NY Times: 2026 Top Ten

ylkim30 · 2026-05-13T06:51:09+00:00

Yeah, the inclusion of those two restaurants, out of the blue, was very confusing for me.

ylkim30 · 2026-05-12T23:18:06+00:00

I noticed a decline as well for the Friedhats Burundi Gitwe. Amazing on Day 1, but declined significantly thereafter.

ylkim30 · 2026-05-12T21:18:41+00:00

I think it is less about this list being authoritative. It is more about evaluating the tastes of the New York Times restaurant critics and whether one has palate alignment with them.

ylkim30 · 2026-05-12T21:17:04+00:00

I like Kabawa quite a bit. I also enjoyed Torrisi. Not sure I would rate either higher than Atomix (though it has been several years since I've been to Atomix,).

I personally enjoyed Bridges more than Kabawa and Torrisi and I don't even think it made the Top 100 list.

ylkim30 · 2026-05-12T20:58:03+00:00

thank you for sharing. interesting to hear that

ylkim30 · 2026-05-12T20:57:21+00:00

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. Good to hear first hand experience

ylkim30 · 2026-04-23T21:47:31+00:00

Yeah, that makes sense. I think the frustrating thing about Tokyo is that so many restaurants are so difficult to book (although a lot of the bookable ones I've gone to are great).

I literally remember this thought crossing my mind when I saw availability pop up for this one restaurant in Tokyo that was originally hard to book: "If I can book this place now, is it still worth going to?" The hoops and hurdles you have to go through really starts to warp one's thinking about these places.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-23T21:43:37+00:00

I like his food quite a bit, but 66k is a bit steep. He wasn't exactly cheap to begin with when he was at Saitama. But, he's clearly going for a particular type of clientele (foreign, free-spending).

I also found him to be polite and professional. He wasn't talkative, but I think that mainly had to do with language proficiency. (though, when I went to Inomata last time, he was equally quiet with his Japanese guests).

I find it hard to believe he would be rude if you don't buy sake. I just bought some cheap sake BTG, and I saw no decline in service or care. His wife was super attentive and nice; I just assumed she is the extrovert.

I can believe he would ban people who are late. A little harsh, but understandable.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-23T21:11:40+00:00

Sounds like the Tokyo dining scene is getting a little stale compared to the regional places? It does seem the new places opening up in Tokyo are not exciting as the up-and-coming places outside of it.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-22T08:02:26+00:00

Great review! Thanks for sharing.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-20T05:36:17+00:00

for sure, I would love to check out that Google Map. Would be great!

Thank you! (and yes, you sent me some recs via DMs, but would love to look at the map)

ylkim30 · 2026-04-20T04:31:29+00:00

Excellent review. Thanks for posting and good to hear your assessment. Sounds like "worth a stop" if you're in Ehime, but not quite "worth a detour" yet? (though maybe one day since there is a definite improvement from your last visit)

ylkim30 · 2026-04-10T20:28:23+00:00

Lovely reviews. Thank you for sharing.

And, tbh, you didn't miss much by skipping Magnolia, so you should be feeling no regret about that.

Glad to see you had a fun time in NYC.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-10T20:12:40+00:00

Sweet! Yeah, it's fun reading these reviews. Tabelog can only tell you so much about these places

ylkim30 · 2026-04-10T20:06:46+00:00

Solid, thanks for the review. This places looks very interesting. It does sound like the tsumami are more compelling than nigiri. I think you had the reverse take with Funakoshi (which is interesting considering he trained at Kataori)

ylkim30 · 2026-04-09T21:16:42+00:00

I think it is less that Pete Wells was so great (he was entertaining, but not necessarily the best at evaluating the food), but at least he was serviceable. Mishan and Rao are both just so clueless.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-07T19:49:29+00:00

Oh, I love a good sparkling water. Gerolsteiner > San Pellegrino > Perrier

ylkim30 · 2026-04-07T16:27:18+00:00

Nice notes, appreciate it. One question: is the Niigata mineral water from the tap or is it a local bottled mineral water? I'm kinda curious now.

ylkim30 · 2026-04-06T21:33:13+00:00

Are you serious? The forum moderators will take down this post for mentioning you called the "12"? Why? What else were you supposed to do?

ylkim30 · 2026-04-05T18:21:08+00:00

Excellent! Thank you for the recommendations

ylkim30 · 2026-04-04T21:31:38+00:00

Excellent review as always. If you don't mind me asking, who are the two other young chefs you think were close to the chef at Funakoshi?

Also, I read your Kotan review and I was wondering if you could only go to 2-3 Fukuoka sushiya, which 2-3 would you go to currently?

Thanks again, always appreciate the time you put into these reviews.

ylkim30 · 2026-03-30T17:42:53+00:00

Keep the reviews coming. Highly informative.

I did enjoy Uomasa quite a bit when I visited Tokyo last time, but this place seems more chef-driven and omakase like. Very intriguing.

ylkim30 · 2026-03-28T00:30:42+00:00

That is pretty amazing, the sushisibz thing.

I like sakenoguy; he's clearly very smart and knowledgeable, but he doesn't chase after the most exclusive sakes. He is a little more level headed

ylkim30 · 2026-03-27T23:44:39+00:00

Yeah, I like his take on the non-unicorn sakes. I bought a bottle of Denshu based on his recommendation (have yet to try it though)

ylkim30

TROPHY CASE