88% Very good Japanese kaiseki restaurant with an emphasis on aged fish and buckwheat. *** Came here with a small group, Oct ‘14 Okina, or 翁 was another solid kaiseki restaurant I visited in my recent trip to Japan. This restaurant is located in the Shibuya, Tokyo, in Japan. We were in the mood of getting good cold soba noodles, and this was one of the more renown places to get it. Here, it comes as part of a more seafood based tasting menu. The food is lighter besides the soba served at the end. Service seemed to be solemn, professional, attentive and more cordial than warm. Pacing of items was consistent from course to course. I didn’t ever find the staff too stiff or too formal. Ambiance is a more traditional with more hushed acoustic levels. It was a more intimate space at the basement with soft lighting, minimalist décor, and warmer colors. There may have also been a chef’s counter. There’s nothing that calls attention to itself. I found it to be one of the more comfortable dining spaces in recent memory. Value isn’t something I feel confident commenting on, because I was treated for dinner, although I vaguely recall it may have been close to 11,000 Yen or around US$ 100 per person. I don’t know for sure. If it is around that amount, I find the value very fair. The cooking here appeared to be more traditional Japanese. There is a leaning towards seafood items, much of which were aged a bit or processed in another way I don’t recognize. The courses were not complex and did not have too many ingredients. They were were well prepared and the flavor of much of the seafood came through well. Save for a more intense abalone soup we had, the intensity of fishiness was often prepared with more restraint. If there are any shortcomings, I think it was the soba and dessert, both of which were very good and close to great, that weren’t quite on the same level. With this review, instead of reviewing everything course to course, I’ll point out to some of the more memorable highlights. Abalone soup. — Temperature is soothingly hot and not to the extent where flavors become muted. — Flavors are excellent. The broth carried with it a sweetness from the abalone and its delicious moderately fishier flavor. The tender slice of abalone within, may have been the course with the most pronounced level of funkiness in flavor between the protein itself and possible fermentation of it. This may have been the best abalone ive had to date. Trio of shrimp, scallop, and mackerel fish. I’m not sure how these were prepared. I think it may have been aged a bit, but not sure if it was also marinaded or fermented. I was a bit on fence with the three. I did like how the flavor of each protein was still noticeable. I was able to taste even the shrimp’s natural flavor, and that worked best. The natural sweetness and the fishiness from the scallop seemed toned back more than what I may prefer, and further sweetened by a flavor added that reminded me of miso, or it could have been something else. Aged tuna. These were sashimi slices of aged tuna. I found this to be a leaner cut of tuna that reminded me of a maguro. The flavor was interesting. I found the character of its fishiness to be moderately aggressive with a good deal more complexity and boldness. Texture of the fish didnt seem to deviate from the norm however. Although some condiments were offered with horseradish and maybe radish, I found the fish to work best on its own. Cooked sea bream. Very competently cooked fish that was sweeter, dense, and juicier. Although cooked closer to a medium and just a tad more for my preferences, it was a more straightforward dish that comfortable and delicious. I also liked how the scales seemed puffed up to a crunchier cracker like texture. Cold soba with shaved white truffles. The soba here was very good, although much of what made the dish stand out had to do with the condiments. The noodles here had a milder graininess, with a to them that was welcome. I did not notice the flavor of buckwheat quite as much, and it wasn’t quite as robust as the version we had at Tamawarai a few days later. I did like how the dipping broth was coated with a very high quality butter that reminded me of the Echire variety, lending the noodles a much richer, decadent quality that I haven’t quite experienced with soba. The white truffles were a slight disappointment in that they were less fragrant than average. Although the portion of shavings were generous, I found it’s presence to be far less subtle than desired. Overall a solid comfortable meal. I’d easily see myself returning often if I was in the area more frequently. Recommended.
