Hamaichi

To be called the best tai-meshi specialty shop in Hamamatsucho is a lofty reputation to live up to, but realistically, the accolade is more likely overly modest. The fact is, Hamaichi may actually be one of the best in all of Tokyo. The restaurant’s whole menu is conceptualized around purity, from sourcing the nation’s most prized tai (sea bream) from Ehime Prefecture to a custom blend of rice developed expressly for the timeless flavor of tai-meshi, sea bream rice. Tai is said to have been the first fish variety sliced and eaten raw as sashimi. Restaurants that commit themselves to tai as a specialty also commit themselves to upholding hundreds of years of culinary mastery, and Hamaichi is no exception. The fish’s naturally clean flavor is supported through accompanying dishes that eschew any feeling of heaviness or excess. Desserts use only the amount of flour and sugar necessary, no more, and even the fried eggplant is prepared with a light, health-conscious oil blend that is used only once. Hamaichi’s calming space and pristine, elegant cuisine come together to feed the body and soul.