Art and Food

Japanese cuisine is very diverse, from its use of ingredients to the cultures that influenced it. Also the range of styles with which it is served and is eaten is just as varied - from yakitori and taiyaki that can be bought from hawkers on the street to the illustrious kaiseki - multiple course meals served artistically that's sure to cost quite a bit. 


Although kaiseki has a reputation for being expensive and not for the masses, some restaurants in Tokyo actually serve affordable versions of kaiseki. The price has to do with the number of dishes served and the kind of ingredients used. Daimasu restaurant in Ginza offers a wide range of kaiseki meals, ranging from the affordable to those consisting of choice ingredients that command a hefty price. 


For starters, the fennel bulbs ordered the most affordable kaiseki which turned out to be a visual feast in itself. Kaiseki just affirms the Japanese affinity to aesthetics, which no doubt extends to cuisine. 

The meal started with a quartet of appetizers - some grated pickled vegetables, sweetened jelly beans, baked scallop and grilled sweet potato, and deep-fried shrimp. Each had its own balance. The baked scallops imparted saltiness, the shrimps a delicate richness, the vegetables a mild acidity, and the jelly beans the sweetness. 

Next is the main course, which consists of four separate dishes - ちゃわんむし (chawan mushi, steamed egg custard with mushrooms), sashimi (tuna, shirmps, hamachi), a warm cup of vinegared rice served on a bamboo plate with shrimps, eel, and vegetables, and miso soup. Plus, some 漬物 (tsukemono, pickled vegetables) was included. 

Firstly, the red bowl that contained the bamboo basket where the rice dish was served was a lesson in compartmentalization. A hollowed lid could hold the side dish of seaweed and sea urchin. After opening the lid, the main story is unfolded - grilled eel, shrimps, some shredded cooked eggs, and vegetables over vinegared rice. 

Next is the sashimi - shrimps which have been blanched, some fish fillets, tuna, and a little block of konnyaku. The ingredients were all veritably fresh. 

The miso soup was also elegant with two strips of fish cake spiraling, some watercress, and a yellow sphere which tasted like quail eggs. 

Finally dessert was served - sweetened red bean pudding with mochi, and pickled plum. 

All in all, at 2,300Y, this was not bad at all. Also, Daimasu is located conveniently right along the Chuo Dori in  Ginza, across the Matsuzakaya department store. 

*Ginza station can be easily accessed by the Ginza, Marunouchi, and Hibiya lines of the Tokyo Metro. Go out through exit A2.