At Kagrasa, I have some matters to attend to, so there are empty hours between 14:00 and 16:00. I decided to have a late lunch during that time and came here. This is my first visit.
Just vaguely thinking of "cold soup Chinese food," I searched for "Which Chinese restaurants are still open at this time?" and headed to "Shilan" restaurant, which opens at 2:30 PM. (Hmm? Is there a cold soup Chinese dish there?)
However, after climbing the steep road under the scorching sun and reaching the destination completely soaked in sweat, I saw a sign that read, “This restaurant is closed today due to equipment malfunction.” (T-T) How ironic… There was nothing malfunctioning today.
Since there was no other option, I started walking again towards the "Enkaen" restaurant at 3 p.m. However, if I continued walking up the hill from here, I would probably end up in a state of dehydration... I really want to do something around this place called "Kakurenbo Yokodan," near the black wall. It's better to stop being Chinese cuisine for now.
In the food review app, I searched for "Lunch nearby, current location 100 meters away". The restaurant that popped up as the shortest distance was this one. It's a barbecue restaurant serving meals at 2:30 PM.
I know this place. It's a very nice high-end restaurant located on the third floor of a historic building. When I entered, I thought it was the same barbecue restaurant that I used to visit for business dinners... But it seems different. The name of the restaurant is actually different.
Yes, there used to be a high-end grilled meat restaurant called “Shōzan-Tei” located in Kagurazaka. It seems that around the end of last year, this restaurant was replaced by another high-end grilled meat chain restaurant called “Ten’an”, which is based in Kyoto.
So, what was served was
Limited to lunch time
・“天壇焼肉御膳 3,500円”
Tenshin Rousu, Teppō Harami, Ue Rousu, Akari Shimosae, Ue Rousu & Karubi, Tokushun Keshishi, Miluffi Rousu, Karubi, Ue Tan, Chūkeshiki Karubi, Ue Karubi
You can choose one type of meat from among them. (※Table-baked dish)
Wow! The options are so diverse that it's hard to decide which one to choose—it's confusing whether it's the best or the most delicious option.
If possible, I would like to ask for a detailed description of each piece of meat before making a decision. However, since this customer arrived 5 minutes before the last order was taken, we had to act quickly and decide on a choice without further delay. Well, since it says "特上" on the menu, let's just call it "特上ハラミ"! That's what we decided in just one second.
The meal includes rice, soup, namul, kimchi, stewed dishes, Korean seaweed, yukke, vegetable salad, and plenty of side dishes. As for the meat, it was cooked in a Kyoto-style broth, so I guess there isn’t much difference between any type of meat used.
In a comfortable interior that was cool and spacious, with almost exclusive use of the space, while waiting for the food, I searched to find out what happened to "Shōzan-Tei" afterwards.
“In Tokyo’s Kagrasa, the high-end barbecue restaurant ‘Shōzan-Tei Kagrasa Honkan’ is operated by Shōzan-Tei Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo; Representative: Kim Tokuichi). On November 30th, the company filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court and received the approval. The debt amount is approximately 6.375 billion yen.” According to an article by Imperial Data Bank.
It has been analyzed that the decline in business is due to the complete cessation of hospitality services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, given the price and format of the service, there were hardly any other opportunities to be disturbed by such services. The meat was extremely delicious, so it’s a pity that we couldn’t enjoy it.
I have received delivery bentos several times at home, but it seems that the restaurant wasn't a place that could rely solely on such deliveries.
Considering this, "Tensan" is a high-end restaurant with a reasonable price tag. Having a store in such a wonderful location must be quite convenient to use.
