Tokyo

3110NZ by LDH Kitchen

One space, two attractions. Unique does not do justice to this space that combines the orthodox Edomae sushi of Sushi Saito with contemporary art curated by NANZUKA. The art gallery by day transforms into a sushi restaurant each night, where guests dine surrounded by modern works in this new dining experience and business model rapidly attracting attention.

The external visuals give zero indication that a sushi restaurant awaits within. A wooden door in the sunken wall leads you inside, where a pure white art space awaits, with artwork displayed across three walls. The interior was designed by the New York-based design unit Snarkitecture, established by Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonen. The restaurant logo is the work of the globally acclaimed artist Hajime Sorayama.

Many wonder about the origin of the restaurant's name. It contains two components. The first is a numerical representation of sounds in the surname Saito (3110) linked with a shortened form of the NANZUKA gallery name, NZ. The final component represents the group that operates the restaurant – LDH Kitchen – whose staff member HIRO came up with the concept and sought Chefs Saito and Kobayashi, convinced they were a perfect fit. Rather than having a traditional Japanese feel, this sushi restaurant feels like a fusion with a contemporary art museum. Somehow it is neither eccentric nor awkward; in some ways it feels like an insight into the future. Incredibly popular with foreign guests, likely boosted by the connection with Sushi Saito, which continues to hold its three Michelin stars even though many years have passed since it was first crowned one of the best restaurants in the world. Your chef is Ikuya Kobayashi, a man far more mature and relaxed than his years would suggest, which may explain why he was entrusted with this space. Guests feel watching him at work is like appreciating another work of art.

One space, two attractions

The cuisine is all about craftsmanship at this restaurant of traditional Edomae sushi, with its handsomely shaped yet never showy nigiri. The degustation course includes five appetizers and eleven nigiri pieces, with the nigiri progressing from the lighter flavors of white fish to kohada gizzard shad, a trio of maguro pieces, squid, shrimp, horse mackerel, and sea urchin, before culminating in a sumptuous, fleshy mouthful of anago conger eel. The two morsels that best allow a sushi chef to showcase their skills are kohada and anago. Kobayashi’s pieces are stunning.

The master Saito does not interfere in the daily workings of the restaurant, leaving most decisions to Kobayashi. The latter has developed his own vinegared rice recipe using a blend of two vinegars and Sagabiyori rice. Neither hard nor soft, the grains are steamed to perfection and doused with refreshing vinegar flavor in an amount that varies with the season and the weather. The soy sauce reduction artistically brushed on the anago is delightful in its sweetness, Luscious, creamy shirako milt from cod fished in the brisk waters near Yoichi, Hokkaido, is of a quality so high it needs almost no embellishment. Iwashi sardines from Aomori Prefecture are dipped in soy sauce for just ten seconds and wrapped in crisp seaweed with pickled ginger, chives and mountain yam. Buttery, rich nodoguro blackthroat seaperch from Nagasaki Prefecture is served in a heady broth extracted from sea bream heads and bony nodoguro parts.

Kasugodai is a sea bream around one year of age, with lean flesh and shiny skin. Fished in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, it is doused with boiling water to make yushimo-zukuri. This process gives the fish a frosted appearance, further enhanced by a thin sheet of white seaweed called shiroita kombu. Savor three different parts of longline caught maguro brought into the port of Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture, then behold the stunning piece of horse mackerel from Kagoshima Prefecture.

The tableware collection contains items with a stylish sense befitting the elegant sushi cuisine, all chosen by the head chef. His hand is also seen in the Japanese sake, shochu and whisky selections, but a sommelier guides guests’ wine choices. For sake, the chef will likely start with dry junmai sake and progress to increasingly fuller and richer styles to complement the meal.

INGREDIENTS
Many elements of the cuisine and ingredients are kept secret, but we know that the suppliers to 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen are mostly the same as for Sushi Saito and that Kobayashi decides the items that come through his door. Renowned Toyosu broker Yamasawa supplies the maguro; wasabi comes from a trusted supplier and long-time acquaintance of Kobayashi’s in Shizuoka; and the delicious seaweed is harvested in Ariake Bay, Kyushu. The rice grown in Saga Prefecture is a varietal called Sagabiyori. After experimenting with a range of products standalone and as finished nigiri morsels, Kobayashi chose it for its plump grains, perfect moisture level and incredibly high natural umami. These characteristics allow Kobayashi to prepare it with minimal vinegar and salt.

CHEF

Ikuya Kobayashi

Ikuya Kobayashi is the beloved apprentice of Sushi Saito’s master, Koji Saito. He was born in Niigata Prefecture in 1988 and could think of nothing but basketball during his junior high school days. He went to Canada on his own at 18, and when at 21, he moved for a part-time job in Zao Onsen, Yamagata, Kobayashi found himself working under a chef of French cuisine who felt Kobayashi was well suited to work as a chef. This prompted Kobayashi to enroll in cooking school, where he submitted his preference to work at a French restaurant. But his wishes were ignored, and he was sent to a Ginza sushi counter-service restaurant, deemed the best equipped to survive that tough environment.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Kobayashi was drawn to the samurai-like training and skills of a sushi chef. His career began at Sushi Kanesaka, but in 2011, he knocked on the door of Sushi Saito, home to a chef who talks little, choosing instead to train with his actions. It was a tiny restaurant at the time, the world’s smallest three-star Michelin, located in an Akasaka building home to the Japan Cycling Federation, known as Jitensha Kaikan. With a total of three staff members, two of whom could not even squeeze past each other in the tiny kitchen workspace, Kobayashi muses how amazing it is for a restaurant like that to achieve global fame before SNS took off. The restaurant later moved to a larger space, and from around 25, Kobayashi used to invite family and friends to the restaurant on days off to shape sushi for them at the counter.

His big chance arrived in 2018 when, after training under Chef Saito for ten years, Kobayashi was charged with launching Hong Kong Sushi Saito. It immediately earned two Michelin stars, an achievement repeated a year later, and then Kobayashi made a triumphant return to Japan to start something brand new. Saito went to him with the contemporary art-meets-sushi concept, feeling the world-first was a perfect fit for his apprentice, who was into street culture and Black music and had always loved visiting clubs late at night. Thus, in July 2020, Kobayashi became the head chef of 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen.

VISION
Kobayashi wants to give back to Chef Saito, who has taught him so much and opened many doors for him. He feels responsible for preserving the Saito Group and wants to expand it further. Ultimately, Kobayashi intends to thoroughly train a successor so that he may go independent himself.

GALLERY SPACE

The interior at 3110NX by LDH Kitchen was conceptualized by NANZUKA contemporary art gallery and completed by the New York-based design unit Snarkitecture, comprising Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonen. As with the Shibuya main gallery, curators collaborate with spirited artists from around the globe on exhibits that are changed every four to six weeks, meaning an entirely new ambiance awaits each time you visit this space. If a particular piece catches your eye, you need only contact the gallery, and a purchase may be possible. Chef Kobayashi is dedicated to maintaining a seamless connection between his sushi and the artwork in the experience he offers. True to his words, the simultaneous enjoyment of sushi and art feels very new and yet so natural.