Kaiseki at Ise Sueyoshi

I had the pleasure to visit Ise Sueyoshi in Nishi Azabu for their kaiseki lunch course recently and wanted to share my experience. Ise is a famous city in the Mie prefecture of Japan and is famous for Ise Jingu Shrine (the most famous shrine in all of Japan), as well as its very fresh seafood fare and distinct culture. With seating capacity for just eight people, it’s a very private, intimate dining experience. All of the Ise-inspired course selections consist entirely of farm to table ingredients and selected personally by the owner and chef, Yuuki Tanaka.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by Mari-san, my hostess for the kaiseki experience. Kaiseki is a very traditional, multi-course meal created with Japanese aesthetics in mind, as much as taste. Originally from Kyoto, it’s the highest form of dining in Japan.

Luckily for me, Mari-san provided an English menu explaining all the courses in detail, as well as verbally during the meal. Being able to hear about the tradition and highlights of each dish in English makes it a really entertaining and interesting experience, especially for those with limited Japanese.

The first course is named Ikkon, which means ‘first sake’.  The sake was very smooth and warm, which was nice since it was a cold day.  Next came Hassun, a seasonal appetizer and included many flavors of autumn such as fried taro with crispy rice, ginko nuts, sweet potato dumpling, deep-fried fish, garnished with maple and ginko leaves. A true fall medley!

Following Hassun was Muko-zuke, a sashimi course which included Spanish Mackerel and Turban Shell varieties. I tried them with both the konbu-salt and homemade shoyu. Both were delicious.

Next was Wan, a simmered dish using dashi (fish stock) and seasonal mushrooms. Delicate and aromatic, the scent should be enjoyed before tasting.  A most interesting seasonal Tempura course came next and included maitake mushroom and tofu created from corn. It was very light and tasty. Be sure to eat it while it’s hot!

 Traditionally served at the end of the meal in Japanese kaiseki, the Meshi (rice) and Tome (soup) course consisted of red miso soup and seasonal rice with sea bream. I especially liked the rice that came in its own clay pot and was very flavorful, yet light. The dessert course, Kan-mi, was a delicious matcha-chocolate fondant, which preceded the final course of traditional matcha green tea. Be sure to eat the sweets completely before enjoying the matcha tea to get the full sweet and bitter balance. It was a great closing to a wonderful culinary experience!

I would particularly recommend Ise Sueyoshi to folks looking for a very intimate and traditional dining experience that is also very English-friendly. Many thanks to Chef Yuuki san and hostess Mari-san for a great kaiseki experience. If you would like to have this experience, you can reserve through Lifull TraveRing as I did. They took care of everything and was very easy. Enjoy!