Tokyo: Narisawa

 Warning: High levels of food snobbery ahead.  Minimal anything to do with Japan.  Feel free to skip this entry if that doesn't float your boat.

When we went out for fancy dinner in Tokyo with some friends a few months ago, we went to a place called Yamada Chikara, which turned out to be fantastic.  What I didn't mention in that entry was that Yamada Chikara was the second place we selected, after we couldn't get reservations at Creations of Narisawa.  Yamada Chikara avoids the press and tries to stay undercover, but Narisawa does not and has regularly made it close to the top on a lot of "Best in Asia" type lists. Since we were in Tokyo again and Ana's sisters were at Disney until closing that night, we said "Hang the expense!" and made reservations.

Short version: We recommend Yamada Chikara for top-tier Tokyo dining.

Slightly longer version: Narisawa has a much showier building, a large and attentive staff, and some dishes were excellent.  Presentation on some of the dishes was probably better than we've ever seen.  But fewer dishes really wowed us on taste compared to Yamada Chikara, and I had a sense that they were trying too hard to be cool and to theme the meal and not hard enough to offer uncompromising excellence in the flavors of each dish.  The staff at times seemed nervous or twitchy, which should be absolutely absent at this price point.  Of the three highest-end molecular gastronomy places we've been (the other being FiftyThree in Singapore) we'd rank Narisawa firmly in third.  It was also the most expensive by a considerable margin. We're OK with having gone once, but I'd go back to either of the others skipping all the way, and would not go back to Narisawa unless someone else was paying.

 One thing they win over Yamada Chikara at is how easy it is to find the restaurant.  They're set back from a major road, next to a Bentley dealership.  They even have a sign!

 The dining room was plenty elegant, and well-lit / well-appointed.  As engineers, we especially enjoyed some of the hidden shelves and cupboards built into the walls around the room.  I'd call this one a tie, though they have different styles. Virtually everybody there had a camera, so I didn't feel crass when snapping pictures. 

 Fried oysters were good, but not the kind of good that haunts dreams.  I might have preferred a nice raw oyster myself - felt like their batter overpowered it a bit.

The fish in this raw fish and raw radish salad is called buri, and it came from Ishikawa (where we live) but I'm pretty sure this was the best example of that particular fish we've ever had.  Excellent ingredients, simple dish, very tasty.

 This dish had some of the best presentation I've ever seen. They grilled a squid, then turned the sauce into an ash/sand looking dry particulate matter with liquid nitrogen.  They spooned it over the hot squid and it smoked dramatically as it became liquid, which I admit is thematically genius.  However, there was a lot of it, which cooled the squid quite a bit, and I'd prefer my squid warm.  The squid also didn't have a whole lot of flavor - were I in charge I would have stuffed it with something and tried to punch up the sauce's taste a bit.  10/10 for presentation, 5/10 for taste.

 This bread they fermented and then cooked over a candle at the table.  It was very tasty.  The presentation on the butter there was fun as well.

 Crab and daikon soup - simple flavors, very good, enjoyed it thoroughly.  Not particularly surprised and delighted by it, which is really what you're looking for at this level.

 Excellent langoustine, tender and delicious. Broth was not that exciting.

 Fluke and mushrooms steamed together in a bag - again with the tasty but not necessarily special.

 The beef was the best dish of the night.  It was crusted with charred leek powder but mostly the fact that it was amazing beef, perfectly prepared, made it great.

 I thought the dessert dishes were mostly pretty forgettable, though Ana ate the macaroons and raved about them.

Looking back through, there isn't a single dish that I could call bad.  It might go something like good, very good, OK, very good, good, good, good, awesome, meh, OK.  The wine selections were quite appropriate and in a few cases excellent.  If this sounds like damning with faint praise, it absolutely is.  Creations of Narisawa was, for us, merely professional.  When you're charging what they're charging, you are competing with the highest tier of restaurants around the world.  Service must be unimpeachable, and the food has to blow minds, or it isn't worth it. If you're in Tokyo looking for a world-class culinary experience, our experience suggests Creations of Narisawa is not quite playing in that league. We had fun and a lovely evening, but we'll not be going back.

/End food snobbery (you were warned - I'm looking at you Nunu)

There will be more blog entries coming soon and they won't be restaurant reviews, we promise.