Ginza Kuki

Time makes all things better. This is the philosophy at the Hikari Miso group. First founded in 1936 as Maruni Miso Trading, four generations of its miso makers have perfected the craft of fermentation and aging of soybeans for over 80 years. Their process has steadily pushed the boundaries of what is possible with miso, bringing unparalleled depth and complexity to a staple that is so ubiquitous in Japanese cuisine that it often goes overlooked. As such, Ginza Kuki was founded, in the hopes of making diners discover a side of miso heretofore unseen. Above all, good miso takes time, and this is reflected in the measured approach that the restaurant takes to each of its dishes. For instance, the restaurant’s signature dish, miso-marinated beef, is first left overnight in a mixture of sweet rice malt sake and aged miso, letting proteolytic enzymes break it down for maximum tenderness. It is then further marinated in 3-year-aged miso before slow-cooking at 58 degrees Celsius. Finally, it is grilled to seal in the flavor.