as i was going through my archives of my photos on my computer, i realized i missed writing about a restaurant that i've tried while i was in tokyo last year. 

it was such a momentous event in my foodie life that i can't believe i missed it: my first experience with the best of the best and most expensive beef cuts of them all in the world.

yup, thy name is kobe and here is my story.

i've always wondered what would be the best way for me to be introduced to the ultimate dream of lovers of everything beef. and prayed that it would be reasonably priced. 

'sacrilege!' would probably be the lament by meat lovers as my overly adventurous mood steered me away from the grilled kobe sirloin, which i'd assume would be the ideal/widely accepted way to appreciate beautiful piece of meat. instead, i opted for a kobe beef shabu shabu at one of the best restaurants for shabu shabu in japan: seryna

located in shinjuku, it is located on the 52nd floor of the shinjuku sumitomo building. i've come to realized that hard work comes with coveted dining experiences mainly cos it seemed like i'd get lost n search of a new restaurant every time. and this time was no exception. with our very, VERY minimal knowledge of the japanese language, we even had trouble finding the correct elevators to get us to seryna. relief is probably the trick that makes us appreciate the experience more.. lol

the oriental infused decor was leaning towards the classic old school style with wooden panels covering most of the restaurant. it was meticulously clean, which i appreciated. one of the things that i loved was dining with the view of tokyo from our table. since we were one of the first diners for lunch, we were given what i would assumed one of the best seats in the restaurant.

 

looking at the menu, i knew we were having an order of their signature dish and something slightly less expensive. after much contemplation, sukiyaki it was, so i could cross it off my long list of japanese food list to try. i was initially concerned about not being able to converse in japanese language but we didn't have much trouble at all and plus they offered english menus as well..

 

the staff was very accommodating, considering we ordered two entrees that required two separate burners for a hot pot and another for a hot plate. they were so graceful about setting up an additional burner for the sukiyaki, which we were very grateful for.  on top of that, they were so meticulous about cleanliness that they offered extra napkins to cover my bag and a bib for {rmc} since he was wearing white. exemplary service standards!

entree :: kobe beef shabu shabu | 150 g (¥ 13,650)

as a hot pot was served at the table, we were waiting expectantly on the main star of our lunch and the prime reason of us being here in the first place. we stared in awe and drooled a little when the plate of the most beautifully marbled, thinly and delicately sliced beef were presented at our table. the balance of meat to fat ratio was just perfection.

we were slightly disappointed that the vegetable serving was so tiny that each of us were limited to a couple of pieces of greens, a handful of mushrooms and a piece of tofu. since the ingredients were gently cooked in a lightly flavored kombu broth, the three specially blended sauces: gomadare (sesame) for the beef, ponzu (soy and lime) for the vegetables and one akin to spicy chili oil mixed with sesame are required to enhance the flavors. the gomadare and spicy ones were a lil heavier while the ponzu was light and crisp, in contrast to the other two.

as the beautiful slices of fresh kobe beef were of the highest quality, gentle cooking for less than a minute was all that was needed to have it partially cook. a quick dip in one of the sauces of your choice and it was savoring time - and i mean...savoring the flavors with my eyes closed as the warm meat touches my tongue and all that deal :)

the kobe was truly very good, distinct beef flavor at its purest while having an almost-melt-in-your-mouth texture. it was just heavenly, soft and rich but not greasy. one very minor thing which could have made it better was slightly more seasoning which could have accentuated the beef flavors to another level. out of all the three sauces, i think i liked the spicy one the best since it brought out the flavors the most while still not overpowering the meat itself.

once we were done with the meat, the waiter scooped any stray bits in the broth and began cooking the vegetables and divided between the two of us. he repeated with some noodles to complete the meal, served in a small bowl with a ladle of the clear broth, light and cleansing after the meal.

entree :: sukiyaki | quality beef, delicately flavored and cooked in a special seryna sauce. an unforgettable seryna experience - prime beef (¥ 10,500)

i've heard of sukiyaki but never quite had it before. as a plus, i've always enjoyed a cooking presentation that comes with good food.

the marbling of the sliced prime beef rivaled the kobe - almost just as lovely. the supporting roles of the dish were seasonal vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and devil's tongue jelly. interestingly, devil's tongue jelly aka konnyaku is a hard jelly made from the root of the devil's tongue plant that has no distinctive taste of its own. it was perfect to absorb the savory and slightly sweet seryna sauce which made it taste almost like noodles.

the deliciously, freshly cooked meat and vegetables were served with a bowl of raw beaten egg on the side.

i was a tad confused about what to do with the raw egg and the sukiyaki ingredients. it was a little embarrassing when i was looking all confused that the waiter had to teach me to dip the freshly cooked, warm ingredients in the raw egg before consuming it.  the seryna sauce was slightly thick and i loved the balance of savory, umami and sweetness that highlighted the beef in a different way - the beef was soft and lovely texturally. the quick dipping in the raw eggs made it slightly richer and mellows the flavor of the sukiyaki flavors a tad, but at the same time enhances the flavor.

between the two dishes, we preferred the more prominent flavor of the sukiyaki while still relishing the mildness and simplicity of the shabu shabu that highlighted the kobe beef at is purest, most basic form with no additional frills. 

if you were ever in japan, kobe beef should be on your list to try, at least once but i'd advise saving up some for the hefty price tag. seryna serves this highly desired meat in various ways from shabu shabu to sukiyaki or the old fashioned favorite of grilled. with a history that dates back to 1961, seryna has developed a balance of finesse and simplicity to claim a memorable first in my life as a foodie - my first ever experience kobe beef experience. 

seryna | locations

shinjuku sumitomo building

52nd floor

nishi-shinjuku, shinjuku-ku

tokyo 163-0252

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

it's been a month since i last posted something. 

multiple projects at work and lacking the inspiration to write is to be blamed for my unexpected nano-hiatus from blogging. it's not that i have no material to write about - it's just that i am burnt out from a lot of things and needed a break.

i have a ton of food posts to share - some old, some new but for the sake of quickness to accommodate the hectic schedule at work, i shall try to keep the posts short, sweet and simple :) with as many pictures as i can. 

just a few more posts about tokyo, japan although the trip has lapsed almost a year now. but i just can't let the good stuff go to waste. 

few months ago, i shared a place that was the place to go in japan for the freshest and most delicious sushi: sushi dai. as much as i'd like to try as many varieties of japanese cuisine, i just had to slip in an extra meal slot for sushi. 

it was freaking amazing to savor sushi at tsukiji market, the source of the freshest picks of fish in the world and immediately thought that topping that experience would be impossible...

well, it was... until my second tasting of sushi at ginza, tokyo edged out my former choice slightly:

kyubey, you are an awesome possum.

period.

btw, a lot of people spell it as kyubei {久兵衛} just in case you came across it - it probably points to the same place.

awarded a star by michelin guide in 2008, many food bloggers commended the restaurant as serving the BEST sushi in town. but i had to work really hard to find my way to the hub of deliciousness :p it's true - i guess it definitely would have helped if i learnt how the address system works in japan and also have the mind to ask locals for directions.

entering the restaurant, you will be greeted by staff who are dressed in the classic kimono. the restaurant was what i imagined a nice, top-end sushi restaurant would be - classic traditional signature japanese decor - brightly lit yet still cozy as the patrons would sit on the tatami floor comfortably in a lively, informal setting. interactions with the sushi chef master is a must and it was great that ours was really friendly and could converse in english somewhat fluently. each sushi chef would serve a maximum to 5-7 people at a time, ensuring the freshly prepared sushi is of the highest quality.

meet our sushi master for the day!


and his many coveted knives. i was staring in admiration at those knives. and of course at his skills with them.


since i was a stranger in a foreign country who knows little of their culture, i asked if it was alright to take photos and he was more than happy to oblige but added that i have to mindful to make sure i don't capture other customers in my photos.

the omakase {お任せ} (¥8400) seems to be the item of choice to order where you put for tasting fate in the hands of the sushi chef. omakase literally means "i leave it to you". two orders of omakase and we  strapped in for a heavenly culinary adventure.

but before we began, he inquired if we had any special requests and what i would love to try - our list included: fresh uni and our biggest favorite - otoro. {rmc} asked about salmon but apparently this wasn't the season for it.


a warm towel to wipe our hands before sipping on my glass of chilled green tea to quench my thirst from the warm summer day and taking a bite of the seaweed and daikon salad.


the perfectly cooked rice gets changed ever so often or refilled to ensure it is constantly warm. the rice is sticky yet you can taste every individual grain and the sushi chef shared that they only add vinegar and no sugar in the rice. no sugar in the pickled ginger either.


when the first piece of sushi was presented on the black counter (ideal as photo background), we were salivating. one thing i loved about omakase is the element of surprise - the anticipation of what awaits me to devour :)


maguro (tuna) - with excellent knives skills and a brush of soy sauce, this super fresh tuna was meaty and seasoned just nicely. just like the other sushi that follows, the sushi master just adds enough wasabi to each piece to accentuate the flavors. a wonderful preview of what is to come.



unfortunately, i can't seem to find my notes on what type of fish this fish was. :( but the huge hunk slice of fresh fish shone against the slightly tart rice.



ika (squid) with a  sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lime. texturally interesting - a lil chewy but the freshness was highlighted by tartness of the lime.



next in line was the most entertaining of all the sushis - odori-ebi (dancing shrimp). super fresh shrimps that were still jumping while on the plate of ice that it made me laughed every time it did cos it would startle the people around me including myself.

our sushi chef asked if i wanted to try it raw or cooked - i looked at {rmc} and we both weren't sure. i tossed the question back at him and asked what's the best way to have it.

"lightly cooked," he said. and it was a done deal.


as promised, the sweetness of the shrimp was accentuated from the light cooking and the freshness was unparalleled. with a light brush of soy sauce and a squeeze of lime juice, it was a delightful bite.




as we were enjoying our sushi, they finally brought out warm miso soup with little clams in them. the miso soup itself was slightly earthy and i could taste the seafood flavor entwined in the rounded saltiness of the miso.




i was uber excited to see the next one would be the one we specifically requested: fresh uni (sea urchin) - creamy and packed with the flavor of the sea. i have no regrets asking for this cos it's superyummilicious. according to mr sushi master, the owner of kyubey was actually the first to serve sushi where the seaweed wraps around the rice. thank you, kyubey's owner for giving us something revolutionary :)



to make us even happier, our next in list - the otoro (tuna belly) greatness. the meltingly tender texture, moist and cool as it enters your mouth while your tastebuds takes a trip from the umami of the soy sauce to the slight bite of the wasabi and then the ever subtly tartness of the rice. ever so lovely.



summer is the best time for aji (spanish mackerel) where it is at its freshest and sweetest. true to the description of the sushi master, with a brush of soy sauce and a pinch of crushed garlic brought another dimension to the sushi tasting session.




one other thing i loved almost as much as uni and otoro is unagi (sea eel) and what could make it better than having one? having it two ways! the only drawback is not knowing which to eat first lol.


the classic and typical way it is served. the slightly sweet and savory unagi sauce that lightly and delicately coats the grilled unagi was a delight to the tastebuds.



its counterpart, slightly less conventional was simply sprinkled with just a good amount of sea salt, allowing the slight natural sweetness of the fish to shine without interference with subtle grilled flavor was featured.

what came next was not something i have tried ever before.


a combination of sesame paste and shiso leaf sandwiched between thinly sliced daikon. i wasn't too sure about it before tasting it. first bite and i loved it. the sesame paste was slightly sweet but the freshness of the crisp daikon and the herbaceous flavor of the shiso makes his a great palate cleanser.



assorted rolls - out of all of them, i really loved the middle two which i think are pickled vegetables - sweet coupled with a slight tartness with great bite to the mouth. the chopped tuna with spring onions was fresh and the japanese cucumbers with wasabi which had a punch behind the fresh crunch of the cucumber.



to end it the meal on a sweet note, we were served soft tamago (egg) which was still warm and comforting with every bite.

i love the attention to detail culture the staff at kyubey adheres to. while i was so engrossed with my sushi savoring, my iced green tea was getting diluted from the ice melting and halfway through the meal it was replaced with a fresh glass of chilled green tea, which i was very impressed by.

the sushi experience at kyubey is going down in my books as one of the best i've had with the freshest sushi and where perfection would be one of the words to describe it. i liked it so much that i kept the coaster from kyubey but only after i asked the sushi master rather timidly if he could kindly autograph the back of it, which he did :) yay!

in comparison, it is a lot pricier than sushi dai, in fact more than doubled the price but i think it might be worth trying it at least once. i definitely suggest lunch time since the prices are slight cheaper than dinner but reservations can only be made for 11:30 am. in fact, when we got there at about that time, we placed our names and the waiting list was about an hour, which we spent exploring the ginza area.


i rarely take thumbs-up pictures at the entrance of restaurants but kyubey definitely earned it. i definitely plan to return to this restaurant if and when i return to tokyo :) big love to kyubey!

kyubei | locations

8-7-6 ginza, 
chuo-ku
tokyo, japan

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.