Chef Shinji Ogawa opened Orchestra in September 2023 in Sangubashi, a small, residential enclave located between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Odakyu Line. Chef trained at Ristorante San Domenico near Bologna for 5 years, with 2 as Sous Chef, before returning to Japan.
Service is run by a team of three (chef, sous chef, and sommelier). Decor and ambiance are warm and inviting, indicative of the local neighborhood. We live around the corner from the restaurant and were invited by staff to come visit. The wine pairing was complementary which made the decision to come quite easy.
The overall course is heavily influenced by local ingredients cooked in the traditional style of the Emilia-Romagna region. This is a common region for Japanese chefs to train as the style melds well with Japanese preparations. Highlights of the evening were the Tortellini in Brodo made with an agodashi of dried flying fish, chicken, prosciutto, and Parmigiano Reggiano, and the Raviolo made with spinach, raw egg yolk, ricotta, and black truffles. There was also a horse meat (from Kumamoto) tartare that pleasantly surprised us. The wine pairing was excellent and well executed. We had the Special Wine Pairing A.
Service started off with a hiccup as one party had to attend an emergency shortly after arriving. This threw off the staff, but the rebounded nicely. Service in general was rough around the edges but did not detract from the experience. Once they iron out the kinds, they will likely be in the 2-star range in my opinion.
The course was 25K per person before the 10% service charge. They offer a few different meat options for the main course, so the cost can vary from 15K-25K from what they explained. We had A5/B5 Iwate Beef, and others had either deer sirloin or lamb.
by m046186