Shabu-Zen Ginza Creston Hotel Branch

In Tokyo, Japan, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki have long been dishes of gathering — a single pot at the center of the table, shared at an unhurried pace. Shabu-Zen Ginza Creston Hotel Branch carries this tradition to the 32nd floor of the Ginza Creston hotel in Akashicho, some 120 meters above Chuo City. From this height, the city spreads out in a wide panorama, and the lights of the capital gather as evening falls. The dining room is entirely non-smoking, and a private room is available by advance reservation for family occasions and business dinners. Since its founding, Shabu-Zen has remained committed to all-you-can-eat service, so that guests may enjoy carefully selected beef without restraint. Japanese domestic beef and Kuroge wagyu are the heart of the menu, and for every grade from domestic beef upward, the restaurant sources only rib roast that meets the company's own standards. The house sesame sauce and ponzu are equally considered. Each is a fresh sauce prepared at every branch from more than a dozen ingredients by an original method, with the head chef adjusting the proportions as the ingredients and temperatures shift through the year. A thin slice of beef, passed briefly through the simmering pot and dipped in the nutty sesame sauce, shows why Shabu-Zen calls these sauces its starting point. Both shabu-shabu and sukiyaki are served with kishimen noodles and a platter of domestic vegetables, and seasonal kaiseki dishes are also available. It is luxury dining of a calm kind: a warm pot, good beef, and the city quiet beyond the glass.