Hakuun (䟯é˛)
⭐⭐⭐
đŻđľ Kaiseki / đ Minami-Aoyama
đ Visits: 1 (2022)
Two diners were 20 minutes late so the first item was not served until after 25 minutes. I'm blaming this on it being silly season with many inexperienced people dining out and lack of availability of taxis. (Note to self, stop dining out at fancy places in December.)
Every dish was good or very good and there were plenty of expensive ingredients. The best dishes were the shiro amadai, which I rated 9.5/10 and the duck (9/10). The most disappointing dish was probably the uninspiring dessert. Rice was served from a pot shared between all diners. I failed to note if refills were accommodated (I'm assuming they were) but I do remember there being a lot left over and it not being given to customers to take home. Pictures of a very similar meal to mine in a Tabelog review from the same month in which I dined.
The bill came to JPY 42,000. I queried this, as it was substantially more than I was expecting to pay, and was then given an itemized receipt showing the course fee as JPY 33,000. When I asked why I was being charged the fee prior to the advertised increase the chef gave a bunch of reasons: "crab is expensive", "everyone's paying 33K now", "as per the booking conditions, the price may vary". All of those are perfectly reasonable, but if you know that then just advertise the course fee as 33K immediately. What would the actual price be in January, 38K?
Perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise that Hakuun earned that Michelin Star (and, actually, I do agree this was 1-Michelin level cooking) as the owner/chef is a Ryugin alumnus, as is the chef at Ensui, and we know Michelin loves its history. Ryugin is one of Tokyo's legendary Japanese restaurants. When Michelin published the first Tokyo Guide (2008) it debuted with two stars and was promoted to three in the 2012 Guide. It's innovative and accessible take on kaiseki would have got it on the list of many serious a foodie making their first pilgrimage to Japan back then. Though it retains three Michelin stars and has a Tabelog rating of 4.1+, which is not to be sniffed at, it's perhaps not the restaurant it was. One of the World's most respected food critics, Andy Hayler, said it wasn't as good in his 2018 revisit, it's certainly no longer in the zeitgeist (now gone from the World's Best 50) and is not a restaurant frequented by locals. Perhaps another indicator of its demise is the fact the Hong Kong and Taipei branches (which both won Michelin Stars) have now closed. In his original 2009 review Andy Hayler called Ryugin "the future of Japanese cuisine". Well with very little innovation in Japanese cooking that future is still to come and if Hakun is the new future then Seiji Yamamoto might not as well have been in the past because there was no innovation on display here.
Had it actually been 28K, had I been expecting "just kaiseki" and had I not known the chef was ex-Ryugin I would have really enjoyed Hakuun. But as is so often the case, this meal didn't live up to expectations.
đ https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13255456/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.3 (4.1 minus 0.1 for not giving away the rice, minus 0.2 for stealth elevation of course fee and minus 0.5 for being uninspired)
đą Booking: đ§ A month in advance by phone or Omakase. No English spoken.
đ Location:
Map data ©2022 Google
đ Visit December 2022
Imo ebi, seri, shiro miso
Shirako, kabu chawanmushi
Ichiban dashi, kani shinjo
Hirame, chives; ankimo ponzu
Katsuo shioyaki
Seiko gani
Suppon karaage
Shiro amadai, daikon
Kamo wara-yaki, yurine
Kani meshi
Miso soup, pickles
Asahi clam ramen
Hojicha pudding, kuri ice-cream, kuri
Sencha
đ´ Damage: 42,000 (33k + drinks @ 5230 + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: ~2.5h
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