jinen.

⭐⭐⭐

🎁 Innovative / 📍 Shibuya

📓 Visits: 1

jinen. (annoyingly pronounced "jinen dot") is the newest restaurant in the Ishikawa Group (Kagurazaka Ishikawa, Kohaku, Ren, Hato, Guchokuni) and occupies the first floor of a converted dream house in an area that's not quite Shibuya and not quite Daikanyama.  The space previously housed Restaurant Nanpeidai which re-opened with silliest restaurant name ever "NK (Nanpeidai Chef's table featuring Kakuland)" in Kagurazaka in 2020, also under the Ishikawa Group.

Chef Shoma Kato's CV is wonderful reading: first Molière in Hokkaido which won 3 Michelin Stars in the irregular Hokkaido Guides (2012 and 2017), half a year at Noma and then as one of the original chefs at the il-fated Inua.  So jinen had been on my radar ever since it opened in 2021.  But at 30K for dinner (14 courses) and no outstanding reviews I wasn't keen on taking a punt.  Since May 2022 a 12K 7-course lunch has become available so that was the cheapest way to see for myself.

First deep fried ayu with salad in a crepe.  This had very little flavour and I couldn't even taste the ayu.  Next cold chicken consomme, Oscietra caviar and junsai.  This was the best dish of the meal.  The consomme was colourless yet had deep chicken flavour and was perfectly matched with quality, salty caviar and refreshing junsai.  Next roast cauliflower with chicken and cream sauce which was a bit "meh" and needed some bread for texture.  Fortunately, one of the chefs spooned in some excellent rice part way through eating to make this into a very tasty risotto.  After this a sorbet made from lemon and Darjeeling.  Super smooth and flavours were clean but I couldn't understand why it was being brought out at this stage in the meal.  If it's a palate cleanser then it should be before or after the main dish, which was yet to be served.  So after this steamed kinmedai with capellini, butter sauce and fried togarashi.  Each component was good but the combination didn't work as a whole dish.  Main course was deer smoked over pine with dehydrated pine leaf.  This was quite salty but very good and less gamey than deer I've previously eaten.  Dessert was a mille-feuille with blueberry, hascup and crème diplomat.  This was like most of the other dishes that preceded it: quality ingredients but just lacking oomph.  Finally all-you-can eat almond meringues (one was enough, thank you) and coffee that was generously refilled without asking.

It's a beautiful and very comfortable space.  Kato-san is in the dining room the whole time, cooking and finishing some dishes at a counter facing guest tables with other dishes being brought directly to table by other chefs from a back kitchen.  Kato-san is just 29, has a fun personality and can speak good English.  Other staff can speak some English too.

I ordered one drink and asked for tap water but was given Hildon and charged for it.  So the final bill came to just over 15K once you add on service charge.  I was expecting a meal taking up to two hours but as with other Ishikawa Group restaurants each party dines at its own pace so I was done within an hour.

I'd expect jinen to get a Michelin Star in the 2023 Tokyo Guide.  If you're looking to impress someone in a very comfortable, spectacular, hideaway restaurant in Shibuya with good food they've probably never eaten elsewhere then jinen ticks all the boxes.  But if it's all about the food for you (as it is for me) you can safely give jinen a miss.  Alternatives where the surroundings aren't quite as flash but the food is better and a fraction of the cost? Hato, Acid Brianza (full reviews to come), Cocon, AC House, Caveman.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130301/13263230/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3.9

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  You can book via Omakase but there's more availability if you book via the English-speaking centralized Ishikawa Group telephone booking line.

📍 Location: 

6-7 Nanpeidaicho.  Shinsen is the nearest station but unless you're already on the Inokashira line there's little point in going one stop from Shibuya station.  10-15 mins uphill on foot from the South/West Exit of Shibuya station.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.  The red Hachiko bus runs from the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya station two stops to 'JT Mae' from where it loops round to the East exit.
Map data ©2022 Google 

📅 Visit July 2022

Deep fried ayu crepe
Cold chicken consomme, Oscietra caviar, junsai
Roast cauliflower, chicken and cream sauce
Lemon, Darjeeling sorbet
Capellini, butter sauce, kinmedai, togarashi
Deer smoked over pine, dehydrated pine leaf
Blueberry mille-feuille, hascup, creme diplomat
Almond meringue
Coffee

💴 Damage: 15,367 (course: 12,100, drink: 880, water: 990, service: 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h