Kyoaji

My 1000^th review in Unilocal is dedicated to Kyoaji, a legendary kaiseki style restaurant in Tokyo, headed by arguably the top Japanese chef Mr. Kenichiro Nishi (西健一郎). This restaurant is super exclusive as no first-​timers are allowed to make a reservation here.
«Study until death.»
That is the motto that Nishi lives by.
That is the motto he learned from his father, a historically famous chef from Kyoto.
Nishi opened Kyoaji in Tokyo when he was 30 years old. In his mid-30’s, despite the fact that the restaurant was doing well, he bowed down to his father to take himself as his father’s apprentice. He begged his father to move to Tokyo to teach him how to become a real chef. For the next 10 years, Nishi Senior prepared the food at Kyoaji next to his son Kenichiro.
By the time Nishi Senior passed away, Kenichiro had carried on his father’s skills to transform «ordinary ingredients» into delicious dishes that are «unforgettable».
There are 2 key terms in the previous sentence that are very important to Nishi’s approach to cooking.
«Ordinary ingredients»: Much like other famous chefs who cook Kyoto style kaiseki cuisine, Kyoaji uses seasonal ingredients. Depending on which month you visit, you will experience a completely different type of food. This part is nothing out of ordinary. The unique part about Nishi’s cooking is his insistence to use relatively inexpensive «ordinary» ingredients. He believes that the key «job» of a chef is to do just that — turn ordinary items into something that is delicious.
«Unforgettable taste»: Nishi believes that there is a difference between delicious food and unforgettable taste. He believes that he needs to dig down deeper to create dishes that people can recall months or years afterwards. To create such taste, he believes that you need to put in the extra effort. He does things that other chefs would consider too time consuming.
HOW TO EAT AT KYOAJI: Unfortunately, if you have never been here, you cannot make a reservation here. Even your hotel concierge cannot help you. Kyoaji is not open to first-​time diners. You need to go here for the first time with someone who has dined here in the past. First floor is mainly counter seats, while there is a private room on the 2^nd floor. Depending on whom you ask, opinion varies on which seats are the best. Some will tell you that the private room is the most exclusive space that is used by famous politicians and celebrities. Some will argue that the counter seats are the best, since you get to interact with Nishi and he may give you special treats if you are a nice customer. I dined in the private room, which was my preference, because you are allowed to take pictures. On the counter seats, you are not allowed to take pictures, because it is considered a distraction to other customers.
Alcohol: Calculation of the bill at this kind of restaurant is voodoo. There is no clarity on how it is calculated. The regulars tell me that no matter how much alcohol you drink, the price is the same. Note that their beer and sake selection is not deep. They only carry the basics, so I could see why the price does not fluctuate no matter how much you drink. They do allow you to bring your own bottle (BYOB) for free. «Free» is a relative term. You are charged the same; whether or not you bring your bottle or if you drink their beer.
FOOD: I heard so many rumors about this place before my first visit; both good and bad. I really wanted to approach his food with a fresh perspective — not tainted by other people’s opinions. So I blocked out the noise and came to my own independent conclusion: Kyoaji’s food is delicious. One of my favorite dishes was snow crab dish. The meat of the crab was nicely seasoned and mixed with crab guts and presented on the shell of the crab. Great presentation and taste. Each dish was certainly unique and interesting.
Here is my course in Japanese (too difficult to translate):
あなご
からすみ、さわら、うど
香箱蟹とズワイ蟹の足
フグの白子
海老芋の揚げ物
伊勢海老と鯛のお造り
スッポンのダシの丸豆腐
もろこ焼
近江かぶら
ハラスご飯、香の物
ぜんざい
SERVICE: I was expecting Nishi to be a scary guy, but he was actually very nice. He greeted us on our way out and had not issues taking pictures with us. I certainly will value this picture, as he is arguably the most famous chef in Japan.
PRICE: About 40,000 Yen inclusive of beer and sake. Price varies on the season.
TIME IS TICKING: I hope this does not sound mean, but it is a fact of nature that Nishi will not live to be 300 yrs old. He is going to be 78 yrs old in 2015. I have no idea when he plans to retire, but if you really want to checkout Kyoaji, you better do it quick. After Michael Jordan retired, I regretted that I did not go to Chicago Stadium more often. No amount of money would allow me to see the best basketball player in the history play in front of me. Kyoaji is not cheap, but so were tickets to Bulls games. I plan to take every opportunity to enjoy Kyoaji while it is still there.