2021
Yuzu juice (normally nihonshu)
Edamame bavarois, corn soup, uni
Kuruma ebi, nasu, okra, sweetcorn, green beans
Hamo owan
Otsukuri: mehikari, aori ika
Torigai, goma
Katsuo warayaki, ranou, nori tsukudani
Awabi, somen
Hassun: satsumaimo tempura; fruit tomato, junsai; avocado, walnut; taco; yuba; summer greens; wagyu shabu; shirasu, daikon oroshi, nori
Ayu
Nimono: Kegani shinjo, tachiuo tempura, seaweed
Kamo nasu
Unadon
Nodoguro, sweetcorn takikomi gohan
Miso soup, pickles
Tai chazuke
Minazuki tofu
Melon, coconut ice
💴 Damage: 29,760 (24000 + 1 drink @ 600 + 10% + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 2h25m
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