Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya

A friend who knows Tokyo better than I do put Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya at the top of a list of three. He was right, as he often is.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: kimonoed okami at your elbow. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with burrata with peaches and basil, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a Napa cabernet old enough to drink itself, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: wagyu sukiyaki, the dish that puts Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya on every short list. There was a thumb of butter melting into the cross-hatch, and a single sprig of thyme on top, and not one thing more. The signature touch — raw egg, hot pan, hand-cut sirloin — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for broiled tomato with a breadcrumb cap and hash browns the size of a hubcap. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

It is not cheap. It is, in this case, worth it.