Ginza Okuda ** (by 3-star KOJYU) , Tokyo
Ginza Okuda ** Date of visit : APRIL 2012 Location : at the heart of GINZA Pedigree: By Chef Toru OKUDA of 3-star KOJYU. Ginza Okuda has one of the ‘oddest ‘concept for Michelin restaurants… It’s not technically a branch of Kojyu.. but it has the same concept, serves ‘similar’ dishes that claims to ‘strive … Read more
Kanda *** ( Perennial 3 Star Kaiseki), Tokyo
KANDA*** Pedigree : 3 Michelin Stars ever since the Tokyo red-guide was introduced. Verdict : Exquisite , true-3star Kaiseki. Kanda’s cooking, offers simpler, yet more refined, cooking than its 3-stars counterparts (Ryugin, Kojyu) , whose chefs coincidentally come from the same master at the infamous Aoyagi Restaurant in Tokushima. Retaining the pure taste of its … Read more
Azurmendi *** , Larrabetzu , Spain (2013 : 3-star Michelin receipient)
AZURMENDI – 2013 newly-awarded 3 Michelin Stars!!! Visit Date : FEB’12 Helmed by Chef Eneko Atxa , a former sous-chef of perennial 3-star Martín Berasategui, Azurmendi was a ‘lesser-known’ 2-star establishment in the countryside of Larrabetzu , not far from Bilbao airport. Setting: Must be one of the largest michelin-rated restarants in the world – … Read more
Quintessence *** , Tokyo (1)
Quintessence , 3 Michelin Star Visit Date : September 2011 SFREELIFE Rating : 2 stars Quintessentially, one of the most difficult reservation anywhere in the world. Calls to the single telephone are only taken at 9:30a.m.-11:00a.m. or 3:30p.m .-5:00p.m. (local times). Expect one of the most frustrating wait and inevitably a ‘no tables’ answer, or … Read more
MICHELIN “HOKKAIDO” GUIDE 2012
SPECIAL EDITION – Michelin Guide “HOKKAIDO” 4 3-Star Restaurants : SUSHI TANABE ( http://sushi-tanabe.com//?page_id=642/ ) 温味 NAKUMI (Kaiseki) Moliere (French) : Michel Bras TOYA Japon “The Michelin Guide 2012 for Hokkaido lists 699 restaurants and hotels, sampling everything from simple noodle restaurants through establishments that specialise in curry dishes, meat serves on skewers, pork “ramen” … Read more
Araki ***, Tokyo
3 Michelin Star Sushi in Ginza For tuna lovers, Araki is certainly THE BEST SUSHI IN THE WORLD. And if you aren’t , Araki is still ONE OF the best sushi in the world. Flashback: In 2010, a sushi-ya little-known to the English-speaking community shot instantly to 3 michelin star status, rubbing shoulders with legendary … Read more
7chome Kyoboshi *** , Tokyo
World’s first and only .. 3 Star Michelin Tempura A word about the misleading name … the restaurant (originated from Kyoto) initally opened at 7chome of Ginza before moving to the current 5chome but the name remains. So be warned … Be warned too … that this is in our opinion, one of ,if … Read more
Sushi Saito ***, Tokyo
3 Star Michelin Sushi in Akasaka. Located next to the American embassy – this is one of the weirdest locations not just for a 3-star michelin restaurant, but FOR ANY RESTAURANT! Literally inside a car-park building, the restaurant itself (if you could call it that!) has a seating area smaller than some restroom cubicle (no … Read more
El Celler de Can Roca ***, Girona
3 Michelin Star San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant : #2 (2011) , #4 (2010), #5 (2009) … (In 2009, we had the opportunity to taste the dishes of this highly-acclaimed restaurant in Girona, through the cooking of Jordi Roca who’s actually the pastry chef but representing his brothers at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. … Read more
Michelin Tokyo 2012
At sfreelife, Tokyo is THE ultimate gastronomic destination. Hence, the annual release of the Michelin guide was much-anticipated. The Michelin Red Guide 2012 cover ,in addition to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kamakura, new areas such as Shonan. , Yokosuka, Hayama, Zushi, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, Oiso, Odawara, and Yugawara. Highlights include: – 17 restaurants earned three stars … Read more
Sant Pau ***
3 Michelin Star Back in February 2011, we set off for a journey to the world capital of gastronomy that is Spain. On a trip that we would savor the finest dishes from the greatest chefs at the most famous restaurants of the world, Sant Pau , understandably, wasn’t our most highly-anticipated meal. Somehow, even … Read more
Ishikawa *** , Tokyo
3 star michelin KAISEKI , in Kagurazaka (Shijuku-ku) Top-class food, with several excellent dishes (not all). All-in-all , we thought 3 stars were a (just a little) stretched, but that’s only because we certainly would not rate it on the same level as (our all-time favorite nevertheless 2-stars ) KIKUNOI but certainly beat out fellow … Read more
Sushi Mizutani ***, Tokyo
One of 4 3-stars Michelin Sushi in Tokyo, and alongside Sukiyabashi Jiro, Mizutani was the first to get the 3 stars ever since the inaugural guide was published. A protege of JIRO , it is reported that Mizutani obtained all the fish from exactly the same source as his ex-boss. On this rare occasion, we … Read more
Sukiyabashi Jiro*** , Tokyo
For the past 3 years, and most recently in January 2011 (before the tsunami devastation hit Japan) , sfreelife tasters embarked on a ‘sushi journey’ to the reputably ‘greatest sushi restaurants’ in the world (ie. Tokyo). Without a doubt, sushi is a favorite amongst our tasters, who self-admittedly play a part in pushing those rare … Read more
The Big Apple
It’s been a while… Just returned from a mega-gastronomy trip to the Big Appple and the new gastro-empire state (Chi-town). These are the fine-dining restaurants our tasters have visited: 1) Per Se 2) Daniel 3) Jean Georges 4) Le Bernadin 5) Eleven Madison Park 6) Bar Masa 7) Kajitsu 8 ) Momofuku KO 9) Alinea … Read more
