Matsumoto cum Chiyo

We had the honor of being the first guests (and unfortunately on Friday night the only guests) to eat at the newly re-opened Matsumoto, now named Chiyo. We never made it to its previous carnation, so I don't know how different the decor was, but Chiyo's was pleasantly inviting. As a backdrop, Chiyo called me herself in response to a message I'd left trying to make reservations at Matsumoto. She left her cell phone number and seemed very eager to have us come to the newly reopened restaurant, and she explained that kaiseki was still available, provided you called to request it a couple days in advance.

Now on to the food: the menu had a variety of hot and cold appetizers, as well as sunomono (pickled, vinegary foods) and soup (osuimono, a favorite of my girlfriend's, although we did not try it). There were also some hot udon dishes, as well as standard teriyaki dinner choices.

However, the showcase meals were the "cook at your table" meals. There was shabu shabu, one other meal I'm forgetting, and sukiyaki. We ordered the sukiyaki with rib eye steak (kobe beef was the other choice) at my girlfriend's prompting. The sukiyaki was prepared on a hot pot at our table, and it was unlike any sukiyaki my girlfriend had ever had. She noted that the sukiyaki she ate growing up was always served after it had been cooked.

Before describing the entree any further, I'll get to the appetizers. We ordered hourenzo (steamed spinach with miso paste) and shrimp and vegetable tempura, and our sukiyaki dinner came with a tuna tartar and ahi and flounder sashimi. All the appetizers were delicious--the hourenzo tasted like my girlfriend's grandma's hourenzo, which should be commended, since the waitress at Chiyo told us that they were going for "Japanese home cooking." The tempura was also delicious--not too oily and with just the right amount of batter. The other two dishes were equally delightful--the tuna and flounder were very high quality, and everything tasted incredibly fresh.

Turning to the entree, the sukiyaki was, in a word, delicious. It was in a shoyu-base broth that had a strong flavor, and the combination of the rib eye simmering in it made the meat taste great. The cabbage and onions also cooked nicely, including this green vegetable--whose name I can't recall, although it was similar to chysanthemum leaf. Also delicious were the bamboo shoots, which had a great smoky flavor, like they'd been marinated in lap seong tea, and then had a distinctly flowery taste at the tail end. Later, Chiyo herself came over and added some water to the shoyu broth, and we got to experience a more mild version of the sukiyaki. Both, we agreed, were quite delicious.

Dessert was also cute--orange jelly and green tea ice cream. The orange jelly was prepared to look like an orange slice by being served in an orange peel, and the green tea ice cream was served in a hollowed out lime, which added a nice aftertaste. The meal was completed with some delicious green tea.

The only catch to the meal was the price--the sukiyaki was $35, and the minimum order was 2. This means that group cooking requires you to drop at least $70, which is pricey when one considers korean bbq and shabu shabu at other places.

All in all, it was delicious, and they seem eager to get customers back. If you are willing to spend the money for group cooking and can stomach the fact that it is more expensive than korean bbq, you should definitely give it a try.

but is it the same chef?

No, the chef at Chiyo is different (it's now Chiyo's husband). Matsumoto himself has moved on. See the much bigger Matsumoto thread for more details.

My fiancee and I went to Chiyo this evening, and we did the shabu shabu. I usually travel to Tokyo once a year, and always stop for shabu shabu, usually at Zakuro in Ginza. I've always lamented the loss of Honda, and when I heard that Chiyo would be offering nabemono, I had dreams of finally showing my fiancee just how fantastic good shabu shabu and sukiyaki can be.

While I thought our dinner tonight was generally good, I'm mildly disappointed. But I think it's partly because I went in with crazy high hopes and expectations, and also because they made some stylistic choices that, while perfectly valid, aren't to my tastes.

For me, shabu shabu lives and dies by the quality of the beef and the goma sauce, and I couldn't get overly excited about either. We ordered the Kobe beef, and while it certainly had a very nice, marbled appearance, it just didn't have the rich flavor I've come to expect. I have no idea if it was actual Kobe, or Kobe-style, or Wagyu or none of the above. If it hadn't been billed as Kobe, it might not have bothered me, but I just know that the quality of beef wasn't nearly what I get in Japan. Also, for my tastes, it was sliced way too thick... 2-3 times thicker than what I'm accustomed to. As for the goma sauce, it was good, but not the type that appeals to me. In trying numerous shabu shabu establishments (I've probably hit somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen, between Japan and the U.S.), it seems as though there are two schools of thought when it comes to goma sauce. Some restaurants serve a smooth goma sauce that's very sweet and has a little vinegar, while others serve a goma sauce that's a little lumpier, with very little sweetness and a strong nutty flavor. While I strongly prefer the former, Chiyo serves the latter. Tasty, but just not what I crave.

Because of this, I feel like it's difficult for me to give Chiyo's shabu shabu a fair shake. To be clear, I think it's good shabu shabu, but I've had shabu shabu at enough places to firmly establish my preferences, and this isn't it. I'm also not sold on price performance. The Kobe version runs about $50 per person, which I'd gladly pay if I felt the beef were up to snuff, but it just wasn't blowing me away. Of course, the fact that the nabemono dinners include a couple of small appetizers and dessert makes it a little more reasonable, but it still seemed a little overpriced.

That said, the couple at the next table had the sukiyaki and it smelled FANTASTIC, so we'll be going back at some point to give that a shot. Incidentally, Barret, did they serve raw egg with the sukiyaki? I know there are places that won't serve you the egg, but I can't imagine sukiyaki without it. Or at least I don't want to.

One last afterthought... since the two styles of goma sauce are so distinct, and since each restaurant I've been to serves one or the other, I'm starting to wonder if it's some kind of regional variation. Does anybody know if this is the case?

Dmnkly wrote:That said, the couple at the next table had the sukiyaki and it smelled FANTASTIC, so we'll be going back at some point to give that a shot. Incidentally, Barret, did they serve raw egg with the sukiyaki?

Dmnkly,

To quote Barret, "the sukiyaki was, in a word, delicious" and yes, it was served with a raw egg, one for each person at the table. We had the prime, not Kobe (Wagyu) and I found the meat nicely marbled.

Chiyo Sukiyaki



Shabu Shabu, which I've had a few times, but know little about, was good, with the ponzu and sesame seed dipping sauces complimenting nicely, but nothing I'm going to be driving down the street and suddenly get a craving for.

As to the graininess of the goma sauce, my strong guess would be Chiyo grinds sesame seeds in-house and that other Shabu Shabu shops simply buy tahini paste, or the Japanese equivalent, which might account for the difference in texture. Personally, I liked the texture of the goma dipping sauce and thought it a nice counterpoint to the silky beef.

Chiyo Shabu Shabu


Of particular note was the Ankimo, Monkfish liver, which Trixie-Pea likened to foie gras, and "egg sac" tempura. The "egg sac" was white, creamy, very soft, more like underdone sweetbreads or brains in texture, and was unlike other roe/fish egg I've had in the past. After a bit of google I think it may have been Shirako or the milt sac of a male codfish. Unfortunately I did not get a picture.

Being open as Chiyo only a couple of weeks there were a few minor service/timing issues, but the same overriding sense of friendliness/we're happy you are here as was at Matsumoto shines through.

Enjoy,
Gary

Anyone been to Chiyo's lately? Still doing well? Any major changes to the menu since the last posts? Was thinking of it since the recent mentions of Chicago Kalbi and their Japanese-style Korean food.

HI,

I have never made it to Chiyo. I have been flirting with the idea of having a kaiseiki dinner, which they are willing to do with a few days notice. Unlike Matsumoto where you decided your price point from $85 to $150 when you reserved, they now have a fixed rate of $85 per person.

Chicago Magazine did mention Chiyo as an undiscovered gem in their January edition. I hope it encourages business for them.

Regards,

I'll join you at Chiyo, just to attempt to recapture some of that Matsumoto magic.

Any review on the Kaiseki at Chiyo? I have not seen any recent ones (only seen one dated from last July).

Dmnkly wrote:
For me, shabu shabu lives and dies by the quality of the beef and the goma sauce, and I couldn't get overly excited about either. We ordered the Kobe beef, and while it certainly had a very nice, marbled appearance, it just didn't have the rich flavor I've come to expect. I have no idea if it was actual Kobe, or Kobe-style, or Wagyu or none of the above. If it hadn't been billed as Kobe, it might not have bothered me, but I just know that the quality of beef wasn't nearly what I get in Japan.

I'm actually taking my gf to Chiyo this Saturday for some sukiyaki and did a bit of browsing on Chiyo's website. It seems that they have 3 varities of beef: prime, kobe, and wagyu. You might've mistaken the kobe beef for the Japanese variety but as stated on their site the kobe they sell is the American branded kobe, which actually is a cross-breed of wagyu and angus steers. The wagyu is the real kobe beef that you're thinking of and probably didn't order: it's flown in from Japan and charged at a market price.

sinos wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:
For me, shabu shabu lives and dies by the quality of the beef and the goma sauce, and I couldn't get overly excited about either. We ordered the Kobe beef, and while it certainly had a very nice, marbled appearance, it just didn't have the rich flavor I've come to expect. I have no idea if it was actual Kobe, or Kobe-style, or Wagyu or none of the above. If it hadn't been billed as Kobe, it might not have bothered me, but I just know that the quality of beef wasn't nearly what I get in Japan.

I'm actually taking my gf to Chiyo this Saturday for some sukiyaki and did a bit of browsing on Chiyo's website. It seems that they have 3 varities of beef: prime, kobe, and wagyu. You might've mistaken the kobe beef for the Japanese variety but as stated on their site the kobe they sell is the American branded kobe, which actually is a cross-breed of wagyu and angus steers. The wagyu is the real kobe beef that you're thinking of and probably didn't order: it's flown in from Japan and charged at a market price.

Interesting... this was about a year ago at this point, and I'm quite certain there were only two types offered at the time (or at least two that were on the menu). I really wish the term "American Kobe" would die. It's borderline meaningless and only confuses the issue. Though there are some ranches that turn out a damn fine Wangus

Had a wonderful Kaiseki meal Saturday evening,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83069851@N ... 531710195/

All in all, every single course was extremely enjoyable, espeically the Kobe beef course (#6), as well as the Chirashi course (#7). The problem for the rest of the group was that none of them has the stomach capacity as your truely , since the aforementioned best two courses came toward the end of the meal, they were not able to enjoy it as much as myself .

Service was spotty at times initially, once we had engaged w/ the waitstaff w/ questions and drink orders, they were much more attentive and as pleasant as you'd expect from a charming restaurant such as Chiyo.

Also, in case you noticed the the difference to what we were served, the menu pictured was not followed to the dot as expected since ingredients were seasonal somewhat.

Fenger, thanks for posting the photos - we'd considered trying the kaiseki at Chiyo. One question: Was that a raw egg yolk in the middle of your chirashi? Quail egg yolk perhaps?

Yes, indeed, a raw quail egg, complimented this particular rather contextual and palate rich Chirashi perfectly.

I have a Japanese friend I'd like to send here, can someone supply an address to this country kid?

Here's a link to their web site with all pertinent information:
http://www.chiyorestaurant.com/english/

I am fairly certain that the kaiseki dinner requires advance notice.

We made our rsvp 3 days in advance, but was told on the phone that they usually ask for 5 days in advance. The girl who answered the phone was well versed in english, fyi.

Well, we've been meaning to return to Chiyo for over a year now for the sukiyaki, and finally got around to it last night. I expressed mild disappointment upthread about our previous shabu shabu dinner (based mostly on personal stylistic preferences and partly on price performance), but last night was really excellent all around and I'm hoping to cram in another visit or two before we skip town next month.



First off, I think I've resolved the mystery of the beef grades, though I'd need confirmation from the staff to be certain. The server who was helping us was unsure and said she could ask the chef, but it wasn't of supreme importance so we told her there was no need. At the time of our first visit, there were definitely only two grades available: "Prime" and "Kobe". As noted upthread, they've since added a third "Wagyu" grade which they say is flown in from Japan, and is served at a market price which, based on the "Wagyu" steak price on the regular menu, is appropriately exorbitant. Their current "Kobe" is actually domestic (the website says Oregon... Snake River Farms, perhaps? Or not... they produce Wangus.), so I'm guessing that when we first went, they were not receiving Japanese imports yet. Upon adding the Japanese imports, my suspicion is that they didn't want to change their naming convention for the existing grades, and so they opted to call the Japanese imports "Wagyu". What's goofy about how this has worked out is that if their imported Wagyu is actually from Kobe (strong possibility), then when you look at the grades, the Kobe is Wagyu and the Wagyu is Kobe. And the prime is prime, of course. Enough to make your head hurt.





In any case, dinner. We chose Kobe (Wagyu), which was actually a much nicer beef then I recalled from our earlier visit, though still obviously not even close to the premium Japenese beef. The vegetable plate was equally fresh and lovely, with spring onions, bamboo, seared tofu, enoki mushrooms, one other breed of mushroom, cabbage, chrysanthemum leaves and noodles that I believe were ito konnyaku. The sukiyaki was by the book... a chunk of beef tallow into the pot for flavor, followed by the vegetables and beef, topped with a sauce of soy, sugar and sake and served with a raw egg for dipping. It was perfectly balanced with quality ingredients, and avoided the most common pitfall of being overly sweet. I believe it was Chiyo herself who started us off, and her approach to service can be very welcome or a turnoff, depending on where you are with your sukiyaki experience. She gave us a lengthy lecture on all of the ingredients and the cooking process, and was very reluctant to turn over control of the pot. If you've never had it before, you'll find this very educational. For us it was more of an irritant, but with the understanding that she was only trying to be friendly and helpful.





The price ($50 per) was for a full dinner, including nimame, a small sashimi plate, the sukiyaki and a nice dessert (green tea custard with fresh fruit, pictured below - lovely). Last time, I walked out feeling like I paid a little more than I would have liked, owing primarily to the quality of the beef and fish which, while good, weren't excellent. This time, I walked out feeling that it was worth every penny. The biggest surprise of the evening was the excellence of the sashimi plate. We received thin slices of tai, shima aji and albacore which were all wonderful, but the highlight was some manner of tuna (on the left above) that was exceedingly tender and meltingly delicious. I didn't catch its exact nature. But in any case, next time we go back, suffice it to say that it'll be to sit at the sushi bar.

Dmnkly wrote:Upon adding the Japanese imports, my suspicion is that they didn't want to change their naming convention for the existing grades, and so they opted to call the Japanese imports "Wagyu". What's goofy about how this has worked out is that if their imported Wagyu is actually from Kobe (strong possibility), then when you look at the grades, the Kobe is Wagyu and the Wagyu is Kobe. And the prime is prime, of course. Enough to make your head hurt.

Yeow, confusing to say the least.

Either way, sashimi looks terrific, I'm motivated by your post for a Chiyo sushi bar revisit.

Enjoy,
Gary

Hi,

Chiyo, the lady, does do the Mother Hen especially to people identified as first timers. The first time I met her was at her other restaurant Chicago Kalbi, which is Japanese style Korean BBQ. Her openess to discuss everything was a huge contrast to visiting Korean establishments where very little is explained. Until I started bumping into Americanized Koreans at H-Mart where many people were willing to explain, Chiyo was a lone exception.

It's been on my mind to go to Chiyo, so I appreciate your reminder and glad you liked your experience.

Regards,

I had the pleasure of dining with Cathy2, Giovanna and Josephine at Chiyo last night. We have been meaning to try Chiyo since the change from Matsumoto and I have been thinking of sukiyaki all week!

The table ordered 2 orders of sukiyaki (US kobe beef) and 2 orders of omakase, allowing us to try everything! On to the food...

An amuse bouche of hijiki



Sukiyaki: Sashimi


Tuna, Hirame, Yellowtail

Omakase: Sashimi


Toro, Hamachi, Bonito

Omakase: Appetizers


Grilled Soy Marinated Fish, Anchovies, Octopus, Squid, Crab (hidden)


Crab hiding under the lemon slice

Omakase: Soup


Whitefish in light broth

Omakase: Sushi


(left to right) Scallop with spicy mayo, Tai Shiso, Salmon with ikura

Sukiyaki


Kobe beef, enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, shungiku (chrysantheum leaves), bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, onions, tokyo negi, yaki tofu, shirataki noodles

Omakase: Simmered dish


Simmered dango, shitake mushroom, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), bamboo shoot, freeze-dried tofu

Omakase: Grilled dish


Salt grilled ayu (sweetfish)

Omakase: Fried dish


Tempura anago, onions, broccoli, shitake mushroom

Omakase: Vinegared dish


Vinegared jellyfish, cucumber, seaweed salad

Dessert


Green tea custard


Chocolate "mousse" pudding

Hi- any recent feedback on Chiyo? Is the omakase still the way to go? Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters? Have they addressed the service problems that the other posters have brought out?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. We're thinking of bringing a friend there for her birthday.

fusionfan wrote:Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters?

Yes.

Jay K wrote:

fusionfan wrote:Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters?

Yes.

Can you please elaborate? The vegetarian in our party will eat fish.

fusionfan wrote:

Jay K wrote:

fusionfan wrote:Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters?

Yes.

Can you please elaborate? The vegetarian in our party will eat fish.

Then the vegetarian in your party isn't a vegetarian.

gleam wrote:

fusionfan wrote:

Jay K wrote:

fusionfan wrote:Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters?

Yes.

Can you please elaborate? The vegetarian in our party will eat fish.

Then the vegetarian in your party isn't a vegetarian.

I should clarify, she is a non-meat eater. I was just asking for honest feedback on the restaurant, I don't think there is a need to be sarcastic, even in a joking manner.

fusionfan wrote:

Jay K wrote:

fusionfan wrote:Will there be a problem if we have vegetarian eaters?

Yes.

Can you please elaborate? The vegetarian in our party will eat fish.

Then there will be no problem.

Unless they can't palate sarcasm. By the way, who was the first person to use it... and who knew?

This reminds me of an entertaining contest the Washington Post runs every year: take an real word and "invent" a new one with a creative definition by adding or subtracting just one letter. Latest entry:

sarchasm: the gap between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it

Kennyz wrote:sarchasm: the gap between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it