Seizan, Tokyo (2*)

Seizan is kaiseki restaurant tucked away in a basement in Mita. A two stars mainstay on the Tokyo Michelin Guide, it is also currently in the elite ranks of Tabelog Gold restaurants in Tokyo. It should be noted though, that the Tablecheck booking link in the Michelin guide is out of date and online bookings are available on Pocket Concierge via cancellations only and that's how I booked. You could try calling and ask for a seat but I wouldn't vouch for it since as in many other top Japanese fine dining establishments, seats are perpetually booked by regular for many months ahead.

The dining areas consisted of table seats and counter seats. The table seats have a minimum of 2 pax while cancellations for the counter seating are extremely rare. I got a seat at the table seating and could book again for my next meal but the counter seating is strictly for regulars only. The table seating is very unimpressive since you get no view of the kitchen and the restaurant is located in a basement with low ceiling so there is little atmosphere.

After I sat down, I'm not sure if it's a Pocket Concierge exclusive promotion or not but I can choose one beverage from the drinks menu for free. For sake (nihonshu) the waiter mentions that there's no menu and they can recommend specific ones depending on the course.

• Hokkigai, Kyoto greens, nameko mushrooms: We're off to a great start. Chewy and fresh clams and shrooms. The seasonings are also on point – umami with a tang from citrus
• Benizuwaigani shinjo, matsutake owan: Owan a.k.a the soup, the cornerstone of kaiseki cuisine, is flavorful enough here. Solid broth and ingredients.
• Kurumaebi, tai sashimi: The tai had excellent chewy texture and the prawn was half-cooked so it retained the flavors. They were served with a choice of condiments of sudachi, salt, shoyu, wasabi, and noriae (sort of a relish made from nori)
• Sawara tataki: Served with miso sauce and topped with crumbs made from deep-fried flesh of the fish. This was good, but I expected more smokiness from a tataki
• Kensaki ika, uni, gluttinous rice: Excellent dish. I loved the aromas and textures, and the flavors of each ingredient were particularly good.
• Deep fried anago, grilled eggplant puree: Amazing anago, easily rivaling the best tempura shops in Tokyo. Served with onions and eggplant puree, but arguably tastier eaten on its own
• Duck from ibaraki, white onion: This was nice and had a good char, but a bit too well-done for my liking.
• Matsutake, shark's fin, suppon turtle dashi on claypot: This wasn't that memorable to me despite consisting of nothing but expensive ingredients. Only the turtle broth was used here and there was no turtle meat.
• Rice, shin-sanma, shin-ikura: The rice is a perfect 10/10. Both ingredients were in season and the serving of the ikura is very generous, but I could tell that the fat content and quality especially on the sanma weren't at its peak.
• Queen Rouge grapes from Nagano, chestnut ice cream: I'm not the biggest fan of chestnuts but this was very enjoyable

The total price was, as advertised on Pocket Concierge, 40k yen per person all inclusive and with the inclusion of matsutake I think the meal was a good value.