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We went from the crowded Ginza to the depressed and cold Kamiyacho station. Walking out from the subway station, we could see the soft red light of Tokyo Tower from afar, and we couldn't help but think of how Japanese dramas often say that when you're home from work and exhausted, look up at the Tokyo Tower, which is like a mother who is gentle and considerate and gives people hope.
This is the busiest city in the world, there are many beautiful legends about the Tokyo Tower, “It seems to have arrived a little early, why don't we take a stroll here.” I took a stroll along the path that rises and falls with the terrain around Tokyo Tower and Shiba Park.
My mood became brighter, and my hunger pangs increased a bit. As the illumination of Tokyo Tower came to an end, it was time for us to eat.
With much hunger and much anticipation, we pushed open a small, unassuming door and entered the cooking arena that belongs entirely to Masatsugu Amamoto.
After confirming our reservation, the waiter warmly led us into the room, pulled out our seats, and then helped us place our bags and hang up our coats.
As soon as we sat down, another waiter presented us with warm towels and tea. Although the room was not spacious, it was organized and flowed naturally, which made you wonder about the meticulousness and thoughtfulness of the Japanese style of service.
This is a New Year's limited dry sake from Shinsei Sake Brewery! Mr. Amamoto is a sake lover and has a very good relationship with many of Japan's leading sake breweries.
There are many limited editions of sake on sale that you can't seem to buy, but you can drink them at Tenmoto's store, and there are even sake breweries that create exclusive sakes for Tenmoto that you can only get at this store.
What's more, the prices of the sake on the wine list at Higashi-Azabu Tenmoto are almost close to the original price, which is exactly the sincerity of Tenmoto: they want to let their customers drink and enjoy the food to the fullest. I must say, Tenmoto is indeed a paradise for sake lovers.
Because of its origins in Fukuoka, Amamoto has its own unique criteria for selecting its products: in addition to fish from the well-known Toyosu market, it also uses a variety of high-quality ingredients from its hometown, Fukuei Seafoods.
The unique experience of working and studying has made Amamoto-san what it is today; a combination of Edo-mae and Kyushu-mae styles, not sticking to any one style or presentation, but blending and retaining its own character, which is perhaps why Amamoto has been able to become a difficult restaurant to make reservations for in Tokyo's highly competitive food and beverage industry.
The first wine course of the day was eel fry, which is not commonly found in sushi restaurants, but is very common in restaurants; beautiful glassware holding crystal clear eel fry with a special sour sauce, which was tender and refreshing, and the color combination was very appetizing;
The Northern Mailing Shell and Turbot Sashimi owes a lot to the excellent supply channels: you can only get the freshness and chewy sweetness without the offensive fishy flavor. This probably goes to the saying that good ingredients often require only the simplest of cooking methods;
After a gentle start, Amamoto's wine dishes will start to arouse your desire to drink: Sea Mouse with Sea Mouse Roe and Humpback Whale's Tail. The sea rat, or sea cucumber as we understand it, was thinly sliced raw and served with salted sea cucumber intestines, a first for me, and it was surprisingly flavorful, and I didn't want to stop chewing.
The first time we ate whale meat was in Amamoto, and it was said to be quite complicated to handle; if you've ever eaten poorly handled whale meat, you'd probably know that it's very difficult to get rid of the stench, but this whale meat didn't taste much different from horse meat, and the blubber and flavor of the meat filled the entire mouth, which was really a novel experience.
(Of course, Japan, as the only country in the world that preys on humpback whales, should be condemned from an international moral point of view.) Such a strong double whammy made people unconsciously drink more, and the atmosphere in the store gradually became more and more lively.
Unlike the most traditional Edo-mae sushi, Tenmoto serves a fair amount of hot dishes during the sake session: the soft-boiled octopus, although a common dish in sushi restaurants nowadays, will inevitably be compared by diners.
But Tenmoto is still confident in presenting it in the simplest way possible, and judging from the cut, this octopus SIZE should not be small. The outside is soft and sticky, and the center of the octopus is still a bit tough, which is quite a feat;
The cod and white roe was first boiled in the out juice and then lightly grilled over charcoal to make a small donburi. This format reminds me of what some wagyu restaurants in Kansai do during the food event, which makes the food more appetizing and interactive for the diners, in addition to making the food feel more substantial in the mouth;
Next, it was the session of Amamoto-san's signature stovetop grilled fish. Amamoto-san said without regret that he didn't get any good bonito at the market today, but then the words turned to a confident smile, “The mackerel from Kansai is especially good, so instead of making sushi today, I'll just grill it.”
The abundant oil of winter true mackerel is hidden under the skin of the fish that is grilled with a hint of charred flavor, and together with the tender fish meat, it bursts out in the mouth, making people wonder about the gift of nature.
After the final drink, a fluorescent squid punch, it was time to move on to the sushi chapter; a small detail worth mentioning is that Amamoto-san had already handled some of the ingredients for the sushi while we were enjoying the wine and food session, so there was no interruption in the fun atmosphere, and the pace of the dining and drinking didn't slow down either.
Compared to one sake dish after another that makes you clap your hands, sushi at Tenmoto is much more restrained, with acidity, saltiness, and hardness all very much in check. Compared to most sushi restaurants in Tokyo, which emphasize the presence of shirataki and use it as a theme, Tenmoto's sushi is subdued and elegant.
Although Tenmoto does not have a strong “once you taste it, you'll have it stuck in your head” style, and does not intentionally use the ingredients that some diners are looking for, it is one of those places that we think “you can keep coming back to and never get tired of it. However, it is one of those restaurants that we think “you can keep coming back and never get tired of eating”.
Snapper｜Flounder｜Gizzard Shad｜Golden Snapper
Eating the usual delicious sushi presented by Mr. Tenmoto with a smile on his face, drinking one sake after another and slowly getting slightly tipsy, and chatting with foreign friends whom he didn't know and becoming good friends, isn't it also one of the rare enjoyments in life?
There are many famous restaurants in Tokyo and China that offer high-quality tuna and sea urchins as their signature feature; Tenmoto does not use tuna from “Yamayuki” or “Ishiji,” the most famous tuna in the Toyosu market, and the sea urchins even come from the United States. Even the sea urchins are from Santa Barbara, USA;
Red Body｜Medium Fat｜Snake's Belly｜Snake's Bone
However, the savings in this area are used to purchase high quality shrimp, shellfish, and white-bodied fish, often ingredients that many sushi restaurants are not willing to spend a lot of money on.
It's fair to say that Tenmoto is a man who knows how to make trade-offs and is very savvy when it comes to business, making Higashi-Azabu Tenmoto a sushi house with a very distinct identity of its own. Both newcomers and old timers to sushi are attracted to the restaurant, except for the fact that it is very, very difficult to make a reservation.
Yundan｜Miso Madagascar｜Cavetto｜Dried Lady's Mushroom Rolls
If three Michelin stars is “something you'd like to plan an itinerary for”, then Tenmoto is definitely a three Michelin star in our book (but in fact, Tenmoto is a two Michelin star).
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/diet-51
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