#4236

A Unique Experience of Chinese Cuisine for the Japanese Palate at Ginza Aster

Last week I was lucky enough to have lunch at Ginza Aster with a couple of friends. I had not been there before although I had heard that it was a quite a classy establishment and had walked past many times when walking around in Ginza so I knew of it and always wanted to try eating there.

The image I had of Ginza Aster before lunch was one of being quite expensive. While a little more expensive than the standard Chinese restaurant the quality of the food, the great service and décor represented really good value.

As I had not been there before I wanted to try the dish that they claim to be most well known for – Ginza Aster noodle. There were three of us so we ended up ordering several dishes each and sharing – a good decision indeed. We had a mix of shumai, shrimp mayonnaise (ebi mayo), Ginza Aster noodle and fried rice. All were great – all were presented beautifully even after the staff were kind enough to split each dish into thirds. All the food we had was so good that it was difficult to choose a favourite. All produce used was obviously very fresh and The ebi mayo included pieces of pineapple which was a little unusual but complemented the texture of the perfectly cooked shrimp nicely - probably the best I`ve had.

The Aster noodle dish was a great end to the meal – medium thickness round noodles in a very rich chicken broth (I thought it was beef) that was lighter than it first appeared with the pretty standard toppings of pork, shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, greens and bamboo shoots (takenoko) – certainly a must try.

This is not the usual saucy Chinese food but Chinese food taken and in the Japanese way influenced and enhanced to take it to something quite different and higher quality than usually expected. The food is full of flavor, not weighed down by excess grease like a lot of ‘standard’ Chinese food, and the presentation is fantastic.

This is the kind of place that I would recommend to go to for a special occasion – an anniversary or when friends or family are visiting for dinner, or maybe just when you feel like a bit of a special lunch. You'll enjoy the upscale setting but you won't feel rushed while you savor each bite of the Chinese delights offered on their menu.

Adstev73 image

Adstev73

Australia

Adstev73's other advice

Minami Boso Penninsula, Chiba images

Minami Boso Penninsula, Chiba

The other day I took a trip to the Minami Boso area of Chiba which is a great place to visit for a day trip from Tokyo. Jump on the bus from Tokyo Station for the scenic 90 minute ride through the ci…

Go Go Curry images

Go Go Curry

I love Japanese curry. My favourite store is Go Go Curry, originating form Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture. It's a chain store with a lot of locations in and around Tokyo. I made a video when I wen…

Bonenkai season images

Bonenkai season

Well that time of the year has rolled around again - Bonenkai season. Literally this translates to Forget the Year party, and is generally held among groups of co-workers or friends. The purpose of t…

Conversation with Ginza Aster Grand Chef images

Conversation with Ginza Aster Grand Chef

The other day I had the pleasure to interview Minakawa san, the Grand Chef of Ginza Aster. He is a genuinely all round nice guy and it was a great insight to speak to someone in his position. We spok…

Ginza Aster Fall Course Menu images

Ginza Aster Fall Course Menu

A friend was having a birthday so this was a great excuse for a group of us to head to and treat ourselves to a bit of a special meal at Aster Ginza to celebrate with our friend. I was pleasantly sur…

Ginza Aster O-Sechi images

Ginza Aster O-Sechi

I know its probably kind of a bit too soon in the year to be thinking about this but the other day, when I went to Ginza Aster for lunch, I got talking to the staff and the subject of Sechi (new year…

You might also like

What to do at a Japanese Funeral | Funeral Etiquette images

What to do at a Japanese Funeral | Funeral Etiquette

Attending a Japanese funeral can be stressful, even shocking, if you don't know what to do. The more you know beforehand the better, as you'll be able to comfort and support mutual friends and their …

Former Deep Japan Writer image

Former Deep Japan Writer

Enjoy bath, Japanese style images

Enjoy bath, Japanese style

Enjoy taking bath with Babu(Bub), a popular Japanese bath tablet to Relax after Exploring Japan on Foot.All travelers know how sight seeing can be exhausting. Especially walking around on foo…

mimichan image

mimichan

Know your Receipts in Japan! images

Know your Receipts in Japan!

Are you in Japan on business and working with a Japanese firm? Will you be taking your clients out for a meal?Recently I have been doing some consulting work for one of Japan’s eminent Chinese cuis…

5@example.com image

5@example.com

5 Traditional Japanese Villages to Explore images

5 Traditional Japanese Villages to Explore

The rural area of Japan is quite worth an exploration. Many villages in Japan have typical Japanese styles. Although they are quite far away from big cities, you can enjoy enchanting natural views an…

Alexlovetravel image

Alexlovetravel

1920's Japanese life style house images

1920's Japanese life style house

I visited a museum near where I live....retaining the old lifestyle from 1920s. http://www.showanokurashi.com/Even for me who was born and grew up in Japan, it was quite interesting....when I…

Zara image

Zara

The interesting relationship between Japanese culture and sweet, delicious strawberries images

The interesting relationship between Japanese culture and sweet, delicious strawberries

Strawberries are one of the many fruits produced all over the world. Strawberries are also produced in Japan, and Japanese strawberries tend to be very sweet and it is possible to eat them raw. One s…

DeepJapan Editor image

DeepJapan Editor