The very first restaurant we visited during our trip to Japan was a brand new restaurant callled Mokichi Kamakura. They are owned and operated by a Sake Brewery (how cool is that?), and this is their newest Mokichi location, just opened in December of 2022. My brother from another mother took us to this spot, and he told me that this building used to be an old gymnasium that they converted to a restaurant.
We didn’t have a reservation, and although they are a brand new restaurant, its popularity thanks their other locations were extended to here. They told us that they couldn’t seat us for about one hour. So, we decided to pay our respects to the Budda at the Kotoku-in. We also did some sightseeing, and visited another temple nearby before we got the call from the Mokichi Kamakura. I thought it was great that they are located at where it is so easy to kill time. We hurried back, and our table was ready! They had high ceiling with loads of windows, bringing in natural lights from all directions. They have a bar near the entrance, and we also noticed they have a pizza oven!
Since were there for lunch, we didn’t go for their alcoholic beverages, They had lots of non-alcoholic drinks to choose from, and we went with some tea. I ordered Bergamot Peach Tea (700 yen), and my hubby went with Apple Garden Tea (700 yen). The server told us to steep them for a few minutes before we taste them. The Bergamot Peach Tea is made with white peach and Earl Grey. It had a really nice fruity flavor with wonderful aroma. Apple Garden had lovely apple flavor and aroma, we really liked their tea selections. A bit on the pricy side for a cup, but it was a high quality you can taste.
For food, I wanted to order something different and/or unique. Kamakura is famous for whitebait fish, and Mokichi Kamakura offered some dishes with whitebait in it. So, I went with Whitebait Peperoncino (1,500 yen), and my hubby went with Cicenielli Pizza (1,950), and my brother from another mother went with “Today’s Pasta” (1,500 yen).
Today’s Pasta was some kind of sausage meat and vegetable spaghetti. It had loads of different types of vegetables, looked really good! We got to have a little taste, and the tomato-base sauce was delicious! The vegetables were all fresh and high quality too. I wonder if they get them directly from a local farm?
“Peperoncino” is used often in Japan when you go to a restaurant that offer pasta dishes. Here in the US, “Spaghetti Aglio e Olio” is used more often. But, let me tell you, the Peperoncino at the Mokichi Kamakura is nothing like the usual Aglio e Olio that I have seen or had. It was loaded with whitebait, tobiko, and lots of vegetables. The veggies were grilled to perfection, and with the amount of fresh veggies, it was filling too. The whitebait was great, and with the addition of tobiko, it made it extra special. I totally loved it!
From my quick research, the word Cicenielli means small fish in Italian, and that makes sense. Whitebaits are tiny little fish, so calling this Cicenielli Pizza is the perfect definition of it. The pizza had lots of beautiful tomatoes that reminded me of heirloom tomatoes, and a nice amount of garlic. The pizza was baked to perfection. The dough was great too, airy and light, doughy and tasty! The pizza was simply amazing, even better than expected!
Even though we didn’t get to have any sake or beer at Mokichi Kamakura, we found a way to have a little taste with their desserts! They had some desserts made with Sakekasu, which is a leftover paste-like ingredients you get from sake brewing. We ordered Sakekasu Cheesecake (650 yen), Sakekasu Gateau Chocolat (700 yen), and Sakekasu Ice Cream (700 yen).
They were not large pieces, but still enough to share among the three of us since were getting full after the meal. The cheesecake was dense and creamy, with the hint of sake flavor from the sakekasu. Both cakes were served with some fresh fruits and whipped cream. Gateau Chocolat was on the dry side. It really needed the cream to balance out the dry texture. Maybe adding a scoop of that ice cream o that plate would have made it even better… It did have real chocolate flavor though, great for a chocolate lover. Sakekau ice cream was really nice. It was placed atop fruits and cake pieces. Creamy and velvety, not so much sake flavor but a perfect ending to a tasty lunch.
The service was great, as you can expect from most of the restaurants in Japan. Since it was the tail end of the lunch hour, the restaurant was much quieter and relaxing. Everything we had here was very high quality and delicious. We were so happy to have dined here, thanks to my brother from another mother! LOL. If you are in the Kamakura area and want to have a delicious Italian-themed meal, give this place a try! Reservation is highly recommended due to its popularity.
Mokichi Kamakura – 4 Chome-6-12 Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan 248-0016