Recent Reviews
This Michelin one-star restaurant offers a lunch menu featuring delicious sardine dishes. The "Iwashi Yanagawa Nabe" set meal is ¥990 and includes a flavorful sardine hot pot. You can also order a half portion of fresh sardine sashimi for ¥385. **Rice refills are free up to two bowls.** The sardine fry is served with a light and savory egg-based sauce, and the dish arrives piping hot. The sardine sashimi is incredibly fresh and has absolutely no fishy odor. It's so delicious! The option to order a half portion is great. This popular restaurant often has a wait during lunch hours, so it's best to come with plenty of time. **Michelin One Star** **Tabelog 3.65** **Top 100 Restaurants** **Hours:** 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM **Closed:** Sundays and Public Holidays
I visited the restaurant on Tuesday, May 2024, at 11:36 AM. It was just before lunchtime and right after opening, so I was quickly seated. As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a wonderful aroma! I was already excited. This time, I was seated at a table with a shared table. I was seated across from another customer, but there was a clear acrylic partition between us, so I felt safe. The table already had chopsticks set, and pickles and tea were brought out. I ordered the Yanagawa Nabe set for ¥1,100 (tax included) and a half portion of sashimi for ¥440 (tax included). The Yanagawa dish takes a bit of time to prepare. I was wondering if I could order additional side dishes if I had room in my stomach, and the staff said it would be okay if they weren't too busy. After that, soy sauce and paper napkins were brought out, and after about 20 minutes, a small plate for the Yanagawa dish, a spoon with a small amount of chili pepper, a small plate with soy sauce for the sashimi, rice, and miso soup were all brought out one after another. Finally, the Yanagawa pot, bubbling hot, and the sashimi arrived. The Yanagawa dish was truly piping hot and stayed that way until the very end. The broth wasn't sweet and spicy, but rather a gentle flavor of dashi and soy sauce. Inside, there was fried sardine, egg, and onion simmered together. The sardine had a faint taste of bluefish, giving it a distinct sardine flavor. I personally loved that the onion still had a nice crunch. The different textures added to the dish and prevented it from becoming monotonous. The sashimi came with lemon, ginger, and seaweed. It didn't have much of a fishy smell, so it was delicious even on its own, but the ginger really brought out the flavor of the sardine. It was sprinkled with sesame seeds, which added a nice aroma. The seaweed was thick and delicious. The miso soup was piping hot. It was pretty standard. The rice was a bit disappointing. The grains were too close together, and I would have preferred a bit more separation. If this had been served at night, I would have rated it lower. Honestly, I prefer Matsuya's rice. I ended up getting a second serving of rice (despite my earlier complaints) and poured the Yanagawa broth over it, which was delicious. The pickles were pickled Japanese mustard spinach and pickled daikon radish. Both were delicious. I ended up drinking the tea last, and even though it was cold, it was still good. I got a refill, but it tasted a bit like it had been brewed too long, so maybe it was just the timing. The bill was presented without a receipt, which I thought was quite impressive for a high-end Japanese restaurant. I wonder if it was because I mentioned my earlier gluttony. I paid in cash, and they gave me a receipt. When I left, it was past noon, and there were about five groups waiting. I could have stayed longer, but I felt like it was time to leave. There are other places where you can eat delicious sardine sashimi, but I think this is the only place that serves Yanagawa, so I recommend trying it if you have the chance. Getting there isn't too difficult as long as you don't take the wrong exit. If you're coming from JR Shinjuku Station, it's best to take the Southeast Exit. Just keep going down the ramp-like path until you reach the intersection with another road. It's right past the Sukiya restaurant, turn left, and it's right there. I took a wrong turn at the end of the ramp and wasted some time.
After a long time, I had lunch at Nakajima, a renowned kaiseki restaurant in Shinjuku. It's known for its Michelin-starred kaiseki cuisine, offering a variety of delicious sardine dishes in its set lunch menu and traditional Japanese cuisine courses in the evening. The owner's grandfather was the first head chef of "Hoshigaoka Charyo," a teahouse founded by the renowned ceramicist and culinary artist, Rokusaburo Nakatsuji, and established "Nakajima" in Ginza. The owner's father later opened "Nakajima" in Shinjuku. The current third-generation owner continues the tradition of Kansai-style kaiseki while also incorporating innovative elements, making it a well-known and respected restaurant. This time, I ordered the Yanagawa nabe set and a single order of fried fish. As always, the sardine dishes were delicious and impeccable. Not just the sardines, but the rice, miso soup, and pickles were all exquisite. Even though it was just sardines, I truly enjoyed the taste of this renowned restaurant after a long time. The value for money is still excellent, and I was very satisfied with the taste of this famous kaiseki restaurant. ⚫︎ Iwashi Nana (Lunch 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM) 〈New Prices Starting October 1st〉 Lunch Menu Sashimi Set, Fried Fish Set, Steamed Fish Set / ¥1,100 (tax included) Yanagawa Nabe Set / ¥1,320 (tax included) Additional Dish / ¥935 (tax included) Half Sashimi or Fried Fish / ¥605 (tax included) Lunch Course / ¥6,050 (tax included) and up Dinner Course / ¥12,100 (tax included) and up 【Shinjuku Kaiseki Nakajima】 ⚫︎ 3-32-5 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Nihara Building B1F ⚫︎ 3-minute walk from JR Shinjuku South/East Exit 2-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line Shinjuku-sanchome A1 Exit ⚫︎ Business Hours Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM Closed on Mon, Sun, and Holidays
Yayolog (つ∀｀*) Michelin One-Star Kappo Restaurant ◼️A restaurant by the Japanese culinary master, Sadaji Nakajima. His grandfather, the first head chef of "Hoshigaoka Charyo" organized by Rouzan Kitaoji, established "Nakajima" in Ginza, and his father branched out and opened "Nakajima" in Shinjuku, making it a restaurant with a long history. ◆Mackerel Fry Set Meal ◆Mackerel Sashimi Half The flavorful fried mackerel is delicious enough on its own. The sashimi is fresh. The salad is like sauerkraut. The bean sprouts are boiled with a spicy curry flavor. The Nozawana (pickled mustard leaf) is also flavorful. The miso soup with tofu has a gentle flavor. The set meal is a steal at ¥880 including tax. ◼️Restaurant Information◼️ Cash only for lunch. No background music. Sadajiro Nakajima, the owner's grandfather, served as the first head chef of "Hoshigaoka Charyo" organized by Rouzan Kitaoji, and founded the "Nakajima" kappo restaurant in Ginza in 1931. After Hoshigaoka Charyo, his father, Sadazo Nakajima, branched out and opened "Nakajima" in Shinjuku in 1962. Sadaji Nakajima opened this restaurant in 1995 and has been the head chef since then, earning a Michelin star in 2008 and continuing to do so. He is committed to incorporating new ideas into his dishes while upholding the fundamentals and traditions of Kansai-style kappo. (From the official website) ◼️◼️ This is the restaurant of a Japanese culinary master who has appeared on numerous television programs, including NHK's "Asaichi", and has published many books. The hostess spoke fluent English. The attentiveness was also excellent, as she quickly noticed when we wanted seconds. It was a fantastic, high-value lunch. 2020.7
I thought it would be great because there was a long line, but it was just an average restaurant. The sashimi had a fishy smell and small bones that were noticeable. The Yanagawa nabe (pot) - I wondered if those were all the ingredients it came with. The fried food was just ordinary, nothing particularly surprising. The rice and miso soup were underwhelming. The rice was just plain, and the tofu was cut into small squares but tasted like it was just dissolved miso. The best thing was the pickled vegetables.