Julia
Address - 3 Chome-1-25 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001 https://maps.app.goo.gl/cJDEFK3XfgZ422BE9
Reservation Websites - Table Check - Tabe Log
Reveal the full menu & dish reviews — contains spoilers
Bluefin Tuna: A fantastic opening bite. The balance of acidity and saltiness worked beautifully with the fish, making for a great start to the meal.
Pairing: Homemade elderflower sparkling juice.
Carrot: A lovely sweetness with fresh, green notes and a satisfying crunch from the fried elements. A really enjoyable combination of flavours and textures.
Pairing: Homemade elderflower sparkling juice.
Squid: A wonderfully fresh bite with green, herbaceous flavours and a subtle taste of the sea. Nothing was overpowering, making it a great finish to the opening trio.
Pairing: Homemade elderflower sparkling juice.
Probably my favourite dish of the entire meal. The sauce was so outstanding that I had to ask the chef how he made it. Everything came together beautifully, and I would genuinely return just to eat this dish again.
The onion was incredibly sweet, and paired with the gooseberry it was almost magical. The combination was fruity and sweet without an overpowering onion flavour, making it enjoyable even for someone who isn't particularly fond of onions.
Pairing: Corn tea and apricot.
I'm personally not a huge fan of dishes with this much cheese, but the combination worked surprisingly well. The cheese paired beautifully with the fig and onion, bringing the different flavours together in a way I really appreciated.
Pairing: Kyoho grape hojicha.
Quite possibly the best salad I've ever had at a restaurant. After the richness of the eel, this was wonderfully light and refreshing. Together with the fermented plum and shiso pairing, the entire course was simply sublime.
Pairing: Fermented plum and shiso.
A lovely combination, but the apple sauce was undoubtedly the highlight. It complemented the sea bream incredibly well and really elevated the dish. The sauce completely stole the show here.
Pairing: Young ginger and organic lemongrass.
The venison was served with a dark, rich sauce that had almost chocolate and caramel-like qualities. It complemented the meat beautifully, but once again, the sauce was the real highlight of the dish.
Pairing: Roasted vegetable coffee.
Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of the sake gelato, although that's largely down to my own preference for less alcohol-forward flavours. It's difficult for me to judge this one fairly based on my personal taste.
Pairing: Hot sake / burnt honey juice.
The Shine Muscat grapes, however, were absolutely wonderful. Sweet, refreshing and a fantastic contrast to the sake gelato. A simple but incredibly enjoyable part of the dessert course.
A great way to finish the meal. The marron, accompanied by some lovely tea and the final drink pairings, brought everything to a satisfying close.
Overall Thoughts
I think that Julia in every way was one of the best fine dining experiences that I had in Tokyo. Though I do understand for the situation that we had was basically a private dining experience by luck of the draw. Along with the fact that no one else booked that night, from the food and drinks that were served it was sublime.
We had the full course dinning and drink pairing and both chose the non-alcoholic pairing cost being ¥31,900. Every meal was amazing and almost had no notes, my only complaint being that I would’ve liked more sauce with every dish because I was basically licking the plate at the end of each course. To the point when it came to the last few dishes we did end up asking for more. In which we were generally given more by the host. The weakest part of the meal was the desert I think chef has poured all her ability into the bites and main courses. In my eyes this is a well worth it trade off, why the deserts are no slouches compared to the quality and taste of the main meals they are a bit overshadowed by what comes before them, though it was worthy trade off. If you can even call it that.
I highly recommend taking the drink course, unlike other degustation restaurants where sometimes the non-alcoholic pairing can be felt as an after thought, the marriage between the drinks and the food here was one of the best. The sauces, food and drinks go so well together and really blend seamlessly into each other during each course and I really wish all restaurants of this level would put this much time and effort into their non-alcoholic drink pairings. You can really see the time and effort put into making sure the drinks really blend well with the dishes on a deeper level than just matching the food, they really elevated every dish.
I think that overall Julia is somewhere when the new menu comes that I will be for sure finding a reason to return to, the price the value ratio is insane and I think rarely can you come out of a restaurant loving every dish that is made while also being creative at the same time and not playing it safe. If you have a special occasions I really recommend going here as all the staff made sure we had an amazing time and the food was out of this world. (Also I would just go back even without a special occasion)
How I rate restaurants
Technique, seasoning, doneness, temperature, sauces and overall execution.
The quality of the produce, seafood and meat, as well as seasonality and sourcing where relevant.
How distinctive the restaurant feels and whether it has a clear culinary point of view.
Timing between courses, progression, portioning and how naturally the meal flows from beginning to end.
Whether the quality of the food and overall experience justifies the price being charged.
Interior design, comfort, noise, lighting, table spacing and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant.
Wine, sake, tea and non-alcoholic options, as well as pricing and the quality of any pairings.
Knowledge, attentiveness, warmth, professionalism and how well the staff manage the meal overall.
I don't think consistency should be scored unless I've visited a restaurant more than once. If I can understand the goal of a dish and what the chef is trying to express, I also don't want to deduct points simply because it doesn't suit my personal taste. However, if I feel the restaurant lacks a clear direction or identity, that may affect the Originality / Identity score.
While variety can be important, some restaurants deliberately focus on specific seasonal ingredients, techniques or concepts. Rating variety directly could unfairly penalise restaurants that are intentionally working within those boundaries.
