Issai Kassai

Issai Kassai (代官山 いっさい喝采)

⭐⭐⭐

🇯🇵 Japanese / 📍 Daikanyama

📓 Visits: 1

Tokyo Restaurants Factory operate over 50 restaurants in Japan and most intriguingly, a number of restaurants in New York.  Sushi Amane opened in July 2017 under chef Shion Uino who previously worked at Sushi Saito.  The restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star just three months after opening, a record for inclusion in the New York Guide.  Shion-san has since gone on to open Shion 69 Leonard Street but Amane has retained its Star.  Mifune opened at the same time to great fanfare and has been included in the Michelin Guide New York since 2020 without a distinction.  Toriko opened a year later and was also included in the 2020 Guide without a distinction.  The restaurant closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic.  What does any of this have to do with Issai Kassai?  Well chef Shinji Odahara previously oversaw the food operation at many of Tokyo Restaurants Factory's restaurants, manned the grill at Toriko NY and before that ran the original Mifune (which has now closed) in Roppongi.  The closure of Toriko NY brought him back to Tokyo and you can now find him in the kitchen at this Daikanyama izakaya.

There's not too much to say about the food.  There's a choice of three course menus priced at JPY 5,800, 7,800 and 9,800 or you can order a-la-carte.  I chose the 7,800 course as the cheapest course doesn't include rice.  I liked the variety of fish served in the sashimi course, the rice in the shokuji was very high quality and the hojicha tiramisu was perfect.  I wasn't particularly hungry so after one bowl of rice took the rest home.

Chef wasn't fluent in English but could speak enough to introduce all the dishes and chat when prompted.  English was less good with staff.  Three tables seat up to four and a counter seats 6-7.  I visited on a weekend and the restaurant was never more than a third full.

I booked Issai Kassai when I read chef worked in a "Michelin Starred restaurant in NY" so I was expecting something a bit different with the food and for it to be elevated a little more. But there was nothing really original and this was just very good izakaya food or good kappo food.  If you look behind the headline, as I did, but after my visit, then it doesn't seem like Odahara-san actually worked as a chef in a Starred restaurant and perhaps that explains why the food didn't live up to the billing.  A meal at nearby Kotaro (review here) would cost about the same but with more drinks, more food and better dishes Kotaro is better value.  But reservations at Kotaro are (understatement) difficult whereas here you might be able to just walk in.  And that's probably the way to think about Issai Kassai: a decent local Japanese restaurant but not a destination.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130303/13267989/ 

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.7

📱 Booking: 🟩  Easy.  Same-day bookings and walk-ins are possible but at busy times you might be refused so book a day ahead or have a plan B.  Book by Tabelog or phone.

📍 Location: 

B1F, Sato Estate Building No. 3, Sarugakucho 2-5.  10 mins walk from Shibuya station.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.  Underneath Ata.
Map data ©2022 Google

📅 Visit July 2022

Nasu, goma
Hirame escabeche, ikura; chicken liver parfait on toast
Sashimi: aji, ainame, taigarai, maguro, hirame, ika uni, saba
Menchi katsu
Hamaguri soup
Spare rib, Chinese black vinegar
Sake, ikura gohan
Hojicha tiramisu
Hojicha

💴 Damage: 9,400 (7800 + 2 drinks @ 1160 + 5%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h15m