Ninja Akasaka Restaurant, Tokyo

The highlight of our trip to Japan is a 10+ course degustation dinner at Ninja Akasaka Restaurant in Akasaka, Minato. Role play, entertainment, and excellent food make this the experience of a lifetime.

Ninja Akasaka Restaurant

The restaurant is not hard to find but is not too easy either. The exterior is purposely built to look like a secret hiding place, which is described as follows:

“A ninja’s presence must remain unknown. Based on such rule, the entrance is inconspicuously set in the wall of a building. A bold hideaway right in the middle of a giant city.”

We enter and are greeted by a lady at the counter who confirms our reservation. She tells us that our waitress is hiding somewhere “in this room“. We look up, down, left, right and centre half bemused and confused at the same time. A few seconds later a wooden panel slides up and out jumps a ninja clad in black. With arms wide open, and face looking upwards, she cries out loud, “I am your waitress!” With no time to waste, she tells us that we must travel to the fortress but cannot do so because the front entrance is blocked. She slides open a wooden panel in one of the walls, and we follow her into a dark cave with lots of stairs, corridors, and beautiful water features.

Our ninja waitress

The Cave

This is the labyrinth, “the complex structure of corridors that protects the home of ninjas from enemies.”

We get to a crossing that is only accessible by bridge. Our ninja orders us to chant with her a magical chant to bring the bridge down and allow us to pass. As soon as everyone has crossed, she claps her hands and the bridge is brought up to prevent any intruders from entering. Shortly after, we arrive at the fortress. It is a beautiful setting with separate rooms designed like those during the times of the civil wars in the Azuchi-Momoyama Era.

Bridge walkway

One of the restaurant booths

The fortress

Slippers for us to use

As is Japanese custom, we take our shoes off before sitting on the floor at our table. Our ninja presents us with a large black scroll that extends as long as the width of the table. My four friends order the Surprise Course (7,777 Yen) while I dare to be different and go for the Hanzou Course (10,000 Yen).

The Surprise Course comprises the following menu items:

1. Shuriken star-blades grissini
2. Creamy lobster pudding, tofu-style
3. Turban shell bombs a la escargot
4. Ninja-style tempura, winter transformation
5. Winter vegetable cocktail topped with whipped Japanese stock
6. Special stone-boiled soup (Japanese bouillabaisse)
7. Tuna and avocado tartar seasoned with mustard and vinegar-flavoured miso bean paste
8. Sherbet candy in winter flavours
9. Foie gras and veal a la creme brulee or cod and milt in an encounter of Japanese and Chinese flavours
10. From the ancient-purple rice rolled in yuba soymilk films and NY roll
11. Today’s dessert

The Hanzou Course consists of the following:

1. Shuriken star-blades grissini
2. Diced octopus with marinated scallop
3. Turban shell bombs a la escargot
4. Winter treasure chest
5. Today’s kaiseki soup, or soup of the day
6. Seafood specialty of the day
7. Sherbet candy in winter flavours
8. Japanese beef steak with your choice of sauce: garlic, wasabi horseradish and pepper, teriyaki or grated daikon radish or Ninja-style roast with Korean flavouring
9. Sushi of the season with akadashi dark-miso soup
10. Dessert delight and fruits of the season

Both degustation courses are similar except that the Hanzou course replaces some of the standard menu items with more specialty dishes.

In addition, two of the group order the Prime fattiest tuna (3,000 Yen), the most expensive tuna belly available. At 3,000 Yen, that’s nearly $10.00 AUD per piece.

Now enough talking and onto the feast! Here my main focus is on the Hanzou Course.

Appetizer – Prime fattiest tuna

Prime fattiest tuna

Prime fattiest tuna beautifully presented

This is the first dish to come out.  But it is well worth it – marbled pink, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Hanzou Course Item 1 – Shuriken star-blades grissini

Shuriken star-blades grissini

Creme pate de foie gras dip

My Hanzou course begins with the Shuriken star-blades grissini – dried bread shaped like shuriken stars and accompanied by creamy soft pate. I use a wooden paddle to spread the pate onto the blades. The stars are plain and have an almost stale crispiness. They pair well with the pate.

Hanzou Course Item 2 – Diced octopus with marinated scallop

Diced octopus with marinated scallop

The next item is a diced octopus flattened into a thin layer that is dressed in a sweet vinaigrette, and topped with a soft juicy marinated scallop and blood orange. It is a favourite of mine, as it is slightly sweet, acidic, and textured.

Hanzou Course Item 3 – Turban shell bombs a la escargot

Turban shell bombs a la escargot

Turban shell bomb a la escargot

The escargot are marinated and dressed in a rich garlic sauce and presented in large turban shells. The garlic sauce is made from fresh diced garlic, and is thick, rich, and textured. It is like soup in a shell. The snail is cooked nicely and not so tough at all.

Hanzou Course Item 4 – Winter treasure chest

Winter treasure chest

Red and green seaweed with cracked treasure

Mixing the dish up

Spooning the treasure

My winter treasure chest is brought out in a large black box filled with dried ice and one egg sitting in the middle and still in its shell. I am asked to crack it open into a bowl of red and green seaweed. It is a gelatinous mixture of prawns and tofu which I mix in with the seaweed. It is refreshing, flavourful and similar the previous dishes, heavily textured.

Hanzou Course Item 5 – Soup of the day

Soup of the day

My soup of the day is a creamy daikon radish and cauliflower soup. It is mild, creamy, thick, and sweet. Very nice.

Interlude – Entertainment for the night

A Japanese man in a bandanna interrupts us mid-way through our degustation for some mid night entertainment. He is a goofy character with a suitcase full of magical tricks. Apparently ninjas know how to do magic tricks. He does a few card tricks and then shows us some weird stuff from his briefcase. One is a wallet that lights on fire. The expression on his face in the picture below is just gold. A very funny man.

Mid night entertainment

The magician’s wallet is on fire!

The End

Hanzou Course Item 6 – Seafood specialty of the day

Seafood specialty of the day – Abalone

The abalone is a surprise as I am expecting perhaps some dolphin on toast or blowfish (I’m kidding). It is served cold, and is tender, chewy and soft. It is sweet because of the daikon radish. A favourite of mine.

Hanzou Course Item 7 – Sherbet candy in winter flavours

Sherbet candy in winter flavours

Next is the sherbet candy in winter flavours. It is a cherry blossom flavoured ice lolly that helps cleanse the palate in preparation for the main course.

Hanzou Course Item 8 – Japanese beef steak with garlic

Japanese beef steak with garlic

So garlicy, so yum

The main dish is the Japanese beef steak which I order medium rare and with a garlic sauce. It is the most amazing dish ever. It is strongly aromatic because of the roasted garlic. The beef is perfectly cooked and I don’t have to chew – it simply melts and slides down the back of my throat.

Hanzou Course Item 9 – Sushi of the season with akadashi dark-miso soup

Sushi of the season

Akadashi dark-miso soup

The sushi is fresh as if it came straight from the sea. The soup has a robust heavy flavour which is in contrast to the light standard miso soup you are used to.

Hanzou Course Item 10 – Dessert delight and fruits of the season

Chinese pudding with cracked pepper

Fruits of the season

Lastly is dessert which consists of a Chinese pudding with cracked pepper, and fruits of the season. A great way to end the meal.

Our ninja waitress escorts us on our way out. Once outside she runs back into the restaurant. A few moments later she rolls out, and kneeling down on one knee exclaims “Please come again!” We clap and as we walk away she waves goodbye.

Please come again!

So that was it. It was a highlight of the trip to Japan and something that I’ll never forget. My friends (who really aren’t foodies) were equally impressed, mentioning that this was the best restaurant that they had been to, ever. I concur. The food was top quality, the presentation impeccable, and the service outstanding. Throw in the non-tacky entertainment and fancy role play and you’ve got a winner! Theme restaurants for the win!

Ninja Akasaka
Address: Akasaka Tokyu Plaza, 1st Floor, Akasaka, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 5157 3963
Web: www.ninjaakasaka.com

Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday (5:00pm – 2:00am)
Sunday and Public Holidays (5:00pm – 11:00am)

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