To most that I tell I've had the privilege of dining at Urasawa for $350/person, I've lost my damn mind. I was a bit skeptical myself when I made the reservations. What meal could possibly be worth $350 per person? I am just going to say, it was worth every single pretty penny.
This really is an experience rather than a meal so I say you must try it at least once in your lifetime. This place does not look like much from the outside..just a small doorway as an entrance to a very small room that only takes 10 diners a night by reservation only. I panicked a little when I walked in. For $350/person I expected a grand decor and maybe even live entertainment. Well, I guess you could consider watching the Chef prepare the food with perfect precision live entertainment. The meal starts off slow, a piece of this, a piece of that, but once it gets going it is a nonstop succession of tantalizing flavors and melt in your mouth textures until you want to stop and applaud the Chef for the best meal you have ever had in your life.
-Price: $350/person
-Menu: Decided by the Chef (who laughed at his own story about Janet Jackson coming into Urasawa and outrageously asking for a spider roll).
-Courses: Around a 9-course meal but who is counting?
-Presentation: Perfect, artistic, beautiful. Think 24-karat gold flakes on your tofu
-Food: Perfect temperature, freshest ingredients (rumored to be flown in fresh that day from all over the world), perfect cut (Chef is one of the few licensed to cut blowfish sashimi), rare dishes (foie gras shabu shabu, seared toro, REAL Kobe beef)
A diner asked the Chef if this was a common meal in Japan. The Chef seemed a bit insulted as he informed the diner that very few are privileged to eat that well, even in the country of origin.
If you are a true sashimi lover, this is an experience you will truly appreciate.
