ThismonthwehearfromchefHIDEKIII
on where to eat and drink in his hometown.
A CHEF’SGUIDETO...
Tokyo, Japan
TokyoskylinewithMount
Fujiinthebackground.
Clockwisefromfarright:pasta
allachitarraalloscoglioat
Melograno;oystersatVinoble;
millefeuilleatBistroMa
Cuisine; Vinoble’s bar.R
aisedinhisfamily’sChineserestaurant,
HidekiIiwasexposedtocookingfrom
anearlyage,butit wasn’tuntilhemet
legendaryAustralianchefTetsuyaWakuda
thathiscareertookoff.AfterrelocatingtoSydney
tobecomeseniorsouschefat Tetsuya’s,Ii wentto
NewYorktoworkfortheUNbeforereturninghome
andopeningShirosaka,a Michelin-starredmodern
kaisekiinTokyo’sAkasakaneighbourhood.Thisis
whereyou’llfindthechef– andcertifiedsommelier- eating and drinkingwhen he’s off theclock.
In the mood forpasta
BeforeopeningShirosaka,I worked
atUnionSquareTokyoforsixmonths
withMichaelRomanowhowasthe
chefattheoriginalUnionSquare
CafeinNewYork.Therestaurant
doesburgers,pastaandsteaks.
Overthepast 20 years,there’sbeen
anexplosionofAmericancuisine
inTokyo,especiallycraftburgers,
which Japanese people are crazyfor.I liketheburgeratUnionSquare.
YoshichikaMatsuda,thehead chef
there,is verytalented.
I alsolikesittingatthecounter
atMelograno.ChefYujiGotogives
everyonea warmwelcomeandI
alwaystellhimtocookmewhatever
hewants.I lovehispasta,suchas
a black-trufflepastathat’sreally,
reallygood.It’snota bigrestaurant,
but it’s casual and very friendly.112 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHYYUKAKOBASASHI(MILLEFEUILLE)& BENITO MARTIN (TOKYO SKYLINE).