Raku-Tei

Sadly, very bloody sadly, this will be the last Michelin starred place we'll eat at in Japan this time round. It will be in fact the last place we eat in Japan unless we get a feed at the airport. Raku-tei is a small tempura restaurant hidden in a quiet almost suburban street not far the from the fortified American Embassy residential compound. We arrived at 11.30 to ensure we could get a seat. We needn't have worried. Again we were the only customers for lunch. What a way to go out too. The best tempura we've had in Japan. Shit, if it is the best we've had in Japan we ain't going to get better anywhere else are we.
Check out the video at the bottom for the most efficient eel filleting you'll ever see. He was like a machine. It was hypnotic as he filleted about 15 eels while we watched. That is part of the appeal of these places - the entertainment.
The latest edition of Gourmet Traveller has an article about Tetsuya Wakuda's favourite places in Tokyo and Raku-Tei gets a mention. A few restaurateurs either mentioned or asked us about Tetsuya when they found out we were from Sydney. In culinary circles Tetsuya is probably Japan's most famous export. We were even shown a copy of Tetsuya's book in a small restaurant in France a couple of years ago by the owner.