Tokyo: Kaiseki dinner @ Ise Sueyoshi

Kaiseki is a traditional 7-14 course meal structured to provide a harmonious balance of flavors, textures, and temperatures through a focus on seasonal ingredients, artfully presented to create a sense of tranquility and appreciation.

I first heard of kaiseki on a Top Chef episode so when Tokyo ended up on our itinerary, it just HAD to be part of our itinerary. Found Ise Sueyoshi through Time Out (great website, even better market/food halls scattered around the world) and snagged a booking for our 2nd evening in Tokyo (because jet lag).

The restaurant occupies an intimate (aka tiny) space on the 2nd floor. Stepping in, we were immediately welcomed and seated at the 5-seat bar behind which Chef Yuuki Tanaka and his 2 assistants had apparently been casting spells and sacrificing virgins earlier to create a spectacular dining experience.

And experience it was! Each course had a unique table setting—stunning dishes, sake cups & glasses (and a box!)—and was elegantly presented in a manner I can only call quiet deliberation.

And the food…sweet baby Jesus, absolutely divine.

Most of the ingredients are sourced near the chef’s home in the Mie region, southwest of Tokyo, and his pride and love for the area and its producers definitely came through in the food and how he spoke about it. In front of our place setting was a book showcasing featured ingredients and their producers, which the team opened to the corresponding page for each course. Really fun hearing the dish described, and then tasting it while deep diving into an ingredient to learn more about it and the producer’s philosophy. (Is “food nerd” a thing? *sheepishly raises hand*)

The sake pairings were perfect and opened our eyes to the spirit’s diversity and versatility. My favorite was served in a fresh cypress wood box (took a minute to figure out how to drink from it without spilling down my chin)—the floral aroma of the wood with the crisp sake was transcendent. And we even got to take the boxes home!Read more