Ginza I Chome is a name derived from the oldest town in Japan; it’s also an authentic Japanese restaurant that has no culinary equal in Jeddah.

It is located on the second floor of the five-star hotel Rosewood Corniche, which sits in the fashionable northern corner of Jeddah. Most of the tables share a breath-taking view of the Red Sea Corniche.

The restaurant has an authentic and elegant Japanese setting, with a long bar spanning the length of the restaurant placed at the center. It also has long bamboo chairs on round tables for more privacy. The restaurant also has an open kitchen concept where diners can see their food being prepared right in front of their own eyes. Ginza I Chome seats 50 people in the main restaurant and has a private dining room that seats another eight.

The Omakase experience is available as a six or eight course menu.

Omakase means “as per the Chef”, and it is a multi-course meal that utilizes the day’s finest ingredients to showcase the chef’s ability. The Omakase might change from one day to another depending on the chef and the ingredients that are available. One of the few advantages of choosing the Omakase meal is that you get a much better value for the food.  

At Ginza I Chome, the chef asks costumers at the bar what they like and what they are looking for, while pressing buttons from under the table without the diners’ knowledge, prompting delivery of their food without their even noticing that they have asked for it.

Omakase is a must-try experience for people who love food as well as for beginners. For diners feeling a little less adventurous, an à la carte menu with daily chef's specials is also available, offering a diverse selection of dishes to the delight of frequent customers and first-time hotel guests alike.

The menu offers tantalizing variety of sushi prepared by Chef Rifai who is a Gold medalist for the Best Sushi in Saudi Arabia in 2011 Horeca contest in Riyadh. The sushi menu presents a selection of clean-cut sashimi that allows one to actually discern the freshness and cleanness of the cut. My personal favorite was the salmon and tuna sashimi.

The restaurant offers different combinations of special maki rolls; the Dragon roll, for instance, has shrimp tempura, avocado and smoked eel. The Spider roll has soft shell crab with avocado, cucumber and tobiko, while the Sun Kissed roll is highly recommended for those who like it spicy as it contains spicy tuna with fresh salmon and sliced avocado on top.  

The Japanese restaurant also offers six kinds of sushi especially made for vegetarians.

For the main dish, we had a selection of teppanyaki beef, chicken, shrimps and salmon that were covered with glazy teriyaki sauce. The freshness of the meat and fish makes the mouth water and the tummy ask for more, and it is served with steamed white rice and a side of teppanyaki vegetables.

Tuesdays are Ladies’ Night at Ginza I Chome. The restaurant offers a free welcome drink for women and a complementary dessert before they leave. They also offer a special deal where they take 25 percent off the bill. “There is a fashion and beauty edge to this evening as we also invite specialists that talk about perfumes, make-up, fashion, and they even give exclusive make-up lessons for women,” said Mohamed Karara, director of sales and marketing for Rosewood Corniche.

“Our main objective at Rosewood Corniche is to make our guests feel comfortable, and the Ladies’ Night is a perfect opportunity for us to pamper our female guests and make them feel at home. They can expect to see brands such as L’Occitane, Chanel and the beauty retailer Faces taking part so we can truly combine beauty, food and friends in one spot — the ideal night with the girls,” said Hans-Peter Leitzke, Managing Director for Rosewood Corniche.

Open for late lunches and dinners, Sunday to Friday from 4:30 p.m.-12 midnight.

Expect to pay: SR 200- 250 per person.