Ishikawa 神楽坂 石かわ @ Iidabashi, Tokyo

3 star Michelin Kaiseki restaurant tucked away in a small alley in the Iidabashi area in Tokyo.

Frankly, I'm not really sure how to describe my experience here. Everything served to me was just phenomenal. I have eaten Kaiseki in restaurants in Osaka and Kyoto but this one in Tokyo really blew my mind.

I always enjoy eating Kaiseki. To me, it's like a french fine dining Dégustation menu but Japanese style of course. So far, some of the best Kaiseki I have eaten is in Kyoto, which no doubt is the birth place of the cuisine and the most creative in terms of blending different ingredients together. However at Ishikawa, the Kaiseki course feels different; it feels more Chinese cuisine-inspired rather than traditional Japanese. A little hard to explain without pictures so let's have a look:

Duck, Soft Shell crab, Clear soup with hamaguri clam

Uni with Hirame sashimi

Sea cucumber jelly, steamed Sawara fish, grilled madai with prawn cake

Kinmedai with vegetables in strong Miso soup, Cod milt with snow crab, Miso soup with mushrooms

Scallop rice with ginger and parsley, Strawberry & Jelly coconut pudding

Honestly, sometimes when I try to describe things on my blog posts, it's really difficult to do so because when food reaches a certain level of quality, the only way to know how good it really is, is to be there yourself and experience the depth of flavor and taste in your mouth, then you will be able to appreciate it and understand. I say that this Kaiseki seems chinese-cuisine inspired because of some of the ingredients used like ginger, duck, cabbage, and familiar tasting sauces that reminds me of chinese food. By just looking at the pictures above, you may disagree with me or even say I'm crazy to think of chinese food, but if you were with me trying and eating this Kaiseki winter course, you might probably say I was right.

Anyway, this restaurant truly deserves its 3 star Michelin rating because this is best Kaiseki meal I've had so far (yeah I know I already said that just now). I hope when you go there, you will enjoy it just as much as I did.

Tabelog website:https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1309/A130905/13004079/
Address (paste it on google maps): 神楽坂 石かわ
Budget (Dinner): 23,000Yen & Above
My rating: 5/5