17-05-2025
A Japanese dining icon gets a (minor) facelift
Every once in a while, even a dining stalwart needs to be renovated. But when the institution in question is as revered as Nadaman Sazanka-so, deference must be given to the heritage within its very walls.
Nadaman Sazanka-so was first established in Osaka in 1830 before moving to Tokyo's Hotel New Otani in 1974. The restaurant specializes in kaiseki (multicourse Japanese haute cuisine).
While other Nadaman branches have opened in high-end hotels in Japan and overseas over the decades, the flagship Nadaman Sazanka-so remains a special dining destination. Its location in the center of Hotel New Otani's 400-year-old Japanese garden lends it a rustic air — a peaceful getaway from the city's hustle and bustle. The building, with its teahouse aesthetics designed by the late architect Togo Murano, is considered a masterpiece in traditional architecture.
Nadaman Sazanka-so is nestled in Hotel New Otani's Japanese garden, offering diners a serene atmosphere to experience its elegant, refined cuisine. |
NADAMAN
When the team at Nadaman Sazanka-so closed the restaurant for its refurbishment in September 2024, they adopted a careful, understated approach. The restaurant officially reopened its doors on March 28, 2025.
The aging bathrooms and kitchen floors were renovated, and new carpets were installed. Most of the hushed, elegant dining rooms have been left unchanged except for the Aoi no Ma room, which had its previous horigotatsu (low tables with recessed floors) seating converted into Western-style tables and chairs for added comfort. According to Yuko Tate, the restaurant's public relations executive, this particular seating change was requested by many customers.
Fuji no Ma, an intimate four-seater dining room that was previously reserved for limited use, is now available for reservations, taking the restaurant's total seating capacity from 38 to 44.
The 20-seat Hanagiri no Ma room, which played host to U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the Tokyo Summit in 1986, remains the biggest dining chamber. It's quietly stunning, thanks to its ceiling lined with washi (traditional Japanese paper) that filters sunlight, and a wide view of the Japanese garden that offers a striking canvas of nature's seasonal colors.
The foie gras "chawanmushi" (Japanese egg custard) was such a hit that chef Takehiko Yoshida has retained it as a mainstay on his menu. |
NADAMAN
While kaiseki is traditionally a course that changes with the season's bounty, head chef Takehiko Yoshida is flexible enough to retain on his menu a couple of dishes that have been a hit with guests, namely, the foie gras chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) — it melts in your mouth with a rich umami flavor — as a steamed dish.
Yoshida himself is all too familiar with Nadaman's culinary ethos, having worked at Nadaman's outpost in Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong and later helming Nadaman's Shangri-La Tokyo and Shinjuku branches before taking over Nadaman Sazanka-so this year.
He exhibits a flair for bringing out nuanced flavors in his dishes through simple, light combinations of ingredients, a restraint that is very much appreciated in the lengthy multicourse kaiseki. For example, a white sesame tofu crowned with sea urchin to create a fine balance of nutty and briny accents, and Kobe beef simmered in a pot with sanshō pepper flowers that lend delicate notes of citrus and spice.
Beef also gets to shine in the Kuroge wagyu course. Previously, the course had only steak as the main dish, but Yoshida is now showcasing the meat cooked and presented in various ways, a move that demonstrates his willingness to experiment with new dining options for a modern crowd.
Nadaman Sazanka-so; Hotel New Otani (Japanese Garden), 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; lunch, from ¥33,000; dinner, from ¥50,160; Tel: 03-3264-7921
