Restaurant Review: Shinjuku Mon Cher Ton Ton.

Kobe beef may just be the Holy Grail of beef deliciousness, but you can't buy that here, no matter what the menu at your favorite steak house says. At best you're getting some American Wagyu. If it's not from Kobe, it ain't Kobe, period, and there is a reason it's the worldwide benchmark.


I have been to Quality Meats, Kobe Club, Smith and Wollensky's, the Strip House, Peter Lugers, Angelo Maxies, Ruth's Chris, Wolfgangs, BLT Steak, BLT Prime, Dylan Prime, Craft, Craftsteak, Pastis, and I have bought Lobel's $167 American Wagyu porterhouse. Am I missing anyone?

With my credentials firmly established (to myself at least) I can now declare myself the expert of all things beef. That little detail out of the way, my next declaration as the king of beef is that the best steak experience ever is at Mon Cher Ton Ton. This teppanyaki steak house is owned by the amazing chain Seryna and is located on the 52nd floor of the Sumitomo Building in Shinjuku.


Now when I hear teppanyaki, the first thing that pops in my head is Benihana in that scene from the 40 year old virgin. Evidently though, they do things a little differently in Japan. Entering the restaurant is awesome. You are snappily whisked up an elevator to arguably the highest view I have ever had from a restaurant. The place is nice, not stuffy, but with a whiff of hotel bar to it (my companion thought it was because it's in a high rise, but I feel like it was the upholstery).

Sitting down at the teppanyaki bar I carefully chose how I would rack up a huge bill on my amex. I figured surf and turf was the way to go, so I selected prawns, the priciest beef I could find on the menu, some veggies for good measure, and cold beer, lots of it.

My prawns were first up to bat, expertly sauteed on the searing hot table top with a little soybean oil. After the guy was done cooking them, with a flick of the wrist he sliced the shrimp out of their shells, and placed the meat on my plate. It was perfect, and definitely benefited from being cooked whole, imbuing it with a flavor often lacking in American restaurants (we seem so quick to distance ourselves from our food, or at least its eyeballs).

Next he cut the head from the shells, pressed them under under a flat steel weight, and let them cook until they became crispy, wafer thin, translucent slices of shrimp heaven; somewhat reminiscent of a soft shelled crab crossed with a pork rind. Yeah, it's that good.

Next, the steak. It was marbled so perfectly it would make your butcher blush.



My chef deftly seared, sliced and served it with the casual detachment of a true professional. It was delicious. Hot and crusty outside, enough temperature to seal the outer layer, melt the fat throughout, but keep the meat from losing its flavor.


It had a self basted quality to it, like piece of sable fish (sea bass, black cod, etc). This steak displayed that remarkable quintessence typically reserved for such things as a Mont Blanc pen, or a Ferrari.

He then proceeded to saute some white rice IN THE FAT left on the teppan. At this point I was almost weeping with joy and ready to sneak the little chef home in my suitcase. The steak tasted like steak flavored butter that married a slice of bacon without the smoke. The rice was cooked in that steak flavored butter, and the beer was cold. I think there were some veggies and fungus too, but honestly, who cares.

Capped off with a Suntory Yamazaki single malt overlooking the city, it was heaven.

Verdict: You need to go there. Sadly, Mon Cher misses out on the coveted 5 Bacon Strips only because it's too far for me to go whenever I want to.

Pros: Amazing food, amazing view, cultural experience, it's in Tokyo.

Cons: It's in Tokyo, it's not cheap.

Shinjuku Mon Cher Ton Ton
4 Gastroliaison Bacon Strips