野永 喜三夫

Gotta Go – Nihonbashi Yukari
In chef, gotta go, Nihonbashi, restaurants on September 17, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Chef Kimio Nonaga

I am often asked for restaurant suggestions in Tokyo. There is one restaurant that I recommend time and time again. Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari was the 2002 Iron Chef winner, and the trophy is displayed when you first walk in. I love this restaurant for lunch or dinner. For a multi-course kaiseki dinner incorporating seasonal ingredients, you get a meal for a good value. Lunch is also reasonable. If you want to splurge, call ahead and order the Yukari bento box, pictured here. The last time I went this was 3,675 JPY.

The food here is prepared using classic Japanese techniques. Chef Nonaga trained in Kyoto at Kikunoi with Chef Murata, author of the gorgeous Kaiseki book published by Kodansha International.

If possible, sit at the counter so that you can watch Chef Nonaga perform his magic. And, tell him Yukari sent you. If you go with a Japanese speaker you can talk to him about the seasonal ingredients, how the food is prepared, and observe his passion for traditional Japanese cuisine.

Nihonbashi Yukari

Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi 3-2-14

tel. 03-3271-3436

Nihonbashi Yukari (Tokyo)Evelyn Chen, July 9, 2012

Kaiseki in Japan does not always need to be a costly affair if you know where to look and, quite frankly, Tokyo is where I least expect to spot an affordable one – until Nihonbashi Yukari appeared on my radar. Stripped of all pretence and Japanese garden ostentation, this convivial kaiseki restaurant has been operating from its humble roost at Nihonbashi since 1935. Now run by third generation chef/patron, Kimio Nonaga-san, a 2002 Iron Chef champion, the restaurant has doubled in capacity to 80 seats with the addition of private rooms in the basement when the building was torn down and rebuilt in 2000. Nonaga-san has 20 years of kaiseki-prepping chops (including seven years at Kikunoi Kyoto) under his belt and his flair shines through at the affordably priced nine-course kaiseki dinner (from 10,500 yen to 15,750 yen). Count yourselves lucky if Nonaga-san presents the first-rate Japanese gazpacho, a beautifully composed bowl of yuba and dashi jellied tomatoes with tongues of shiso flower-crowned sea urchin in the middle; or Oma tuna grilled with soya, mirin and sansho peppers served alongside teriyaki-style grilled leek. The arrival of a rice dish, in our case the porridge in umami-packed dashi broth with clouds of barely-cooked egg and clams, and the ensuing black bean ice cream, would signal the conclusion of the meal. But there would be no sips of frothy matcha to complete the kaiseki experience – this is, after all, Tokyo.

Nihobashi Yukari |4 Nihonbashi Chuo, Tokyo 103-0027| Tel: 81-3-3271-3436| www.nihonbashi-yukari.com |Lunch from JPY3,500, Dinner from JPY10,500