GINZA BENI｜RJ｜Japan’s First Luxury Beer

RESTAURANT INTERVIEWS

Our exclusive interviews with ROCOCO partner restaurants, chefs and sommeliers offer insights into their cuisine and passions in their own words.

06｜GINZA BENISushi (Ginza)

Pop Art x Edomae Sushi: Discover this Celebrity Hangout

GINZA BENI is very discreet, its address and phone number are not even publicly disclosed. Its walls are filled with pop art, music is always playing and celebrities regularly visit. GINZA BENI makes you feel excited as soon as you step in the door. This ambiance draws a sharp contrast to the more conservative image of the many sushi restaurants in Ginza. GINZA BENI is truly a restaurant where you are free to be yourself and relax. Head Chef Hiroshi Mizobe worked in the fashion industry and as an artist before becoming a sushi chef. The pop art paintings featured in the restaurant are all part of Chef Mizobe’s personal collection. He is always happy to tell guests about them. There is also music playing in the background, quite rare for a sushi restaurant in Japan. But the best reason to visit GINZA BENI is for Chef Mizobe’s sushi. In contrast to his modern taste in art and music, Chef Mizobe’s sushi is quite orthodox. In order to maximize the flavor of certain dishes, he ages the fish as long as 26 days using the "Nekase" technique which has been handed down through Edomae culture. This technique carefully removes water from the fish to increase the concentration of its umami flavor. Chef Mizobe always gives 120% of himself to his customers, whether studying historical techniques to provide guests with rare, delicious dishes, or by sharing his personal art and taste in music. He visibly shows gratitude and respect to his guests as well as to the producers and fisherman who supply him with delicious ingredients. Chef Mizobe’s human and personal approach gives GINZA BENI an unparalleled intimate feeling.

I Want My Customers to Enjoy ROCOCO as Much as I Do

Chef Mizobe first tried ROCOCO at his friend’s high-end Japanese restaurant. When he first tasted ROCOCO he thought "This is delicious!" He instantly decided he wanted to serve ROCOCO at GINZA BENI. "Many people choose ROCOCO as their first drink," says Chef Mizobe, “and we also recommend pairing ROCOCO with some of our dishes that use vinegar, our sashimi and various dishes that are marinated in boiled down umeboshi and sake. Coming up with original and ingenious dishes keeps our customers happy and is probably what makes them visit us again and again.”

A Heartfelt Commitment to His Restaurant

"There is a meaning to everything in my restaurant. Not just the food, but also the alcohol and tableware," says Chef Mizobe. It is inspiring to witness his commitment to designing all facets of his restaurant. Chef Mizobe chooses tableware that creates a synergistic effect with his food, such as traditional Kutani-yaki and Shigaraki-yaki pottery. His passion for cooking is equally as impressive. For example, to prepare his specialty chawanmushi he uses 2 kilos of shijimi clams and 20 hamaguri clams, he also uses two types of soup stock, kelp, and bonito flakes. Chef Mizobe is a perfectionist, constantly improving his recipes in search of the best flavors. From the moment you open the door at Ginza Beni you are immersed in Chef Mizobe’s world of passion and creativity. Ginza Beni is a unique hideaway where you will enjoy delicious edomae sushi in an intimate, art filled restaurant.

INFORMATION

8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
TEL : Not open to the public
@ginzabeni