Inshotei — Restaurant in Tokyo

Righto. I was so excited about my evening at this place for weeks… it turned out to be soul crushing. Got there and was greeted by a man so rude I apologised (for being born? Not sure) for no reason. He ushered me in and sat me down next to…a beer pump…which smelled like an old english pub. Strong stink of stale beer. See picture. I asked to move. No. Fully booked. Ok no problem. I tried to enjoy my meal but the food is extremely bland and that combined with the stink I was sat in made every dish taste of stale beer in old carpet. It was all incredibly boring and uninteresting (and I love japanese food but this was lazy) Service was extremely fast. Ate 9 dishes in an hour. Felt sick on plate 6 with this stink and it now being the taste of everything. Could not finish the food. Left feeling shat on somehow.

Had to pay to reserve. Pay again at restaurant and told the holding fee will be refunded within days or weeks depending….so now short almost ¥20000 and feeling sick. Absolute worst food experience I think I ever had. You cannot sit people in a corner with a stinking beer pump. Its just not done.

Waitress was lovely though. She tried to...

Lovely place. We tried to walk in once not knowing the area and were told we needed a reservation. We planned out to come back in a couple weeks when we got a spot. We were welcomed and seated promptly. The food was lovely, lots of different things to experience and the flavours felt very traditional with dishes that used tofu, mussels, duck, and more. I would highly recommend the yuzu liquor if it's still on the menu as that became an instant favourite for me which I had to bring back home after. I think the atmosphere is very peaceful and intimate with only space for a few couples per room. If you get an earlier reservation you can enjoy the room all to yourself for some time. The flavours may be strong for some and I could not finish the mussel dish as it was actually quite large. I would recommend letting them know if you're done with a dish as sometimes they wait until you're finished before preparing anything else. Overall the food was great and I would not worry about eating every single bite as the portions for some dishes...

The building itself is an experience, walking through the wooden maze-like hallways that we almost accidentally walk down their kitchen while trying to find the exit 😂 We were given the terrace seat during the Sakura season so it was really beautiful with the sakura petals falling down on our table (and into our food and drinks haha). We had the 5k+ yen course for lunch and although everything looked dainty and small, we ended up so full at the end of it we almost couldn't stuff down the desserts. The tea they served at the end of the course had a very homey taste, like genmai tea without the roasty note. We were told it was tea made from soy pulp! It goes great at the end of meals so we decided to purchase it (they sell it near the cashier) and it's called Okara Tea. Very recommended if you are looking for an all out Japanese cuisine experience with beautiful scenery...