Tokyo and Kyoto trip

I spent the last two weeks in Tokyo and Kyoto and ate at 5 very good to amazing restaurants. I’ve ranked them here and put some photos for reference. Lots of white asparagus happening out here. I don’t drink so prices and experience are all without alcohol.

1) Gion Nishikawa. My runaway favorite. Two Michelin stars. A classic kaiseki meal in the middle of Gion in Kyoto. Highlights were the chicken sashimi, the grilled bamboo shoot, and the rice at the end. Shown is the grilled bamboo shoot and the chicken. Great value at $250.

2) Takaoka Chiba. Sushi restaurant near Tokyo station. Over 4.0 on Tabelog. Very good overall with good toro, uni and aji. No photos as I was the only person there and was chatting with the chef most of the time. Talked about baseball and hip hop. Great value at around $200 too.

3) Ginza Ooishi. French/Japanese food in Ginza. Over 4.4 on Tabelog. Very good meal overall and very energetic and fun. Chef explained each dish to me in English. White asparagus, salmon in triple cream sauce, abalone en croute, and steak grilled over flame were the highlights. Pictured are the abalone ingredients, the finished product, the steaks, and the salmon. Around $300.

4) Cocon. Another French/Japanese restaurant. Most dishes were excellent with a few stumbles. Highlights were the kangaroo tartare, white asparagus with morels, the giant clam with green vegetables and the lamb. Pictured are the tartare, the clam and the lamb. Amazing value at just over $100.

5) Ryo Sho. Two Michelin Star mostly Japanese in Gion. My least favorite of my fine dining meals. Honestly do not know how this place got two stars. It felt like Japanese food for people who have never had great Japanese food. Highlights were the grilled fish and the gyukatsu, but even they didn’t blow me away. The first half of the meal left me bewildered in its mediocrity. The chu-toro was tasteless, the dashi bland. Pictured are the fish and the gyukatsu. Overpriced at $350.

Overall, I would go back to the top three restaurants any time, and hope to go back on future trips. Service in Japan is overall great, even when the restaurants were run by a single person, as is the case with Cocon.