RESTAURANT REVIEW: Washoku Souten is heaven on a plate in Tokyo
IT IS hard to imagine a more beautiful dinner than the one I had recently at the new, amazingly refurbished, Prince Hotel in Tokyo.
Washoku Souten is located on the 36th floor, far above the Chiyoda Akasaka-Roppongi area
There are lots of lovely places to dine, but the winner by far was the Washoku Souten.
It is located on the 36th floor, far above the Chiyoda Akasaka-Roppongi area, and, from the large expanse of windows, the bright lights shine in like stars in a firmament.
The meal had been pre-ordered by my host, Fumio Sudo, the Chairman of Tepco.
The other guest was Eizo Kobayashi, the Chairman of Itochu.
Each course, a beautiful, delicious, dream for both the eye and the palate
We had all dined together once last year, and then too I knew I was in the presence of giants.
They were the leaders of Japanese business, so naturally that is what we talked about.
No matter, however, how interesting or important this conversation was, it paled compared with the exquisite food.
Each course, a beautiful, delicious, dream for both the eye and the palate
Each course, a beautiful, delicious, dream for both the eye and the palate, was virtually a work of art on a plate.
The first of our courses was accompanied by a lovely champagne, which is a real delicacy in Tokyo where prices of imported wines are sky high.
This course, entitled Zensai, was Wasabi mousse with sea urchin and consommé jelly.
It was surrounded by fried green vegetables and raw ham with Padano cheese, and sprinkled with vinegar made of green vegetables and seaweed.
This may sound like a strange mixture of flavours, but somehow the Master Chef had blended them to a first course of perfection.
This was followed by turnip soup with shrimp and black pepper.
The first of our courses was accompanied by a lovely champagne, which is a real delicacy in Tokyo
Thereafter, in rapid succession, came traditional sashimi, which for me is one of the best Japanese delicacies, simple and light and luxurious.
The next dish was a true delicacy of steamed ezo-abolo served with lotus root with plum sauce.
Then came the main course – ours was Japanese kobi bech beef with grilled vegetables and burdock sauce, together with Spanish karabinero shrimp and chilli sauce (a sort of 5-star surf and turf).
We thought we were finished, but then the loveliest tempura arrived to remind us that we were in Tokyo.
In the end, this was elegant food served in elegant surroundings
This tempura was indeed exotic – being green shiso and potato in sole, all wrapped in edible wild plants.
After this exotica, it was back to sushi and miso soup – familiar but friendly, and a perfect lead in to green tea ice cream and sorbet, and my favourite – financiers, which are also not originally Japanese, but have been taken up by the Francophile population.
In the end, this was elegant food served in elegant surroundings, with serious people in a very serious conversation.
For me, this kind of experience is very near to heaven.