Shirosaka Japan

Restaurants

September 6, 2024

Shirosaka has all the trappings of a classic kaiseki restaurant: an immaculate wooden interior, a window that looks out onto a placid miniature garden, and a serious-faced chef working quietly behind the counter. Despite appearances, there’s no buttoned-up formality here—Chef Hideki Ii just wants you to have fun. Tokyo-born Ii, who trained in Sydney and spent three years in New York cooking for the Japanese ambassador, combines traditional and modern techniques into a highly personal style of kappo-ryori (kaiseki’s less formal cousin). The tasting menu sparkles with dishes that are almost too pretty to eat, and the short and sweet drink menu is all about approachable sake and wine.