Ima means now, fuku means luck and fortune, think about the famous Momofuku founded by chef David Chang. Just like the name suggests, Imafuku, that's right, whoever walks in there for sure will be embraced by melt in your mouth wagyu heaven.
A little distance away from the busy areas in Tokyo, but the trip is totally worth it. Shabu shabu and sukiyaki using only the highest grade of Japanese beef are the two staples at Imafuku. Side dishes change once a while and mostly wagyu-related.
Don't be intimated by the cow head design outside the restaurant. As soon as the door slide to the side, what lies ahead is clean and relaxing setting with marbled wagyu chunks waiting to be devoured.
Perhaps because of the extra 20 to 30 minutes transit time, we were the only "foreigner" that night. However, Imafuku is actually pretty tourist-friendly in terms of reservation and menu preparation.
Japanese menu (click for an enlarged view) -
English menu -
No alcohol tonight, just green tea and oolong tea -
Appetizer: summer eggplant and smoked wagyu -
Then the waiter brought over the copper pot, this alone is artwork worth admiring at -
Taking pictures at a Japanese restaurant is always intimidating, especially at a semi-fine dining place. I do ask for permission every time before taking out my Canon beast.
There was an elegant old lady sitting by herself on the table next to us. She looked over several times with a curious expression. It made me shy, but I smiled back, pointed at the camera and gestured that camera always eats first. She laughed, and I laughed.
About 10 minutes after, two men walked in then greeted her, I'm guessing her son and grandson. She looked over again and smiled. I smiled too, not sure the warmth sensation was coming from the steaming hot pot or something else.
Utensils -
Ponzu and goma sauce -
Nicely chopped scallion, spicy oil, and spicy grated daikon for the sauces -
The water is boiling, and the waiter came just in time to open up the lid -
He brought over a plate of thinly sliced beef tongue and ready to "shabu" for us. That's the only shabu meat with tableside service. Customers can stay relaxed and just cook the ingredients at their own paste afterwards.
The wagyu tongue was what first caught my attention about Imafuku. As a beef tongue enthusiast, I've had it numerous times in many ways, but never a thinly sliced version for shabu.
The key of shabu-ing the beef slices - make sure to loosen the grip a couple times. That way the parts where the chopsticks are holding on to can be in contact with hot water. Otherwise these area stay pink when the rest of the parts already cooked perfectly.
Tender yet tiny bit chewy at the same time. Beef tongue is served with salt, which brings out a more intense beefy aroma and a hint of sweetness from the fat, very addicting -
Veggies for the shabu shabu -
The curly white thing is snow fungus, not much taste but it has a slight crunchy texture. When cooked long enough, it turns gooey and considers a good source for collagen -
Cute cow-shaped carrot, by the way, it shrinks after boiling in the pot -
Side order of grilled prime quality beef tongue -
Excellent choice! Look at how thick the beef tongue is, almost like a steak. Crunchy to an extent, the beef juice evenly distributed along the grains that won't burst when chewing but you can definitely feel the moisture throughout -
To make it even better, here comes the rest of the marbled goodness. From left to right: fillet, rump, ichibo, sirloin, superior cut of roast -
I can see sparkles surrounding these beef slices, must be in heaven.
At first I was amazed that the fillet just melts in my mouth, but then the rump was even more amazing, almost overwhelming. It has a buttery aroma, sweet and savory at the same time, and the flavor lingers after the wagyu fat already glided down my throat -
Look at that marble pattern, who would ever known that fatness can be so attracting -
Somehow I feel kind of guilty devouring such a big piece of wagyu in one bite, but it was so damn goooood!
Tasting different parts of wagyu all the way till the very last superior cut of roast. I get it, I kept saying the beef just melts in my mouth earlier, but this part truly disappears instantly, so fast that I almost considering re-ordering another plate to savour it again. Ima - fuku indeed.
Time for the veggies, we prefer a softer texture so the platter was poured in all at once -
Ate a lot of beef but maybe because it was served shabu style, my body doesn't feel as burdensome compared to grilled steak or yakiniku. Shabu shabu also serves a better channel to fully appreciate the sweetness from such high quality beef.
Choose between rice and udon. Just imagining all the grains soaking in sweet beefy broth, of course we go for the rice. The waiter came and took the pot away, about 10 minutes later he presented us with this fluffy thing -
All the grains are now topped with fluffy eggs. Somehow I smell and taste truffles. What a umami burst in my mouth -
A satisfying meal always needs something sweet for a happy ending. Choose from matcha ice cream, mango pudding, and pineapple sorbet. We picked matcha ice cream and pineapple sorbet -
Fresh fruit inside icy square box -
Both shabu shabu and sukiyaki sets come around ¥10,000 gives and takes couple thousand yens. The zeros might seemed scary at first, but the portion and parts of wagyu you get here definitely worth the price tag.
Imafuku currently holds one Michelin star status.
Imafuku 今福
1 Chome-12-19 Shirokane
〒108-0072 東京都港区白金1-12-19
050-2018-0982
http://www.kuroge-wagyu.com/if/
Opening hours:
5:00 p.m. ~ 12:00 midnight (closed from 12/31 to 1/2)
Located in Higashiyama Ward within walking distance of the famous Kiyomizu-dera, Gion Nishikawa, quietly situated in an alley not far away from the tourists crowded area -
My last two Michelin stars during this trip, a good choice indeed -
As soon as I walked into the restaurant, all my senses received the same feedback - elegance and grace. Gion Nishikawa kept a minimal design and was decorated with fall-related art works during the month visited. The service was gentle and polite, and every dish was light yet filled with seasonal aromatic ingredients. Even the dining ware was carefully selected to reflect current scenes in the natural world.
After numerous courses, my body was full but not overwhelmed. All the food I've eaten sits gently in my body and gradually transformed into energies. Maybe that's what a kaiseki meal will do to you, and maybe I've came a little closer to grasp the sense of a true kaiseki cuisine.
Spotted a calabash-shaped bottle in the center but didn't think too much. Instead, I was checking out the details of their semi-opened kitchen in the back -
Counter seat setting -
The chopsticks were covered by a shallow plate-shaped container. The material felt like wood, but it was as light as few pieces of paper.
The waitress in kimono brought over a hand towel, and the young chef was preparing the ingredients -
A small working section next to the young chef -
That big pot in the back contains hot water.
Drink menu -
Ordered a glass of plum wine. The young chef might be asking me if I want it with water and ice cubes. Glad I nodded. It was almost sparkling wine-like texture, very refreshing yet a well-rounded sourish taste to start the meal -
And I finally figured out what that calabash bottle was. The head chef came out and greeted every customer before the service starts. Then the chef poured out some yuzu wine from that bottle.
I requested for a more full-on course when making the reservation. Not sure if it was the reason, my sake container, the light wooden plate, was different and appeared more refined than others -
And the thin chopsticks revealed, hopefully I won't break it with my clumsy fingers -
First course: crab meat, daikon oroshi, citrus -
What a beautiful ginkgo leaf-shaped plate.
Slightly sweet hint from the crab meat but the daikon oroshi on top was also seasoned with sweet citrus juice. The leafy greens on the bottom seemed went through the pickling process, providing a gentle sourness to balance off the flavors. A lovely opening.
Shirako and seafood ball -
The brain looking things are called shirako, or milt, or sperm sac. Shirako is considering a delicacy in Japanese cuisine, quite precious, also expensive.
Soft and paste-like texture paired with clean-cut stock. The katsuo based aroma from the stock permeated through my whole sinus system but not a single sticky sensation cling on my tongue -
The seafood ball was puffy, fluffy, yet slightly bouncy at the same time.
Autumn fruit, persimmon-shaped container -
The chef was trying to explain the ingredients used in English but didn't go well. So I tried my best to figure out the details in Japanese. However, he did have a laminated cheat sheet under the counter showing some common ingredients in both Japanese and English.
Persimmon, snapper, daikon oroshi -
The fish skin was quickly torched before serving, its gentle burnt aroma matches perfectly with the juicy and sweet persimmon -
Young chef at work -
Sawara sashimi -
The skin was lightly grilled this time instead of torching, further concentrated the umami flavor. The sashimi itself stood well even without dipping in the soy sauce -
Grilled/baked dish -
At fist I wasn't sure if the darkened skin from the chestnut was edible or not. Took a bite and fell in love with it. The texture was harder then the actual chestnut, but as I kept chewing into it, the savory salty flavor kept coming through.
Puffed rice seasoned with red miso underneath, added a lightly crunchy bite to the dish -
Hamo soup -
Found a translation for hamo - pike conger. Not sure if it's correct but hamo do look like an eel, long body and carries many thin bones. The restaurant did a good job picking out all the tiny bones, all I've left with was chunky and soft fish meat -
The stock was just one level heavier than the shirako version but still clean and crisp -
Hassun, seasonal side dishes -
Hassun here was way better than Toriyasa, even though I absolutely adore Toriyasa's comforting service. The sabazushi (mackerel sushi) in the back was fatty and satisfying -
And this hassun came with a mini chicken bowl -
Ikura (salmon roe) and grated Chinese yam inside.
Underneath the maple leaf was perhaps by far my favorite bite of the ginkgo nut in my life -
Tempura ginkgo nut.
The grainy coating was aromatic, I'm guessing they fried it with sesame oil but not quite sure. The large ginkgo nut inside had a surprisingly soft texture. The two completely different textures intertwined so well, who would ever know that such small ingredient can became my favorite among all other major components here.
The kitchen staff was preparing the clay pot rice -
The chef let me took some pictures first. Such a beautiful cookware brightened by brushes of green -
Chestnut rice for me, some other customers got mushroom rice instead -
And it came with miso soup, tsukemono, and hot tea -
Japanese really knows their rice. Every grain was bouncy and moist, of course not overly sticking to each other. As you chewed into the rice, a delicate sweetness came through, kind of like the aroma from the mochi. The chestnut scent also permeated into the grains -
The texture for the chestnut was unexpectedly tender. It's almost like steamed garlic slices, soft and moist, also delicate like lily bulbs, a fancy ingredient occasionally used in Asian cuisine.
The server handed me a hot towel, signaling the end of savory courses. It's time for dessert.
Pear and pear sorbet -
The pear is very sweet but not the sticky kind. The sugary flavor transformed into aromatic scent, felt like I can "smell" the sweetness -
Matcha in the making -
Matcha -
Gion Nishikawa walked me through the fall season by enriching all my senses. The dishes made, the ambiance created, and the arrangements selected, leaving a memorable trace of autumn in Kyoto.
祇園にしかわ/Gion Nishikawa currently holds two Michelin star status.
祇園にしかわ (Gion Nishikawa)
京都市東山区下河原通八坂鳥居前下る下河原町 473
473 Shimokawaracho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture 605-0825, Japan
075-525-1776
Official website: http://r.goope.jp/gion-nishikawa
Extended reading:
