Kabi in Tokyo – Introduction
Our meal at Kabi in Tokyo was one of the most satisfying and enjoyable meals we’ve had for a long time. We say this because we are lucky enough to travel a lot and to eat in many different types of restaurants. We like most of the places we choose to eat in are interesting due to the selection process we use. However sometimes one just stands out from the crowd and this was such a place.
At the end of this story we mention a book that two of our frinds in the trade have written about their experiences in Tokyo and here is how they introduced this restaurant:
It is international in style, with a strong influence from the moern Nordic food movement. Kabi means “mould” in Japanese, which gives you some indication of what to expect. Fermentation is a big part of both Nordic and Japanese food, and each dish here usually has an element of fermentation.
Michael Ryan & Luke Burgess – Only in Tokyo
A talented, focussed young team, a beautiful restaurant (even the toilet) respectful to the building which houses it and delicious food which, while unique, is firmly rooted in the place where it is and the time of year.
One thing we discovered at Kabi that is part of the story is the farmer growing the vegetables. The flavours are deep and the vegetables have great structure. It turns out he’s a young man, even younger than the Kabi team, working organically, who turned up offering them vegetables he was selling to restaurants out of a backpack.
Kabi bought all of his year’s crop and it sounds like the farmer is now as much a part of the restaurant as the kitchen, equally as curious about how to coax the most flavour from his produce. We can only imagine what he will bring them at the height of summer.
The kitchen is run by Shohei Yasuda and Kiriko Nakamura who have extensive experience in their trade. Shohei, for example, cooked at Kadeau in Copenhagen, which we have never been to but is held in awe by many of our friends who have been there.
Youn can see in the photo below, the intensity of the chefs’ concentration during service.
The wine is under the control of the very talented Kentaro Emoto (see photo immediately below) who served us many times at NORA in Melbourne. He has an uncanny knack of finding just the right pairing for even the most obscure flavour profiles. And all of the wines he serves are natural.
At NORA we even thought that Kentaro had a magic talent for finding just the right piece of music to accompany his food and wine pairings!
A must visit restaurant for future trips to Tokyo.
Additional information
Street: 4 Chome-10-8
Town/Suburb: Meguro, 153-0063
Town/Suburb: Tokyo
Phone number: +81 3 6451 2413
Opening hours: Lunch Sat – Sun, random opening days
You can read more about Kabi by visiting their Web site by clicking on the link below:
You can also read about Kabi in the book we have reviewed on this site written by chefs Michael Ryan and Luke Burgess called Only in Tokyo:
