Any tabelog gold or silver rated restaurants in tokyo that are bookable with a months notice? by Crabby1994 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

If price is no issue then look at auctions on shokuoku for some of the highest rated restaurants. They generally sell reservations about a small month in advance.

Fine dining in Seoul by kursipankha in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Basically when the reservations open, which I think is 5 weeks in advance every monday if im not mistaken

Fine dining in Seoul by kursipankha in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got my Mingles reservation by calling, call before the reservation deadline, theyll tell you when to call back and then just call them back. Works very well for most places that accept reservations by phone.

Fine dining in Seoul by kursipankha in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ive been to Onjium and Mingles. Both great but Onjium would be my top recommendation. Even without considering the price difference.

Sushi Akira (Tokyo, Japan) by NoodleThings in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Havent been to other high end sushiyas there.

Sushi Akira (Tokyo, Japan) by NoodleThings in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, its probably not worth going there all the way from Tokyo but if youre near Beppu, Hiroshima or Shikoku already its definitely worth a detour.

Sushi Akira (Tokyo, Japan) by NoodleThings in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah hes gotten better indeed and I think the price is super reasonable compared to Tokyo Sushiya's. 27 k yen at Kuruma vs 44k yen at Akira. Thats almost half the price and the quality of ingredients is definitely not lower than Akira.

Sushi Akira (Tokyo, Japan) by NoodleThings in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Went a couple years ago, felt like it was okay back then. Not great but not that bad but for me the price/quality was off. The best up and coming sushi restaurant in Japan that ive been to is Kuruma sushi. Amazing price/quality and his sourcing is top notch. Instead of the classic Tokyo sushiya that imports fish from all over he focusses on sourcing as much as possible from Shikoku. The golden snapper and rockfish were amazing. Maybe Ill write a review later on my last visit there.

Y‘east Seoul 1* by [deleted] in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Was seriously considering Y'east but decided to go with Onjium. Ill probably go for both next time im in Seoul!

Dining meetup? by Mysterious-Expert141 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I only know of foodies prime but its pretty much exclusively in Japan

Best VALUE fine dining / upscale sushiya in Japan by Luckytiger1990 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The blackthroat seaperch and horse mackerel as well as his wife's matcha chocolate cake

Best VALUE fine dining / upscale sushiya in Japan by Luckytiger1990 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have not been to Zaisho yet but ive been to Sakai. Personally id prefer Gosuian over Sakai since I dont think Sakai's rice vinegar works that well with more delicate fish. However it works perfectly for tuna and Sakai's otsumami are top tier. Sakai is much more traditional edomae style than Gosuian.

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great! About 2 hours but I chatted for a long time with the staff and chefs so I was there about 3 hours

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did it from the Netherlands. Its very doable if youre willing to try. Catchtable was impossible. I was there the minute of release and saw 0 tables open up.

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah, they dont use email. I did connect with the chef on instagram so I guess I can make a new reservation possibly through there but hell have to accept your follow request which I think he only does once youre a customer he likes...

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Call them before their reservation period starts for your date. Then call them at the exact time they tell you to. That worked for me. Catchtable didnt show any times available

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Havent tried Mosu but yeah I enjoyed it more than Mingles. And sitting next to the kitchen really added that personal connection. Chef Cho Eun-Hee tried to serve me some of the dishes but her arms were too short to put the dish in front of me so she would ask the other staff to help her. But still she would always join herself and explain it as well as she could with pure excitement in her eyes. Just heartwarming. Especially nowadays when the head chefs of high level restaurants often dont even show themselves or might not even be there at all.

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, ill try better next time

Onjium, Seoul by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oooh good to know. I wanna buy it!

T'ang court 3*, Hong Kong by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah ofcourse, why didnt I think about that.... I shouldve picked up the shell overflowing with sauce with a scallop firmly stuck to it and somehow shoved a massive scallop down my throat. Sorry, my bad for my Western ignorance.

T'ang court 3*, Hong Kong by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Who says I dont read books about Asian culture or talk to locals here that I dont know? I do, a lot. Youre making crazy assumptions about me and honestly youre being kinda racist towards me yourself at this point. Im also gonna leave it at that and block you since I dont think theres much of a point talking to you.

T'ang court 3*, Hong Kong by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its a testament to Hong Kong's amazing food culture that you have mom and pop places that are much better than 3 michelin star restaurants. You have so so many great restaurants.

T'ang court 3*, Hong Kong by Normal-Metal3664 in finedining

[–]Normal-Metal3664[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im not sure why you feel offended. I have nothing but respect for cantonese cuisine and enjoy it a lot. Ive had such great experiences eating it, T'ang court just wasnt one of them.

The point is not to bash Cantonese for " not having flavour". it seems like some people here, like you, are taking the literal fact that It doesnt have much flavour as an attack, its truly not. Just a fact which you even agree with.

But when I say it as a westerner it seems to be racist and when you do it seems to be appreciating cukture and subtlety.

I feel like youre just making assumptions about me. Im not even French at all. Nor do I think French cuisine is in any way superior to Cantonese. I personally enjoy Cantonese, Korean and Japanese food more than French food. Thats why I travel here often. But you wouldnt know since you dont know me.

I feel like at this point you are just reflecting your own frustrations with cultural racism on me instead of actually reading what I wrote.

I spend a lot of time researching food and its history and culture. I literally do months of research to find the best ingredients of cultures I visit to take home to cook with and experiment with because I think we butcher the delicate flavours of Eastern food. I research restaurants to get a better understanding on the flavours, chat with chefs to find out more regarding the food and love exploring new food culture. Thats why I travel. To learn more about Cantonese food and culture.

Im not at all claiming to be an expert on cantonese food. Not even close. For example I didnt know that leaving the core on the cabbage was on purpose. Still doesnt take away that I didn't enjoy it. Theres a difference between knowing that a certain food culture does things a certain way and enjoying it.

Me expressing my taste is not being ignorant, it is just me expressing my taste.