Makiyaki Ginza Onodera — Restaurant in Tokyo

Overall, this meal was disappointing. Our sous chef and staff were kind, attentive, and knowledgeable (and spoke english to us)

Unfortunately, the execution on a few dishes showed a lack of tasting ingredients and using the wood fire grill. May have just been an off night, which we all have here and there.

4 of the 7 main dishes missed the mark, while the wine pairing made up for some of the missteps - it’s rare that one totally pushes aside items on a tasting menu.

1 \ Grouper with Firefly Squid with Basil This dish was tough to eat. The squid was pungent and overpowered the well cooked (but not fully seasoned) Grouper. The basil sauce was totally lost and should have been more of a gremolata to maintain its place on the plate.

2 \ Heart and Liver with Harissa This dish was well conceived but the proportions were off and struggled to maintain a balanced bite.

3 \ Waygu with Zucchini and Black Truffle Onions The truffle might as well not been on this dish. It was totally lost in the sweetness of the onion sauce. If you’re gonna use truffle, shave it on top - don’t cook it done. Also, the meat need a sear on it. My cut lacked anything to differentiate it from the other part of the course. Some pepper or maybe a little acid would have helped pull the dish together.

4 \ Bamboo Shoot with Vegetables and Clam Loved most of this, yet was stuck on the cruddy clam belly as there was it wasn’t properly purged / belly removed prior to serving.

Highlights were the “off menu” Waygu bite with Mustard; Bread and Butter; Strawberry Gazpacho; and Duck dish.

Overall, the execution of this menu missed some intentionality and component tasting along the way which should be expected at this...

My wife and I had the Makiyaki Special Course for lunch.

Service was very welcoming and attentive from the moment you enter the restaurant. The team spoke English and explained the concept and every dish being served.

Food was prepared well and we had a good view of all the wood-fire grilling action from the counter seats. Taste-wise, there a few interesting flavors but all dishes were seasoned nicely.

They gladly accommodated my allergies (can't eat seafood except for fish) and even checked before service started which ingredients I could eat. Ingredient of note today was clam, which I said I couldn't eat and which they said they would just remove from the dishes (it was present in 2). Unlike other restaurants who replace ingredients with suitable alternatives (like replacing clams with fish or even vegetables), here they just removed the item completely, which made the 2 dishes feel incomplete (1 was without any protein, while the 2nd didn't have any sauce).

The clam dish (fish with clam sauce) became particularly problematic. They served it with the clam sauce, totally forgetting my allergy. They realized their mistake and were very apologetic, and hastily tried to make a new one for me without the sauce. Unfortunately, in their desire to quickly re-serve the dish, they forgot to debone it and I ended up with three (3) 2-inch bones on my small fillet.

I left the bones on my plate, waiting to see what their reaction will be, but my plate was taken away after that course and nothing was ever said about the very...

4.25 ⭐️ Onodera, a Michelin-starred restaurant, offers an intimate dining atmosphere paired with fantastic and attentive service. The French cuisine, infused with wood-fired elements, is executed with precision and well-balanced seasoning, though the smoky flavours may not appeal to everyone.

While some of the meats had a slightly gamey taste, the overall quality was exceptional. The highlight of the meal was the cheesecake—a surprising favourite. It was perfectly balanced, light yet satisfying, not too sweet, and avoided being overly dry or pasty.

However, the price point is very high, making it more of a splurge-worthy experience for special occasions. A memorable dining experience for those seeking refined flavours and...