Favorites in Asia

Given I only visited a few cities in Asia and for relatively short periods of time -  a week in Thailand, two weeks in Japan, a week in Korea, a few days in Hong Kong - I don’t have quite the same depth in the region as I do in Europe, where I lived for three years or the US. While the visits were brief I ate very well and have a few favorites listed below. For more in-depth eating guides I can recommend Miss Neverfull and The Sushi Geek which were invaluable when trying to pick restaurants on my visits.  

L’Effervescence, Tokyo, Japan: While I ate plenty of high-end sushi in Tokyo I likely lacked enough knowledge to fully appreciate the amount of skill that went into each piece. Was it among the best sushi I have ever had? Sure. Did it change my life? No. Unlike those sushi restaurants, L’Effervescence takes no special knowledge to appreciate. Composed quasi french plates but with ample amounts of Japanese precision and minimalism. A special restaurant. 

Den, Tokyo, Japan: When researching restaurants in Tokyo there was one that kept popping up - a modern Kaseki restaurant known for its fantastic hospitality called Den. To be honest I can’t actually remember any stand-out dishes from Den. The food was good for sure but what I most remember is the genuine warmth and kindness shown by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa and his team. 

High-end Kaseki in Japan can be quite rigid, a formal affair that pays homage to time-honored traditions. Den mostly ignores those traditions. Instead, Zaiyu serves his own take on Kaseki, drawing on his experiences both in Japan and across the globe to create something interesting, personal and most of all fun. This approach to food is also applied to the service, the FOH relaxed and exuding real enthusiasm for what they do. Den is among the top restaurants in Tokyo for good reason. 

Narikura, Tokyo, Japan: I have waited in some long lines to try food many times. Rarely is it worth it. The only multi-hour line I have signed up for twice is the three-hour line at Hot Dougs, one I would gladly return to if Hot Dougs was still open. Narikura, arguably the best Tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo, is another long-line I would wait in again. I arrived 30 minutes before it opened and still waited over two hours before sitting down and had no regrets. 

There is a long line at Narikura for a reason. It is frequently the top-ranked Tonkatsu restaurant on tabelog (a Japanese review site that is like a much more discerning version of yelp) and is quite popular in the blogosphere. The accolades are justified. I can not imagine a more perfect version of Tonkatsu than what is offered at Narikura. If the lines are too long at Narikura then you can also try nearby Tonkatsu Hinta which is nearly as good, right down the road, and has more manageable lines (I showed up before the lunch hour and sat right down).

경천애인2237, Seoul, Korea: Korean BBQ in Seoul is a completely different experience than Korean BBQ in the US - the experience is actually much more like a high-end American steakhouse with premium cuts of beef. If visiting Seoul going to a proper KBBQ and trying Hanwoo beef, Korea’s answer to Japanese Waygu, is a must.

Because it is rarely exported outside of Korea, Hanwoo hasn’t achieved the same international acclaim as A5 wagyu but it is nearly as good. The beef is not quite as insanely marbled as its Waygu counterpart but still packs tremendous flavor with an arguably better balance between fat and meat. Similar to Waygu (which grades from A1-A5 based on quality), Hanwoo beef is graded from 3 (the lowest) to 1++ (equivalent to A5). We had 1++ on our visit to a Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul and you should too - it costs a fraction of what A5 wagyu would and is nearly as good (and could be even seen as better if you like a less fatty steak).