Hinokizaka
The Ritz-Carlton serves up Glorious Japanese cooking
in a sky-high setting

Photos by Chris Betros

Hinokizaka sits 45 floors atop Tokyo’s tallest building, and when we visited for the first time, our expectations were just as lofty. As one of only two full-service dining spots in the swanky new Ritz-Carlton hotel, the restaurant has a towering reputation to live up to.

Visitors to Hinokizaka must first pass through the Ritz’ jaw-dropping lobby, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, opulent furnishings and muted, adult vibe. Inside the restaurant, yukata-clad staff escort diners down
a narrow corridor that’s flanked by a sushi bar, teppanyaki grill and tempura counter; on the other side lies the main dining area, where kaiseki meals are served. Hinokizaka also offers secluded tatami rooms, including one with its own tea-ceremony setup. The effect—combined with the view—is enchanting.

Such wabi sabi doesn’t come cheap, however. Hinokizaka’s least expensive dish is a sashimi rice bowl, which costs ¥4,500 at lunch, and prices take off quickly from there. Dinner courses start at ¥12,000 and pass through the ¥20,000 range in the blink of an eye, topping out with the ¥25,000 chef’s omakase menu and a ¥28,000 teppanyaki dinner.

We figured a reasonable middle ground might be, ahem, the ¥10,000 “Tsuzumi” kaiseki lunch. Though it’s hard to justify spending so much on a midday meal, this nine-course lunch perfectly captures the seasonal aesthetic of traditional Japanese cooking.

Our meal started with an otoshi of cheese-flavored tofu in dashi with a pinch of Japanese mustard, and finished about 90 minutes later with jellied fruits and tofu with raspberry sauce; in-between were simmered, grilled, fried and rice dishes plus a wonderful clear soup. Space limitations preclude us from detailing the entire procession of items, but the “Japanese Delicacies” course sums up the pleasures of the meal.

The dish came served on a gorgeous, multilayered platter with brightly colored bowls nestled in a bed of ice. A trio of rolled sashimi included hamo, kampachi and—hands down—the best ika we’ve ever tasted, accompanied by myoga, aka shiso and lime. Slender strips of raw cucumber and daikon were seasoned with a simple red-miso paste, and a small ceramic cylinder held somen noodles made from wakame and flavored with ginger. Providing a tart counterpoint was a shiokara-like dish of bainiku (pureed ume) and squid. The pièces de résistance, however, were the dried houzuki flowers that we first took to be garnishes; instead, the delicate red bulbs, when opened, contained ribbons of salmon wrapped in egg.

Our fellow diners were, predictably, gaggles of young and middle-aged Japanese women out celebrating a classy meal. Later in the afternoon, during tea time, a trio of young, nattily dressed professionals settled in a corner to talk shop.

Like other hotel restaurants, Hinokizaka is the perfect place to enjoy a special occasion—say, a Japanese friend’s birthday or a visit by mom from overseas. Unlike those other restaurants, however, this one will have you figuring out ways to work more frequent visits into your budget.

45F Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 0120-798-688. Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-10pm, Sat-Sun 6:30-10am, 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-10pm. Nearest stn: Roppongi. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Tokyo

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