Oh, how lovely! Or should I say: Sugoi! Murasaki is a tiny Japanese restaurant tucked inside Hotel Helka. There are only around ten seats, so booking a table is pretty much essential. You can do that easily on the restaurant’s website. No need for long-term planning either, as you can often get a spot for the very next day.
Murasaki feels wonderfully authentic. Just like in the pocket-sized restaurants of Japan, you sit in a row at the counter on high stools. Considering the experience, the prices are very reasonable. A teishoku-style lunch costs under €20 and includes a main dish with rice, two sides and miso soup.
On my visit, at the end of the counter sat three Japanese salarymen (suited up), joking in Japanese with the chef working behind the counter. My dining companion followed their lead and ordered the tempura for her main. I went for the sashimi set. When I asked which fish were included in the basic set (€19), the chef explained it contained only salmon – but for €28 he could offer a selection featuring salmon, whitefish, bonito, hamachi flown in from Japan and even scallop. I went for that.
The fish arrived at just the right room temperature and the dish was excellent, even luxurious. In hindsight, the all-salmon option wouldn’t have been a bad choice either, as the slices were perfectly marbled and melted in the mouth.
My companion was pleased with her tempura too, although at first she looked slightly crestfallen to find just one deep-fried jumbo prawn alongside assorted vegetables.
‘That’s one pricey prawn (€17),’ she mused. Luckily, the cooking and flavour were spot on, as were the sides (a sweet omelette and sautéed aubergine in sauce).
So where does the loss of one star come from? Small things. From a Japanese restaurant you expect aesthetic perfection too. This time it didn’t fully land. The lighting was positioned behind me so that my own shadow fell across my food (not an issue at every seat). And it took the chef a notably long time to clear away the dirty dishes of the customer next to me. Then again, there’s no waiting staff, just the chef and sometimes another cook helping out in the kitchen.
In the evenings the restaurant turns into a relaxed, izakaya-style spot, where you order several small dishes while sipping sake or beer.
A quick note on finding the place. Head in through Hotel Helka’s reception, walk down the corridor to the right and go up a short flight of stairs. The restaurant sits next to the hotel’s breakfast room.
All in all, we left thoroughly happy. Murasaki lived up to its promise. It felt like a tiny trip to Tokyo.