I experienced one of the most unique dinners while in Tokyo. It was recommended to me to try the Ninja restaurant because it is a really popular place. There are only around 22 tables so you need to make sure that you make a reservation in advance. The weekends are usually the hardest time to get a table, so if you can visit during the week that would be best.
I was really excited for this dinner. It’s a multi course meal that I needed to place an order for when I made the reservation. Luckily the subway station was near my hotel, so it made it very easy to get to there.
When I got to the front of the mysterious restaurant, I did not even see a door. I saw a red curtain on a wood plank wall. As I walked up a gentleman came out with a clipboard and asked for my name to see if I was on the list. After about 30 seconds of waiting outside I was allowed to pass through the mysterious curtain.
The room was very dark and a person latterly dressed as a ninja helped me navigate through this dark place. I went up stairs, down stairs, over a draw bridge (seriously this draw bridge came out of the wall!) and then finally up another set of stairs to what felt like a roof top table. I could look down and see other rooms that had tables.
The interesting thing about this is I never went outside. All of this movement was inside the building. I truly had no idea where I was in this restaurant. I was afraid to even visit the ladies room for fear of not being able to find my way back to the table.
Since I had to pre-order everything before I got there, all I had to order when my ninja waitress showed up was a cocktail. I ordered the “Cleopatra”, which was a blend of sparkling wine, slushy ice, and this interesting jelly with gold flecks in it. It came on a spoon and I had to mix it in the wine. It was sweet and very delicious. I ended up having two.
Now started the different courses from the Yamato Spirit Menu.
Course 1: Shuriken Star-Blades Grissini
These were cute black ninja star crackers that came on this stick tree. On the side, in the shape of a ninja star, was a Pâté like spread. It was rich and paired well with the crackers.
Course 2: Today’s Special
The special this day was a tomato gazpacho. It had some crispy garlic on top, along with a few croutons. It was refreshing.
Course 3: Turban shell bombs
This was a conch shell with the meat inside. The garlic butter that it came in was amazing.
Course 4: The Mystery Dish
I would describe this as a ninja croquette. It was a creamy rice and sweet corn covered in a black breadcrumb and fried. It was a little strange when it came out on the plate, but one I cut it open and tasted it, I was in heaven. I could have eaten several of these.
Course 5: Vegetable cocktail
The vegetable was fresh green beans sautéed in soy sauce and garlic. It was covered in a whipped Japanese stock that had a foamy texture.
Course 6: Special stone-boiled soup
This was a Japanese bouillabaisse. It was amazing to watch them prepare this soup at the table. All the raw ingredients are chopped up and went directly into this hot broth that was in a black kettle. Once everything is in she placed these giant hot stones directly into the soup. Within seconds the broth is boiling. Then she places thin strips of pork directly onto the rocks and the meat starts sizzling. Within a few minutes the soup is ready.
Course 7: Ninja style Cream Puff
This was a black pastry filled with a sweet cream. The pastry was sweet despite the dark color of the dough.
Course 8: Sherbet Candy
This was an ice cold piece of candy that came in a small metal dish. As soon as I touched it the candy started melting. It was a great palette cleanser before the meat came out.
Course 9: Meat of the day
There was a great flank steak this night, It was cooked perfectly at the medium temperature. It was tender and had nice steak seasoning on it. It came with a small casserole side that was scalloped potatoes.
Course 10: Sushi and Sushi Rolls
What I was not expecting was the sushi to come out after the main course. The assortment of tuna, salmon, shrimp, and spicy tuna roll were extremely fresh. Which I expected being in Japan.
Course 11: Dessert
Dessert was so cute, it was ice cream and a chocolate cookie that was in the shape of a frog sitting on a lily pad. It was so cute I hated to eat it.
Right before dessert came out, another ninja appeared at the table. He pulled out a special box and began preforming several different magic tricks. He was very talented and fun. He even left me with a souvenir.
If anyone has a chance to go to Tokyo I recommend you make reservations for the Ninja Restaurant. It’s a once in a life time experience. It’s over the top creative and that is exactly what I expected out of Japan. You can see their menu options on their website: www.ninjaakasaka.com
Enjoy!
T
