In April 2016 I visited Japan for the first time. I flew in to Tokyo on a Sunday morning and had already booked from home a table at the window in the famous Kozue Park Hyatt Restaurant for the evening. Lost in Translation / Scarlett Johansson fans probably know this restaurant. For everybody else: This is a Kaiseki (Japanese for “fine dining”) restaurant in one tower of the Park Hyatt hotel. On good days, you can see as far as Mount Fuji. But even during bad days you can see all over Tokyo from this restaurant.
The menu features different tasting menus as well as single courses. I opted for an appetizer variation (“7 Japanese Delicacies”) and Shabu Shabu (Japanese for fondue) with Wagyu beef, rice and pickles. For dessert I chose a black sesame Bavarian cream with white sesame and soy milk sauce. And I must say the Japanese know their desserts! It was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had and this in the absence of my favorite ingredient: chocolate. Before traveling to Japan I had read about Japanese sweets and confectionaries, but didn’t pay much attention to it since I knew their delicious savory cuisine (or I thought I was familiar with Japanese cuisine – little did I know!) and focused on this. Anyway, it first was a bit difficult to find the right entrance to get to the elevator for the restaurant, but once I got there, everyone was super-friendly and courteous (a common feature for all Japanese people that I met during my travels) and my table at the window overlooking Tokyo was fantastic. Tea (roasted green tea and matcha tea for dessert) was immediately served at no charge and I chose a Japanese Sauvignon Blanc – mainly out of curiosity. The appetizer, 7 Japanese delicacies, was indeed delicious:
I can’t remember all the details of it, but everything tasted phenomenal. For the main course, I had ordered Shabu-Shabu with Wagyu, accompanied by rice and pickles. The meat was tender, juicy and the broth just salty enough. And the rice! I didn’t know that rice could taste that good – no kidding.
The portion was just the right size – filling, but not stuffing. Thus, I had still some room for dessert and couldn’t resist to try a black sesame Bavarian cream with white sesame and soy milk Sauce.
And it was just divine!
Kozue Park Hyatt
3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, 163-1055
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm and 5.30-9.30pm
Reservation recommended; online reservation possible.