Ryugin, Tokyo Japan
2 Michilen Stars
Japan has always been a favourite country of mine, I’ve had the fortune of being able to visit on a fairly regular basis in the last few years and it never fails to impress me. On this most recent visit we finally loosened our wallets and decided to splurge at Ryuugin, 2 starred Michelin restaurant. The restaurant offers modern Tokyo Style Kaiseki, which revolves very much around the importance of visual presentation and seasonal food.
Tucked away in a little street just a block away from Roppongi station, we made our way into the small restaurant, on our night there were 3 other tables with couples and one larger group of approximately 10. There are 2 set menus offered, and on this night we threw up our arms and immediately agreed on the more expansive Set B. Somewhat awed by the atmosphere I immediately made a fool of myself by not being able to open the front door. (Note, a hell of a lot of doors in Japan slide which always takes me off guard, silly I know).
We were seated by our waitress who spoke perfect English and was more than a little amused at my delight at the ample amount of lighting. The service remained just as attentive throughout the night with waiters more than happy to position dishes at optimal angles for photography.
"Ichiban Dashi" Soup (Traditional Clear Broth) With Shogoin Turnip and Purple Soy Bean
For some reason this made me think of the texture shark fin soup (and did in fact taste very much like it).
Deep-fried Sea Urchin Wrapped in Seaweed
For the Tempura Batter Soba wheat flour was used instead of normal flour. The seaweed retained the moisture of the sea urchin as well as keeping it in one shape. Interestingly enough it gave the urchin a subtle sweetness. The urchin itself was perfectly cooked, still soft & tasty with none of the slimy texture you get with sushi urchin. We’d had a sushi lunch the previous day, even with the top quality of the sashimi that day I couldn’t help but wince a little when our urchin portion came out, luckily no such problem with this particular version.
Aichi Figs with Port Flavored Foie Gras Terrine, Served with Sesame Cream
The ducks are fed wheat & figs to give the foie gras a subtle sweetness. Boy was our waiter right! This foie gras had an incredible light sweetness, so smooth it melts in your mouth without the horrible overwhelming fattiness. The combination worked extremely well with the ginger and sesame balancing the richness of the foie gras. This was the most incredible foie gras and without a doubt the highlight of my night. I’m still drooling just remembering this dish!
Blue Swimming Crab and Shanghai Crab Topped with Apple Vinegar Gelée with Tender Abalone
We were instructed to mix all the ingredients together before eating. The green vegetable topping from Okinawa was incredibly sticky holding everything together. The abalone was boiled 6 hours to make it soft and tender. Gelée had chrysanthemum flower petals in keeping with the Autumn theme. A small note, the dishes which everything was presented in were absolutely beautiful, this particular dish was almost translucent (almost like a sea shell) with a beautiful blue glaze coating the bottom.
The soup broth was made from the bones of the turtle with roasted shallots and was rich and beautifully delicious. The minced balls were wrapped tightly in cabbage leaves. I’d call myself a fairly adventurous eater but the thought of eating Turtle had never really crossed my mind before and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt as I chewed on the meat! Our waiter informed us that the bowl the soup was served in had been designed by the sous chef, the lid featured a gorgeous dragon’s tail with the head visible once the lid had been opened.
Assorted Sashimi "Ryugin Style" Highlighted with Beluga Caviar from Caspian Sea
Ryugin style meant trying a piece of the sashimi with the accompanying rock salt or sauce and the other piece in the traditional style with wasabi and soy sauce. Even the soy sauce was Seiji Yamamoto specialy created with less salt and more sweetness. The vast difference in taste between the accompanying dressing and the traditional soy was incredible. The rock salt brought out the natural flavours of the fish… while I’m a traditionalist at heart and prefer my sashimi with soy sauce it was something else to try all the different salt variations.
From left to right:
- Beluga Caviar from Caspian Sea and Scallop. Eaten with no flavour or soy.
- Snapper. Lime and rock salt
- Otoro from the strait between Hokkaido and Honshuu. Shio and seaweed sauce.
- Lobster from France cured in lime juice. New Zealand rock salt.
Egg Tofu and Ankimo (Monkfish liver)
There was just something amazing going on with the Ankimo, our waitress referred to it as the foie gras of the sea and it really brought out that something special with the Egg Tofu. The tofu was silkily sweet, its texture combining with the Ankimo to create something so amazingly awesome I’m running out of adjectives! On its own, the tofu would have been almost bland so the combination with the ankimo with its overly heavy texture and flavours created a winning dish. The entire dish was topped off with pretty flowery garnish (which didn’t really contribute anything to the flavour, I’ll admit I always feel weird eating flowers)
Juicy Akamutsu (Blackthroat Seaperch) from Chiba Topped with Yuzu Miso Paste
I like to refer to this dish as the Rice-Bubbles fish. As our plate so thoughtfully informed us, the fish was Blackthroat Seaperch and I couldn’t help but wonder why this particular serving plate was so… ugly? After countless dishes served on glass plates, shell bowls to be presented with a simple white plate with a photo of a pretty average looking fish was a let down. But then the twist was revealed!
The image of the fish had actually been drawn with edible miso paste which we wiped off with the squishy tofu. I couldn’t help but feel like one of those children in a family restaurant who has just been given a handful of crayons with a paper tablecloth to write on. Much merriment was had cleaning my plate of its inventive but sadly rather tasteless sauce. Our fish was topped with roasted rice, similar to the crackling you would find on pork and served with a side of lotus filled with egg, curry and mustard. While I could appreciate the presentation of the entire dish, it wasn’t a highlight dish for me.
Chef's Specialty, Grilled Meat of the Day (Baby Pigeon)
Our grilled meat of the day was baby pigeon, fed milk from mother and reared north of Narita. The meat was extremely tender and soft with a slightly game-y taste without that red meat flavour. I hadn’t eaten game done so rare before and had been expecting it to react like a rare steak, but found myself surprised at the flavour and texture.
What I had initially thought to be wasabi was in fact a soy product which left over from making soy milk. The clean flavour cut through the meat and was topped with white truffles from Alba in northern Italy, it was also joined by a mini daikon (japanese raddish) and onion.
Chargrilled pacific saury and shaved chestnut from Kyoto on rice and Miso soup set with Houji tea
I think… this miso soup has gone and spoiled all future miso soup for me. How to explain?! The clarity and sheer flavour of the soup, amazing flavour then combined with a simple combination of chargrilled saury and rice (one of my co-diners commented that the fish was a little too chargrilled for his taste, and it was indeed strong just stepping over that line into bitter). The ever present side of pickles, presented in sushi format made this dish a perfect example of the simplicity of Japanese cooking. As an added bonus, our waitress offered seconds to the boys in the group who were more than eager to take her up on the offer. Instead of simply serving the same dish again, an entirely different rice bowl dish was served up!
Our final main course was served with Houji Tea from the Fukuoka region, this tea cup saucer combination was my favourite ceramic piece of the night with the base of the teacup made to fit perfectly into its saucer.
Fresh Pear Compote in Gewürztraminer Aroma with Ginger Ale Gelée made with 6 Degrees Pressure
Seiji Yamamoto made the ginger ale the same way French champagne bubbles are made – by putting it under pressure. The ginger ale gelée had extremely tiny bubbles that burst on your tongue, like soda bubbles except a hundred times more subtler. Almost tingly on the tongue because of the ginger. Alas, not being a fan of carbonate or bubbly things in general I surrendered my dessert to a co-diner who consumed it with glee.
Caramel Ice Cream with "Wasanbon Sugar", Served with grated Milk-Curd and Genmai Tea
This is Seiji’s best dessert. The Wasanbon sugar is a sugar native to Japan, so production is incredibly small and the majority is used for Japanese confectionaries. Seiji who used to work as a Japanese patisserie managed to secure a supply of Wasanbon sugar. The sugar is has a lesser sweet/sugar content with a more subtle flavour.
The milk-curd is Japan’s own version of native cheese. It was slightly milky but with more of a nutty flavour. As each ingredient wasn’t overly powering in themselves, the combination worked extremely well to create a wonderful flavour of subtle sweet savouriness.
Baked Yuzu and Orange Cake, Served on Red Maple Leaf Presentation
The Yuzu and orange are in a container Japanese confectionery cakes used with bean paste, Yuzu is a native Japanese citrus that tastes different to the lemon, more fruity in flavour. On their own these little cakes seemed like a nice sedate way to end the night but the accompanying ginger tea brought this dessert to life!
As we lingered after dinner just chatting in general our waitress brought out tea after tea, peach, muscat and grape (which reminded me disturbingly of the lolly Zappos). Our particular favourite, the peach tea. This is what peach tea is suppose to smell like, fragrant ripened peaches. The smell puts those other faux flavoured teas to utter shame. By itself, you can faintly taste peach. But it’s like the light suddenly burst through the clouds the moment you add honey.
Slowly the restaurant emptied itself around us and we gradually made our way outside only to be graced with a final appearance by the man himself, Seiji Yamamoto who was more than happy to take a group photo with us. The restaurant itself is situated in a quiet street leading off the main Roppongi roads and we left for the subway with a final glance back revealing our waitress and Seiji Yamamoto standing by the restaurant doors seeing over over our departure.
Ryugin
日本料理 龍吟
港区六本木7-17-24 サイド六本木ビル １Ｆ
03-3423-8006
Side Roppongi Building 1F, 7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/
Author
By Minh
Minh is a food, photography, tv loving girl who on occasion likes to think that she can cook. I can't hold my drink for what its worth and have an unhealthy obsession with green tea products.
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This article was written on 09 Jan 2009, and is filed under Japanese.
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What a cool idea drawing the picture on the plate with the sauce!
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..Purple King beans
I adore Japan too, there’s so much packed into one relatively small country. It’s great that the wait staff helped with the best angles and I’m fascinated by the fig and wheat fed duck foie gras!
Lorraine E’s last blog post..Zenya Noodle Bar, Eastwood
Looks like a wonderful experience
Reemski’s last blog post..The Restaurant with No Name
hello!
i found you via Lorraine’s blog (NQN)
and just wanted to say how much i like your pictures.
although i love Japan
i’m thinking that, if i lived there
my diet would be very limited indeed!
i didn’t realise i was so squeamish until i started reading
both yours and Lorraine’s blogs!
on the plus side
i would probably be whip-thin
and strikingly model-like.
or not.
the projectivist’s last blog post..i give good cupcake
oh wow. i’m sold. i must try this place when i visit japanese.
S
Simon Food Favourites’s last blog post..Sea Bay Chinese Dumpling (9 Jan 2008)
Funny, we had the exact same meal…just four days prior! That Monday was one stormy night.
wow the presentation is amazing…
food looks delish…
how much is the expsensive set B if you don’t mine me asking? (AUD)
officially miss japan even more!
Everything looks so lovely and delicate. We almost went there the last time we were in Tokyo. I’m kind of regretting not going now!
Y’s last blog post..And sous it is..
This only reinforces my desire to go to Japan. Great pictures!
Lizzie’s last blog post..New Tayyabs
abercrombie: it cost about ￥30,000 per person (there was 4 of us) including 10% service surcharge and water.
On their website they’ve removed the two different courses and now only have one course for ￥23,100
http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/en/about/menu.html
Looks……..high class!! The best experience i had in japanese was eating in the lock up jail restaurant!! You first have to choose from 3 doors, but only one is correct, the other two have people jump out at you!! Yo are lead to your jail cell to eat, halfway through your meal the lights g out and people in masks rattle your cell!!i cant believe my friend that is older than me got scared………
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Your meal at ryugin seems truly amazing – beautiful and very inventive food and presentation. My experience at Ryugin just a month ago was much less inspiring. While the food was good, none of the dishes seemed particularly creative. Could it just be bad night?
http://www.sugarednspiced.com/tokyo-ryugin/
[...] où mes parents nous sortaient beaucoup ou encore plus récemment avec l’un des plus grands chefs Japonais lors de mon voyage à Tokyo. Je peux donc affirmer que le restaurant est de qualité et qu’il [...]