Taste of Tokyo

Restauranteur and Qantas Creative Director, Food, Beverage and Service Neil Perry AM shares his culinary inspiration.

Ihave been told there are 80,000 restaurants in Tokyo. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that information, but I can promise you one thing: it’s next to impossible to have a bad meal in the Japanese capital.

The level of quality produce and dedication to the craft of cooking seems inherent in the culture. Many of the places are small and hidden away. However, it was many years ago that I first remember having

okonomiyaki at an airport in Osaka after a ski trip. These little pancakes come in all flavours and fillings, usually served with a sweet mayonnaise.

A couple of years ago I was reacquainted with them at Tokyu Food Show in Shibuya, my favourite of all the fantastic Tokyo food halls, and I knew then we just had to have it on the Qantas menu. We thought the addition of crab would make it not only sweet but also slightly salty, with lots of umami flavour – a Japanese word roughly translated to mean “rich and savoury”. It’s now a key feature of the menu on our flights to Japan.

If you’re in the centre of Tokyo, I highly recommend making time for a visit to the fantastic basement food halls in the department stores – there’s all this incredible food being cooked in front of you.

For great noodles, get to Afuri in Shibuya-ku – it may well be the first time you order your noodles through a vending machine. It’s far from fancy, but it’s quick and delicious. I like the kara tsuyu tsukemen noodles served cold with

nori, pickled bamboo, boiled egg and warm pork garnish. Tonki is an institution in Tokyo and renowned for its deep-fried pork covered in fine breadcrumbs. It’s not fast food: it’s got a really nice homecooked feeling to it; really nice and well worth the wait.

If you’re after fresh seafood and a quintessential casual Japanese dining experience, there are plenty of great izakaya, but I love the Uoshin group’s scattering of restaurants in Tokyo in Shibuya, Shimokitazawa and Ebisu. The pub-like fun atmosphere at the Akasaka location is my favourite.

Finish an evening with a drink at Bar Martha in Ebisu for walls lined with loads of vinyl, plus old-school tunes, cocktails and whiskey.