Fushikino

This restaurant is so special. 10 covers only.They are just the most wonderful gentle staff. Food was sublime, flavours so delicate, I did the saki pairing… highly recommended. You must must must go. 💕

Great food prepared by the chef! We understand completely why this restaurant earnt its michelin star. We had a lovely evening and got to meet the owner and chef too. We enjoyed the company of other English speaking guests on the night which was fun. Some background music would have improved the atmosphere. There were moments where the team seemed a little disorganised but they recovered quickly.

The ambience of the restaurant is truly exceptional — from the thoughtfully curated tableware to the beautifully presented, seasonal dishes. We greatly appreciated the focus on seasonality and the creativity of the menu. However, the service fell short of what one would expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The printed menu we were given was outdated, and we were only informed during service that eel had been replaced with salmon. Additionally, my husband is pescatarian — a detail we clearly mentioned when making the reservation. While one meat dish was replaced, no alternative was offered for the second, which was quite disappointing. The server attending to us spoke excellent English and was very friendly, but she lacked sufficient training to confidently describe the dishes or the sake pairings. We had chosen the sake pairing experience to complement the meal, and while some pairings were interesting, the sake for the main course (the final dish before dessert) was never served, and no explanation was provided. Overall, the food was outstanding, but the service did not meet the high standard set by the cuisine and the restaurant’s reputation.

Wonderful ambiance, service and excellent sake. All aspects of the meal, including region selection, seasonality, and presentation, were explained. However, the food was not up to par with other Michelin establishments I have attended.

😀/🥹 Treat from start to finish. The service was conducted by the matron who owns the restaurant, and she was warm and friendly and tried her best to converse with all the guests. We were mainly served by a young waitress who spoke *excellent English (thanks for appreciating my jokes). The food courses were well paced, and the sake pairings were nicely done. I really enjoyed most of the dishes even though the final platter was a little convoluted for my liking. Too much of too many maybe. My fave dish / most memorable must be the oyster “chawanmushi” made with soy beans and no milk.

Authentic kaiseki in a hidden away locale. Exceptional ingredients and seasonal menu leads to an unforgettable journey through Japan's culinary culture. The kaiseki menu varies depending on whether you wish for a sake pairing or not. They will also accommodate allergies or other dietary requirements as necessary. The owner is incredible and the staff speak English for any gaijin that may visit. Highly recommended!

I really cannot speak more highly of my experience here. Every aspect of it was amazing. I chose the set menu with the same pairing. Every single aspect of every single dish was outstanding and memorable. And the saki was outstanding, especially the unpasteurized saki which I was excited to try. My favorite course was the bonito sashimi but truly everything was amazing. The owner was present and she explained each course and each saki including its history, significance, and notes to look for. She was an amazing host. My significant other makes pottery back in the states and she loved the unique, local made saki cups. We also had the opportunity to meet the chef when he made the matcha tea for us. He is ridiculously talented.

This was the best dining experience we have ever had. The level of service, the attention to detail. The entire experience was truly a Masterclass. If you don’t come to eat here you are missing out on a life changing experience! Thank you to Sachiko for taking care of us and taking the time to explain not only the dishes but the tradition behind everything that touched the table!

Tokyo, Kagurazaka. November 2024. Kagurazaka is a very complex neighborhood. While it is part of Shinjuku the streets uphill of the Metro stations are narrow. Yokocho lanes even more narrow branch off to the sides. Pedestrian foot traffic only alleys create a more complex web. If you want a foreigner-friendly introduction to kaiseki paired with nihonshu, you should start here at Fushikino. But first, you have to find it. There are nine seats around a counter made of chestnut. The room is spare. The service and atmosphere is actually casual and relaxed, although you'll notice people whispering instead of talking. The chef is a certified sake sommelier and when he opened his restaurant he was the first to regularly do a modified kaiseki to match with a sake pairing. He regularly serves aged sake in his pairings. Today, you can find a lot of places in Tokyo doing the same thing. The plate-ware and glassware are meant to highlight the food and sake. In some cases you will receive a cup for your sake that resembles ceramic-ware but without the weight. What has been place in front of you is a piece of art - a cup made of core lacquer, without wood as a base, made by artist Yamagishi Shodo. There is a display of pieces for sale - they range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The food is seasonal. For winter, you may have a seko-gani, female snow crab with roe, accompanied by a kani-su of rice vinegar and myoga. When you are done, the shell will be taken and place on a bincho filled shichirin. It is roasted, and when ready, sake will be poured in to heat up. The heated sake with the flavor of the crab will be served - kani kora sake. Among all the happily casual abundance of Kagurazaka's places to eat and drink, Fushikino stands out as a heavyweight. Worth seeking out.

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a phenomenal world class experience! Fushikino is a Michelin 1 star restaurant and is a tabelog Top 5000 kaseki restaurant in Tokyo. Made a reservation 60 days in advance and our counter seat was ready upon arrival. The restaurant is super tricky to locate and is located on the 2nd floor in an alley. Luckily the photos posted on tabelog were quite helpful. Meal started with a warm welcome, typical of Japanese hospitality, including an optional coat check. Opted for their house kaiseki meal featuring 9 courses. Restaurant was very warm, typical of most indoor venues in Japan... First course was a soup with fish inside. It was a warm and refreshing way to start off the meal. Moved on to a couple of raw fish courses which were incredibly fresh and had nice contrast with a mixture of vegetables and flavors to complement each dish. The white miso was very flavorful and contained a few slices of lotus root. The grilled fish along with the seasonal platter were very delicately presented. Ingredients were super fresh! The rice dish was excellent with a mochi wrapped in a cooked oyster. As it was crab season during my visit, one of the courses was a crab course with plenty of eggs. Meal ended off with a creme brulee along with some strong green tea. 19,800 yen + service for dinner.

Amazing pairing of delicious food with sake from various prefectures. Many of the sakes were rare brands / vintages and paired incredibly well with the delicious food. The food, in and of itself, was excellent and beautifully presented. They had a sake sommelier who gave very informative and interesting history about each sake pairing. The sake was served in antique ceramic cups - one of my sakes was served In a 900 year old ceramic cup. Come with a hearty appetite as there is an abundance of gourmet food over the nine courses. The owner presented much of the food and we had a wonderful experience. The staff was very warm and friendly and thankfully had fluency in English so we could understand what we were eating and drinking. The restaurant is very cozy but handsome with rich wood surfaces, beautiful ceramic dishes and sake cups. I loved this place.