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Sushi in Tokyo: The Search for Perfection

The Iron Chef tour explores the art of sushi with multiple Michelin-starred chefs. Intense individual flavors are condensed into a single bite, so much innovation essential to every mouthful. You’ll visit the markets, where exotic sounds and smells are part of sourcing ingredients. You’ll prepare sushi in world-renowned restaurants, where the kitchens provide a blank canvas for creation. You’ll come to understand the ideas behind the famous names, from Saito to Mizutani, nori to toro. And you’ll discover how sushi chefs pioneer the search for perfection.

In many ways, this famous cuisine is the quintessence of Tokyo. There’s a permanent search for unique expression in the city, seen everywhere from Harajuku to Tsukiji fish market. The authenticity of the experience comes when you journey beyond the simple facade, whether beneath the lights of the neon jungle or behind the carefully carved rolls. What at first seems simple is incredibly complex, something that’s unmistakable in the city’s atmosphere and the sushi restaurants you visit.

This Iron Chef tour is much more than a handcrafted selection of Tokyo’s finest sushi restaurants. With Neal Fraser leading the way, you share unique moments with Tokyo’s groundbreaking sushi chefs. They show you the science behind the art, and the inspiration behind the innovation. It’s more than just tasting the difference. It’s understanding why its different, from the smell and texture of raw market fish to discovering exactly where to cut. Then when you step out of the restaurants, expert local guides help you uncover whyTokyo is so different.

Kaiseki in Kyoto: Expressions of Time and Place

Kaiseki comes from an almost forgotten era, from the time when meals were designed to be savored. It’s a celebration of raw ingredients, presented in small dishes that hidecomplexity behind a facade of simplicity. Freshness is integral. Masterful chefs calculate the perfect moments to prepare and serve each of the ingredients, redefining ideas of farm-to-table. Authenticity is woven into every bite and the experience is enhanced by the old-world landscapes of Kyoto. Japan’s ancient capital is home to 17 World Heritage Sites and you’ll discover an elegance that only the city knows, in both the food and the history.

Traditionally, Kaiseki was the food of Kyoto’s noble elite. But it is far from pretentious. It is founded on conveying respect, in making guests feel special, yet absolutely comfortable and at ease. This comes from kaiseki’s expression of time and place. Foraging for ingredients is part of the everyday, with chefs combing markets and wilderness for what should be enjoyed now. You’ll participate in this culinary hunt, coming to understand how ingredients should also match the prevailing atmosphere. You’ll also discover tea ceremonies and meet the chefs that are reshaping tradition.

There is no separation between food and setting in Kyoto. Much like the 2000 temples and shrines that dot the city, each meal has similar tenets: clarity, dignity, refinement. The multiple courses are served in a traditional tea house setting and there’s a simplicity to dining while sat on tatami mats. Every temple has its own unique atmosphere and can be experienced differently by every visitor. Kaiseki heightens the hospitality with a similar concept: every visitor is treated to something absolutely unique, with each dish fusing old-world tradition with the intimacy of today.

The Insider’s Perspective on Shanghai’s Dumplings

The history of Shanghai’s dumplings is written in folklore. From one humble 19th-century store, a culinary fanaticism quickly spread across the entire city. In the 21st century, xiaolongbao has trended across the world. Endearingly simple yet sensually complex, these soup-filled dumplings have become both a staple and a fine food in Shanghai. Cooking them requires more than simply following a recipe. There’s a secret to the steaming, a craft to both the skin and the filling. You’ll later discover how these flavors vary dramatically from Cantonese dim sum, giving Shanghai its own culinary capital status.

The Iron Chef experience is centered on the pioneering figures behind the cuisine. Neal Fraser is with you throughout the tour and there’s something wonderfully indulgent about his enthusiasm. He implores you to explore with all your senses and impresses the idea of cooking beyond the norm. The featured chefs thoughout the tour reflect the destinations, providing an insider’s perspective on both a city and its cuisine. In Shanghai you dine with triple Michelin-starred chef Paul Pairet, the iconic Frenchman behind restaurant Ultraviolet. Over the five culinary capitals you’re not merely tasting. You get to feel the passion behind the food, from a dumpling cooking class to a meal overlooking the famous Shanghai skyline.

Hong Kong’s Dim Sum: A Staple as Work of Art

Dim sum has been a Cantonese staple for over 2500 years. Yet unlike most of the world’s culinary staples, these steamed goodies have always been works of art. And much like art itself, the traditional dim sum brunch has always been evolving. Classic ideas are subtlely manipulated, fresh conceptions are always being added, and individual dishes have become icons to be replicated across the world. The Iron Chef experiences explores dim sum’s artistic journey. In Hong Kong you’ll search for the traditions behind it all, as well as discovering postmodern creations that crop up on street carts and backstreet haunts.

Of course, a master cooking class is integral to your understanding. You don’t just learn how to make har gow (shrimp dumplings), cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) or cha siu bao (a steamed bun with barbecued pork filling). You explore the core skills of the dim sum chef, allowing you to take the food back to your own kitchen. You’ll unravel the secrets of what tastes best and why, as well as discovering the Cantonese tea custom that accompanies dim sum. In Hong Kong, this is all found in elegant fine-dining restaurants and ambient local spots found on a street food crawl. Along the way, you also explore the hidden highlights of a city that only reveals its best, to those who know where to look.

Spices of Bangkok: The Bold and The Fiery

Perhaps it’s Bangkok that most celebrates the idea of a culinary journey. Take celebrity Thai chef Ian Kittichai as an example, an ebullient figure who started off pushing a food cart through the city’s alleyways. He’s now the international face of Thai fine dining, spreading his local creations through cookbooks and television shows. You’ll spend a day cooking with Ian, a Thai master class with the down-to-earth atmosphere of the local street cart. There’s an honesty to food here, one that cuts through pretension and injects raw emotion into gastronomy.

But what to cook and what to try? Bangkok is a culinary capital of choice, with dozens of distinct dishes that could be considered the single icon of Thai food. Strong contrasting flavors roll about the tongue and the great local cuisine is all about balance. It’s a city that encourages flair, one that convinces you to throw away the measuring jugs and cook on feeling and improvisation. You must also be prepared to discard the menu and trust in the creations of the chef, having faith in their unique ability to find balance.

Bangkok really compels you to experiment, something that’s easy to do on a street food crawl. Like elsewhere on the Iron Chef tour, truly exploring street food requires an insider’s perspective. It’s not just about which stalls to eat at, but which dishes to sample at each stall, and which combination of flavors best celebrates the culinary journey. Thai cuisine can be experienced in many ways and you’ll also eat at a world top 50 restaurant, completing your own culinary journey from local street cart to elegant fine dining.

Patrick Morris

Chief Experience Officer, Indochina Travel

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

NEAL FRASER

Grace, Red Bird & Vibiana Founder

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

TREE TAM

Culinary Specialist, Indochina Travel

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

Angkor

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

Song Saa

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.