Shinohara
Ginza Shinohara is one of Tokyo's most renowned and controversial Kaiseki restaurants, a Tabelog Gold Award winner among thirty others, with a rating of 4.58. To sum up the dining experience here in one phrase: "Although I don’t know exactly what I’m eating, it seems pretty impressive." The meal was shrouded in mystery, and while it wasn’t particularly tasty, there was a sense of diligence; it seemed unassuming yet without much competition in its niche.
I’ve previously described the three-starred Ryugin as business Kaiseki and Ginza Kojyu, which was demoted from three to two Michelin stars, as tourist Kaiseki. Shinohara, then, could be termed "performance Kaiseki."
The restaurant is discreetly located on the basement floor of a hidden building in Ginza. Exiting the elevator, all patrons cram into a less than four-square-meter stairwell, waiting to be seated promptly at mealtime. With twelve seats laid out in an L-shape and candles lit, the workspace isn't vast but includes a charcoal grill, frying pot, sushi counter, and even flower arranging that nearly spans the entire meal. The restaurant's two most eye-catching dishes are a starter decorated with Changpu leaves and an eight-inch dish that takes almost an hour, complete with mysterious religious overtones.
Upon seating, the meal begins with kombu tea.
The appetizer is sea urchin covered in vinegar jelly, topped with raw shrimp and garnished with perilla flowers. A refreshing start suggestive of summer, yet not particularly challenging in concept. Decorated with Changpu leaves, symbolizing a prayer for health and safety. The Changpu leaf faces the diner, who must then rotate it half a turn. It feels like a ritual; I adopt Lin Daiyu's dining approach from her initial visit to the Grand View Garden, mimicking how other local diners eat.
The deep-fried course includes little fragrant fish and mountain vegetables as tempura. To retain the shape, the fish is barely coated, almost raw-fried. It's acceptable, but not on par with high-end tempura specialists.
The soup course features grilled Spanish mackerel with oil-boiled eggplant, leaving a modest impression. The bowl contains soft-shell turtle and pheasant meatballs paired with wasabi, again unremarkable. The grilled dish, tiger pufferfish, is quite savory when complemented with lemon and fine salt.
The eight-inch dish is a ritualistic presentation. Flowers and plants from the restaurant's vase are removed and meticulously arranged by the chef at the counter. Since it was May, the theme was the Dragon Boat Festival, complete with mysterious religious and exorcism motifs, including evil-warding tiles and paper candles. The cold dishes included chilled grilled eel, whitebait sushi wrapped in bamboo leaves, wasabi-dressed stone ear mushrooms, squid tentacles, duck loin, sauced quail eggs, Ise shrimp, egg custard, and cheese-stuffed eel. When the eight-inch dish is served, the lights are dimmed, leaving only the flicker of candles, and the chef delivers a ten-minute speech. Although I didn’t understand a word using my translator, it felt very impassioned and steeped in history. However, none of the dishes on this eight-inch plate suited my taste.
While enjoying the eight-inch dish, the chef also served abalone sushi and mochi cake. The mochi cake, with foie gras and mango flavor, had an ice cream-like texture and was the tastiest item of the meal. The hot pot dish, pork and chrysanthemum soup, was forgettable. The rice course came with water eggplant, grilled turtle, and mixed lotus slices. After the meal, mugwort and fruit were served alongside hand-whisked matcha.
After such a meal, nothing was quite understood, no dish was particularly palatable, but there was a sense of accomplishment, having never visited a similar restaurant before. Besides me, all patrons were Japanese, many of whom were regulars acquainted with the chef. A Korean chef who spoke English explained the dishes to me. There was also a Chinese chef who didn’t say much. I don't feel the need to insist on a position at Shinohara; it's suitable for those curious about "performance Kaiseki."
