Tokyo. The dream of every foodie. Can be read everywhere. But you can only really grasp this culinary dimension when you immerse yourself in it.
And we tried very hard to have an intense immersion. Incredible how much and especially how often you can actually eat during a few days. I only noticed the extent of this now, when looking through the many photos. In general, these pictures say so much more than any words I could put alongside them….
Tokyo sushi
Sushi no Midori in Ginza. Already at eleven in the morning, the sidewalk in front of the restaurant is not enough to accommodate the queue of people waiting. But, this much is assured: Every minute of waiting is rewarded. A sensational selection of great fish, many products that you don’t get to see outside of Japan – and supposedly well-known products that only and exactly reveal here what sushi can actually be…
Izakaya
Entire streets are lined with izakaya bars. Later in the evening it gets loud, crowded and cramped here. Very different specialties are offered and celebrated in the individual houses. Sake with it. And a beer. And great atmosphere. Who would want to go home before the last dish on the menu has been ordered and tasted together.
Yakiniku
Yoroniku is not only one of Tokyo’s 500 best addresses according to Tablelog, it’s even the runner-up in its category: Yakiniku. Accordingly, it is difficult to get hold of a reservation. At the table grooved beef of almost unbelievable quality. The menu takes you through the whole animal, from the inside out, so to speak. Tongue, liver, diaphragm. Then increasingly marbled premium cuts of Wagyū beef. Pure protein. Sensational!
Okonomiyaki
You can’t get much more social than gathering around a teppanyaki for dinner. Or for lunch. Or in between. The hot plate steams as soon as the mixture of egg, fish rye and some vegetables sizzles over it. Accompanied by mochi, cubes of rice cake – also known amiably as New Year’s killers, thanks to regular press reports. Also unmissable: the homemade okonomiyaki sauce and lots of katsuobushi. Why is that not the case in Germany?
Ramen
And what would a trip to Tokyo be without visiting at least one of the many small ramen bars? These soups from deliciously intense broth of all kinds of bones, plus fresh vegetables, seaweed, eggs and noodles. And next to it, of course, a large portion of Gyōza.
