Robata En

Irori-style grilling is one of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese grilling. Purportedly originating from Hokkaido, the style is said to be centuries old, and involves sticking skewers of fresh vegetables and fish upright into a sandpit around a hearth — the “irori” in question that gives the culinary style its name — and rotating each skewer as it cooks through. This traditional culinary art form is given new life by Chef Kazuki Itahara, a veteran of famed Hakone French restaurant Auberge au Mirador. Moving on to serve as the chef of an exclusive members-only restaurant, he finally settled in Robata En, where he puts his French culinary knowledge and years of experience to put fresh spins on robatayaki. The whole advantage of irori style grilling is its ability to infuse foods with the aroma of charcoal, while still letting it retain as much of its natural flavor as possible. This cooking style relies on both direct heat as well as far-infrared rays for simultaneous cooking: the heat from the flames forms a beautiful crust on the surface of the meat and fish, locking in the flavor, while far-infrared rays penetrate far into the ingredients. With its emphasis on natural flavors, irori-style grilling is particularly unforgiving of poor-quality produce — which is why Robata En goes all out when sourcing ingredients. Chef Itahara takes particular pride in purchasing only from suppliers “whose faces he can see”, meaning that he personally inspects and procures the ingredients that go around his irori. The fish and seafood are from Toyosu Market — no less than the best for Chef Itahara — and the restaurant’s chickens are all Amagi-Shamo broilers, which are renowned for their rich taste and satisfying texture. Purchased whole from the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, they are an essential part of the restaurant’s signature ramen, which also makes use of Kujukuri clams from Chiba Prefecture to form a complex, flavorful broth. Such luxury ingredients deserve equally good drinks to go with them, and that is where owner Kensuke Watanabe’s premium selection of sake and wines comes in. A veteran of the triple-Michelin-starred haute French cuisine L’Effervescence, his cellar would make even the most accomplished wine collectors envious.