• 4
• A perfect ten

Based on the review by "curiosity3" we went to the "Ken Takase" Cantonese restaurant. After eating here, I can only agree with "curiosity3". This is a wonderful restaurant! It starts with the rather exclusive location: the basement floor of Tokyo Station and the Tokyo Hotel. The restaurant has a warm, welcoming atmosphere which sets the mood for the dining experience. Don't think of this as a quick bite to eat, it is a lengthy seven course dinner. The menu lists the "green menu" and several individual vegetarian dishes. For some reason one is only allowed to order smaller dishes after 8 pm. Since we arrived at 6 pm, we went for the "green menu". This vegetarian option contains many seasonal vegetables, so your dinner may look a bit different from mine. The "plate of seasonal vegetables" was a true delight. Small pieces of vegetable were cooked and flavoured to perfection. The soup served next contains a dozen different mushrooms. Before eating, the chef personally shows all the (dried) mushrooms on a beautifully laid out plate and explains how they will benefit your health. What a delight! Next is a small dish with fake meat, fake shrimp and fake fish which tasted wonderfully (but never haven eaten the real thing, I cannot say if they resemble the taste of actual dead animal). The "mabo tofu" differs from what you get in cheaper restaurants, but Kan Takase's take on mabo tofu is just wonderful. After that, fried brown rice is served which again has been spiced to perfection. Even dessert was a true delight, although we were so stuffed that it was almost a curtesy to the chef to finish the last serving. Do keep in mind that the whole dinner takes about 2 hours and you'll leave the restaurant both stuffed and poor (the "green menu" costs 6,400 yen per person excluding taxes). We enjoyed every minute, every bite and it was therefore worth every yen.