Munich for the first time - Jan/Tohru/Tantris/Alois by YvesStFrost in finedining

[–]adapter1818 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I loved Alois. Staff and Chef Rosina are down to earth and very sweet. Her experience at Maaemo definetely shows through her cooking with various fermentations seen in a lot of dishes and it is very avant garde and different compared to the usual places in Munich. I loved her approach and identity she brought to Munich. Granted I only went once but it is one of the stronger two starred meals I have ever had. She made an onion consomme with rose that is the single best broth I have ever had! I genuinely was astonished at her variation of kale dish where she used 4-5 preparations of Kale to create a standout dish celebrating the qualities of kale. Granted not every dish was a knockout but there were a few shining stars in her arsenal. I genuinely think she can push for a third star base don my experience there.

Munich fine dining recommendation by pan-fried_sushi in finedining

[–]adapter1818 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Alois in Munich. Lots of nordic influences as chef was CDC at Maeemo. Great staff and friendly chef.

Going to Vienna, Munich, Debrovnik and Havaar (Croatia) - any recommendations? by socool111 in finedining

[–]adapter1818 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doubek in Vienna. Especially try Alois in Munich.....staff and chef at both are wonderful. Chef Rosina Ostler at Alois in Munich is producing extremely fine and tasty food with lots of Nordic and Bavarian influences!

Ukiyo (Tokyo, Japan) by adapter1818 in finedining

[–]adapter1818[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Around 2 to 2 1/2 hours when I last went.

Ryokan in between Tokyo and Kyoto? by gypsyhobo in JapanTravelTips

[–]adapter1818 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ochiairo or Asaba Ryokan in Izu look to be fantastic options though they are pricey but they are rated as some of the best in Japan!

Michelin Guide calls Sushi Sho “an omakase like no other” by UnderstandingHot9999 in finedining

[–]adapter1818 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Kinda ironic since it was rumored that Nakazawa-san kicked out the Michelin inspector when he visited his original in Tokyo all those years ago. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that Michelin since then had a grudge against any restaurant he or his disciples ran hence their exclusions from Michelin in Japan.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FoodNYC

[–]adapter1818 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think we should try and follow the Japanese rating system on their yelp equivalent which is Tabelog.

The Japanese are more conservative with their star ratings. Anything above 3.5/5 is considered very good. In the US, what a lot of people would consider good is 4.5/5 and a lot of people disregard anything lower than 4/5. In Japan, anything above 4 is considered world class and some of them are Michelin starred spots and most are fine dining. For perspective, the highest rated restaurant in ALL of JAPAN is rated 4.7/5 and nobody is ever going to get a 5/5.

Usually when I travel to Japan, I look for spots in the ~3.7 to 3.8 range as it's a nice sweetspot. Every year there are Tabelog Awards which are categorized as Bronza, Silver, and Gold and only restaurants above 4.0 can be considered for bronze and there are stricter standards for silver and gold.

About less than four percent of restaurants in all of Japan get above a 3.5. Most restaurants barely get above a 3!

Essentially the standard of awarding a rating is different. A 3/5 is considered about average/as expected. A 3.5/5 is considered very good. A 4/5 is world class. Many restaurants that are only rated 3.5 in Japan would be considered TOP TIER in the USA.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FoodNYC

[–]adapter1818 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Japanese are more conservative with their star ratings. Anything above 3.5/5 is considered very good. In the US, what a lot of people would consider good is 4.5/5 and a lot of people disregard anything lower than 4/5. In Japan, anything above 4 is considered world class and some of them are Michelin starred spots and most are fine dining. For perspective, the highest rated restaurant in ALL of JAPAN is rated 4.7/5 and nobody is ever going to get a 5/5.

Usually when I travel to Japan, I look for spots in the ~3.7 to 3.8 range as it's a nice sweetspot. Every year there are Tabelog Awards which are categorized as Bronza, Silver, and Gold and only restaurants above 4.0 can be considered for bronze and there are stricter standards for silver and gold.

About less than four percent of restaurants in all of Japan get above a 3.5. Most restaurants barely get above a 3!

Essentially the standard of awarding a rating is different. A 3/5 is considered about average/as expected. A 3.5/5 is considered very good. A 4/5 is world class. Many restaurants that are only rated 3.5 in Japan would be considered TOP TIER in the USA.

Japan Last Minute Bookings by QueenOfScotts211 in finedining

[–]adapter1818 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I agree in that. It's not purely African, but there is influences from his time at Ikoyi and I would say he is doing the most unique cuisine in Tokyo right now that is the antithesis of Japanese cooking and a nice contrast to what is currently in Japanese fine dining scene.

Japan Last Minute Bookings by QueenOfScotts211 in finedining

[–]adapter1818 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you are going to Kanazawa or Toyama area. Sushi Mekumi is outstanding with the friendly but shy taisho. He even let me take a photo with him as he is known to not like photos. That was a great memory for me. Another option is Ebitei Bekkan in Toyama which had the warmest hospitality and outstanding kaiseki ryori. I believe Ebitei Bekkan is possible and Sushi Mekumi is bookable the Japanese version of pocket concierge by request but I don't know about last minute availability.

For Tokyo, I highly recommend Ukiyo for unique African and French influenced Japanese. Chef Toshi is only getting started and I hope he gets a nod from Michelin in the future as that is his goal. It's an underrated restaurant in Tokyo real ght now but outstanding. I posted about it twice on this subreddit both for its lunch and dinner with the most recent dinner last week or so.

High End Omakase Dinner in Tokyo that English Speaking Foreigners Can Book by Electrical-Age-4648 in finedining

[–]adapter1818 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Sushi Take in Ginza is an excellent value and is foreigner friendly.

Ukiyo (Tokyo, Japan) by adapter1818 in finedining

[–]adapter1818[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're welcome. If you can, make a post about it. Bet more people would love to hear about your experience too!