Tetsuya's Tokyo

by Tom Bonaventure 

Full article: Tetsuya's Tokyo in Gourmet Traveller


This is an excellent Tokyo food map by one of the world’s renowned Japanese chefs in recent years - Tetsuya Wakuda. In the article, the writer, Pat Nourse, takes us to all of Wakuda’s favourite eateries in Tokyo, Japan.

Nourse introduces Wakuda at the onset to make sure readers know who and how important he is in the culinary world and hence, set the authoritative voice in the article.

Since this is a feature article, it’s rather long. But the length let Nourse cover a wide range of Japanese dining styles in great details.

The immense amount of details in the article drags readers immediately to the dining table: seeing a master of Japanese fancy ice cutting cubes from block ice to prepare for your drinks at Star Bar; enjoying a flood of flavour while chewing a slice of unctuous tuna belly that has just been cut by the sushi master; watching a seasoned fugu fillet sizzling over bincho in front of you.


Gourmet dining in Tokyo is not a new topic. However, Nourse has still managed to provide surprises and wonders (grilled foie gras with miso and turnips, anyone?). This is mainly because Wakuda is such an authority in Japanese cuisine and his analysis on his favourite eateries is unique and persuasive. Who’s better than Wakuda to show you where to eat in Tokyo if you’re willing to splurge?

The article not only accurately portrays different styles of Japanese cuisine (including a couple of western cuisines with a Japanese twist), but it also depicts the Japanese’s adherence to excellence. For example, when explaining why most of his favourite eateries are in Ginza, Wakuda said “Tokyo is Ginza” because for any business, simply being in Ginza is an assurance of excellence. Also, many restaurants in Japan specialize in a single style of dining, because specialization ensures perfection.

I presume this article is targeting affluent Australian readers who are interested in travelling and Japanese cuisine.  Given the high quality of food in these eateries, one has to be prepared to splurge.