Azabu Ichigo

Oden is a historic style of Japanese cooking associated with the cold winter months, when a hot stew dish is needed to warm up against the frigid weather. Azabu Ichigo is a 2022 Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo where you can try this popular style of dish in a high-class kaiseki meal. This means a sequence of small dishes, prepared with delicacy and complexity, presented one after the often in a memorable long-form dinner. While waiting for your next dish, you can marvel at the large, segmented copper pot filled with dashi broth and a host of premium seasonal ingredients. The broth itself is a house blend made from 8 different varieties of dried fish flakes. Seemingly simple oden dishes like soft-boiled egg really shine here, and more complex preparations see oden-steeped ingredients topped with vegetables, herbs, and seasonings. The effect is much more similar to the elegant cuisine of Kyoto rather than traditional comfort food. Following the style and format of Kyoto fine dining, guests first enjoy a seasonal amuse bouche platter known as a hassun, followed by grilled appetizers cooked over Binchotan charcoal, and sashimi. These set the scene for what Is surely one of the most exciting and elegant oden meals in Japan.