KAGURAZAKA is a popular one-way street with restaurants and izakayas lining a gentle slope. Starting from the JR Iidabashi Station, it's fun to walk uphill, dodging pedestrians wandering up and down the narrow sidewalk, and passing by a temple on top, through to the Metro station.
Now that the street has been explored, do you declare that you've discovered this area? NOT AT ALL. Because you missed checking all the bypaths crossing the street, which lead to much narrower corridors where passers-by can barely cross each other.
On each bypath & corridor restaurants and izakayas open their small doors and develop their specialty cuisines. This feature of Kagurazaka attracts many people looking for their favourite restaurants to spend time privately - it’s definitely an adult destination.
On a quiet bypath, an outdoor staircase leads to the Bistro 'Oyasai To' meaning 'WITH VEGETABLES'. This is not a vegan or vegetarian specialty restaurant but features vegetables as key ingredients for each dish.
Dinner starts with a beautiful terrine stuffed with coloured vegetables. Each piece of vegetable is lightly boiled, which concentrates sweetness while keeping its crunchy texture.
The dish is followed by vegetable gratin. Gruyere cheese is gently melted and silkily wrapped around chunks of veggies. Clams and vegetables are steamed together with red wine, which makes an exceptionally rich dipping sauce.
All their vegetables are delivered from an organic farm in Chiba Pref. It's a wonderful dinner course bringing out the best of vegetables, full of health and flavour.
French restaurant ARBOL is quietly located at a small turn of a narrow corridor. It's a fancy restaurant renovated from a big old house.
When you open the front door, you may feel like coming back home. At the same time, you're inspired by a large open kitchen in the centre of a living room.
Counter stalls and tables are all taken by friends and couples, and a large group is chatting cheerfully in a private room which must've been a main bedroom.
This restaurant is keen on tracing the origin of the ingredients. The chalkboard shows that fish, meat and vegetables are freshly delivered from all over the country.
My favourite Yellowtail Carpaccio caught off Nagasaki is the best appetizer to cool you down. Vegetables are gorgeously decorated to dip in Bagna cauda.
To satisfy your appetite, never fail to order chicken rice. When you open the clay pot lid, you're engulfed by a cloud of tasty steam.
Vegetables in each dish are supplied by producers in the best season, including this house's rooftop farmland. It's totally amazing entertainment in all aspects, delighting not only your taste buds but also creating a beautiful setting, inspiration and mood.
On the way back to the station, I found a much narrower corridor extending from the corner. A couple of more restaurants are over the corridor. It’s a perfect opportunity to make a return visit to extend my adult time.
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