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Discovering the Joys of Japan’s Leading Gourmet Cuisine Discovering the Joys of Japan’s Leading Gourmet Cuisine
Hiroko Komatsu
GINZA SIX EDITORS Vol.70
GINZA SIX is spot touched in splendor of national food culture and material while being in the middle of Ginza. From restaurant and bar which were full of individuality groups, we chose three houses which conveyed charm of climate of country called Japan.
"THE GRAND GINZA" (the Grand Ginza) at top floor 13F is shop proud of maximum area in restaurant of GINZA SIX. We are divided into some space from lounge and restaurant to banquet, tea-ceremony room and meet various needs. Restaurant "THE GRAND 47" where it provides seasonal ingredients which it ordered from 47 metropolis and districts using technique of French cuisine to introduce this time. Theme of last December that came is treasure house, Hokuriku of ingredients. We prepare to refined course dishes while arranging black structure of Kaburazushi and squid, and being studded with traditional taste of Hokuriku. Besides, as for the smart pairing that famous sake which Fukui is proud of, black dragon can have by glass. We can spend an elegant time for excursion feeling.
Appetizer "cube of inspiration queen crab and yellowtail caught in the coldest season vegetables of traditional oshi-zushi of Hokuriku." We obtain idea to local cuisine Kaburazushi, and winter good luck of the Sea of Japan sublimates in delicate French. State that colorful dishes were displayed at in dish is like jewel box and is troubled to eat from which. mariaju with black dragon widens pleasure of taste.
Fish dishes of main dish "arakuremu and white wine sauce of meuniere large green onion of poeler and soft roe of cod which let mature with black structure." Black structure is delicacy which added squid ink to salted squid with local cuisine of Toyama. In taste that by letting you cover with the sauce and mature, delicacy is still deeper cod. We let you do hitting with sweet large green onion as sauce to melt away. After having studied in France, arm of chef Hayato Saito with study shines at Kobe Kitano Hotel. If "customer is a chance to be interested in the area, it is long-standing object. We will burn will next year saying we want to go to production center more.
Dessert chooses "sake lees from Hokuriku and chocolate mille-feuille of citron" from three articles.
Chocolate mousse and combination of fragrant, high citron that increased melty sake lees on tongue softly are preeminence. 3,800 yen (as follows tax-excluded price all) and price are conscientious with this lunch course, too. Where area becoming the next theme is when it is met with dessert, it should become a pleasure.
It is smart bar called "MIXOLOGY SALON" (mixology salon) of same 13F that wants to come by all means after a meal. New tide of recent bar which combines herb or spice, fruit with mixology in various alcohol, and creates new cocktail like alchemy. Above all, theme of this salon "tea." It keeps cocktail using roasted tea, Matcha, Chinese tea, tea and every tea. nankumoshu*san where owner bartender is globally famous. Yukino Sato that pocket chief bartender is cute.
Jasmine tea-based cocktail "jasmine tea tale No1" which is high in popularity in flavor and taste noble clearly (1,600 yen). When amber liquid which mixed GREY GOOSE vodka, Elder flower liqueur, Calvados is poured into large-sized wineglass, exotic flavor goes up to jasmine tea. It is preprandial and of course is in mitakunarui, captivation (scared)-like cocktail incidentally after a meal in early afternoon.
cocktail "godfather of Matcha" of Matcha that it is warm to introduce one more (1,600 yen). We put sand bar 12 years and amaretto, brown sugar from Okinawa in the bowl and admire beautiful conduct to beat with bamboo tea whisk. It is one cup of the best to have as a substitute for espresso after a meal. It has cocktail course with introduction, development, denouement and conclusion sometimes compose of 3-5 cups of cocktail, and it will be good to enjoy slowly and carefully.
Finally, "seasonal greens Miyama" featuring dishes which worked hard on the subject matter that we were particular about in stock and season carefully. It is convenient for the middle of shopping when we learn that there is eat-in counter beside sale space of lunch and single dish. The first popularity mixed rice dear (1,250 yen). Anyway exceptional taste can nod because we cook rice with earthenware pot of the leading person, Nakagawa one side Sue product of Shigaraki ware 6 to 7 times a day and we cook and take out ritsu teo. Point where it is glad we say, and to be set of Balance with small dish of vegetables seasonal to chicken teriyaki. As for the lunch of takeout, two step lunches (2,000 yen) which lotus root kimpira and spinach and vegetables including stew of dried bean curds have abundant seem to sell well. It is relief when we make a reservation when number is necessary.
Text: Hiroko Komatsu Photos: Akiko Fukuchi Edit: Yuka Okada
Located in the middle of Ginza, GINZA SIX is still a place where one encounters wonderful food cultures and ingredients from all around Japan. Of the unique array of restaurants and bars here, I’ve visited three that convey some of the special joys associated with Japanese culture.
THE GRAND GINZA on the 13th floor, the top of the complex, is GINZA SIX’s largest restaurant by floor area. Divided into a lounge, restaurant, banquet room, and tea room, the space is designed to meet the varying needs of its customers. Here I’ll introduce THE GRAND47, a restaurant that offers seasonal ingredients sourced from Japan’s 47 prefectures, prepared with French culinary techniques. As I recall, the theme when I visited this past December was “Hokuriku, a Treasure Trove of Food.” The elegant course-based meals incorporate a dash of traditional flavors from Hokuriku, including arrangements of sushi made with salted turnips (kabura-zushi) and salted squid mixed with squid ink (ika no kurotsukuri). The courses can be paired with glasses of Kokuryu sake, the pride of Fukui. It was an ideal setting for savoring moments of refinement, as if on a short vacation.
I recall the appetizer was Hokuriku Traditional Oshizushi Inspiration with Snow Crab, Winter Amberjack, and Vegetable Cubes. Inspired by the local kabura-zushi, felicitous winter catch from the Sea of Japan transmuted into a French delicacy. The multicolored cuisine arranged in the middle of the dish reminded me of a jewel box; one hardly knew where to start. The pairing with Kokuryu amplified the delightful flavors.
The main fish course was Kurotsukuri-Marinated Cod Poêlé and Soft Roe Meunière with Creamed Large Scallion and White Wine Sauce. Kurotsukuri, a local dish of Toyama, is made by adding squid ink to fermented squid. The cod is coated with this sauce and marinated to create a richer, more savory flavor. As one might expect, the sauce made with sweet large scallions was a meltingly sweet delight. The passion and skills of Chef Hayato Saito, who served his apprenticeship in France and continued his training at the Kobe Kitano Hotel, were on full display. “I love it when customers take an interest in the region after eating here,” he remarked. “Next year, I hope to visit more of the produce areas myself.”
From the three desserts on offer, I chose the Chocolate Mille-Feuille with Hokuriku Sake Lees and Yuzu Fruit, an outstanding combination of cloudlike chocolate mousse with lees that melt on one’s tongue, and highly aromatic yuzu fruit. This lunch course was reasonably priced at 3,800 yen (all prices listed before tax). As I filled up on dessert to finish the culinary tour of the Hokuriku region, I began casting about for another destination.
After dinner, a visitor would certainly want to visit Mixology Salon, a chic bar also located on the thirteenth floor. Mixology is an emerging trend at bars in recent years, wherein new cocktails are created, as if by alchemy, by combining various spirits with herbs, spices, fruit, and other ingredients. The theme of this particular bar is tea. Mixology Salon makes an assortment of cocktails using every conceivable variety of tea, including roasted green tea (hojicha), matcha, Chinese tea, and black tea. The owner-bartender is the globally renowned Shuzo Nagumo. The chief bartender is the charming Yukino Sato.
Shown here is the Jasmine Teatail No. 1 (1,600 yen), a popular jasmine tea-based cocktail with a crisp, noble aroma and flavor. An amber-colored mixture of jasmine tea with Grey Goose vodka, elderflower liqueur and Calvados is poured into the large wineglass, generating an exotic aroma. The result is a seductive cocktail ideal (naturally) before or after meals, and even in the early afternoon.
Another of the salon’s cocktails is Matcha Godfather (1,600 yen), a cocktail with hot green tea. Hakushu aged 12 years old, amaretto, and Okinawan brown sugar are assembled in a tea bowl and whisked with a bamboo tea whisk—I found myself captivated by the physical gestures that create the drink, making a surprisingly perfect substitution for espresso after the meal. It would also be tasteful to have a narrative of three to five glasses of cocktails composed at choice of the bartender.
Lastly, I went to Syunsai Miyama, an establishment that prides itself on carefully prepared dishes made with its special dashi soup stock and seasonal ingredients. You might find it convenient to remember, while shopping, the eat-in counter next to the sales space for bento and single-dish items. Their most popular offering is the meal with rice seasoned and cooked with various ingredients (takikomigohan gozen; 1,250 yen). The rice is cooked six or seven times a day in an earthenware pot made by Ippento Nakagawa, the leading figure in Shigaraki ceramics. This means the rice is freshly cooked, which helps make it extraordinarily delicious. The combination also nicely balances the teriyaki chicken with small servings of seasonal vegetables, another delight. Often ordered for takeout is the double-decker bento with ample vegetables (2,000 yen), including lotus root kinpira and simmered spinach and yuba (tofu skin). You’ll probably want to make reservations in advance for large orders.
Text:Hiroko Komatsu Photos:Akiko Fukuchi Edit:Yuka Okada

Hiroko Komatsu
Food journalist. Her grandmother was a culinary researcher. Worked at an advertising agency before setting out as a food journalist. Writes articles on topics related to food ranging from the cuisine of various countries to food ingredients and dishware. Has written, edited, and contributed to numerous works, including Daily Cooking Inspired by Tea Ceremony Dishes (author Kazuko Goto; published by Bunka Publishing Bureau), which won the Special Cultural Heritage Award at the French Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and the second Shizuo Tsuji Culinary Culture Award.
2019.01.11 improves