Kappo Shigeyuki

Kappo Shigeyuki (割烹 茂幸)

⭐⭐⭐

🇯🇵 Kaiseki / 📍 Nishihara

📓 Visits: 1 (2021)

It's often said that going to a restaurant in Japan is like going into the chef's home.  At Kappo Shigeyuki you really are.  Shigeo Kanno was Jun Yukimura's right-hand-man at Azabu Yukimura for 9 years until he went independent and opened Kappo Shigeyuki in April 2020.  Yukimura held 3 Michelin Stars for 10 years until it was demoted to 2 in the 2021 Guide and deleted in the 2022 Guide.  Interesting timing.

The restaurant is in a residential area of Shibuya and it's actually Shigeo-san's family home, which he still lives in today, in the upper floor, and which he converted into a restaurant on the ground floor.  It's a really beautiful space seating 8 at an angled counter.  Tableware was exceptionally beautiful: a riot of colours and the brand new lacqured tableware as beautiful as you'd get in the grandest restaurants in Kyoto.  On a muggy evening in June the restaurant was very warm, especially sitting near the range.  There's no simultaneous start.  I had the restaurant to myself for about an hour before two other diners joined later that evening.

There is only one course available which was priced at JPY 15,000 on my visit plus tax and 10% service.  A 12,000 course has been available in the past.

Shigeo is very friendly and chats.  He doesn't speak English but I believe he had a translation device prepared for me, which, in the end, he didn't need to use.

Unfortunately the food didn't quite live up to the presentation.  The two best dishes were the first starter of ebodai and young corn and a middle course of shojin ryori - all excellent.  The suppon owan had a light taste and it too was excellent but not to the level of the best kaiseki restaurants.  Hamo had no flavour.  The unagi shirayaki was unusually crisped at both the flesh-side and skin-side and was a thin piece and lacked fat.  Unfortunately I had to endure this twice as there was a second serving with sansho flowers.  The signature dish of ume somen came with high quality uni but that was as much of it that I enjoyed and the dish was difficult to eat.  The main course was sirloin served with kamo nasu and togarashi.  The beef was very good but the oil from the cooking of the nasu bled into the stock and spoiled the taste.  The shokuji was rice topped with green beans.  A second service of rice came with goma.  I'd had enough at that point and got four onigiri to take home but they got boring very quickly too.  Dessert was an American cherry sorbet.  Chef 'completed' the 'dish' by literally just pouring a bottle of Tansan over the top.  This was just like a Slush Puppie and didn't have much more skill.

I appreciated the fact that a chef with such a background opened a new kaiseki restaurant in 2020 and kept the cost under 20K.  Still, when you don't have any rent to pay I suppose you can pass those savings on ;)  I'm sure Kappo Shigeyuki will have a loyal following but I wouldn't go back.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1318/A131807/13250288/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.5

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  Book at least a day in advance by phone.  No English spoken.

📍 Location: 

2-17-3 Nishihara.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.  7-8 minutes from Yoyogi Uehara or Hatagaya stations.  It's a bit of a slog uphill from Yoyogi Uehara so you may wish to take a taxi.

Map data ©2021 Google

📅 Visit June 2021

Ebodai, young corn
Suppon owan
Hamo, shin renkon, shoga
Unagi shirayaki
Unagi shirayaki, sansho flowers
Ayu
Ume somen, awabi paste, uni.
Shojin ryori: Togarashi, Asparagus verge, Tomato junsai, Zenmai
Sirloin, kamo nasu, togarashi
Green beans rice, katsuobushi
Rice, goma
American cherry sorbet, Tansan

💴 Damage: 18,755 (15000 + 1 drink @ 500 + 10% + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h40m