Urasawa

[FoodZealot]

At least on CH, this guy uses the name perceptor.

I went last week. Exquisite.

[Ore]

Ciao,

The photos, at time a bit blurry - are amazing. Is Victor on eG??? I can't wait to go to Urasawa...Should I reserve a table now (for June)???

[jschyun]

Yeah, those are perceptor's photos. No he's not on eG to my knowledge.

You can reserve now, but actually, still pretty easy to get a reservation. Email me when you want to do it.

[FoodZealot]

I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts about Urasawa, but here are some photos for your contemplation...

Fresh wasabi and yuzu

The ingredients for the day

Sea cucumber with dressing and yuzu zest

Chawanmushi with uni, fresh ikura and caviar.

Green beans with sesame dressing

Preparing toro

Sashimi presentation: uni, tai snapper(?) and toro

Forgive my description, but sort of a set porridge with aspic-like sauce.

Cod misoyaki

Shabushabu of foie gras, kobe beef and scallop

I'll spare you the entire nigiri parade, but some standouts for me: grilled shiitake made into nigiri, and tiny shrimp.

Incredible anago and his very unusual, very delicious tamago.

[umetaro]

<a href="http://frick.shutupyousuck.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=3">My photos</a> are a lot crappier, but my camera was uh... a lot smaller? No wait, I blame the sake.

I think this is the only one that came out well.

<img src="http://frick.shutupyousuck.com/gallery/albums/uploads/urasawa/CIMG2092.jpg" />

[Ore]

FZ - great photos!! I honestly can't wait. In the back of my mind, this may be a deciding factor on how much longer I stay here in Italy!!

[FoodZealot]

Ore, I guess it's a "grass is always greener" situation, because I'm trying to figure out how to get to Italy... [grin]

Okay, so I've had a week or two to think about our dinner at Urasawa. Please keep in mind that it's only one visit, and probably the only visit that I'll be making for a while. I guess most important is that it was a great experience and I enjoyed it very much. I had several things that I've never had before, many of which are hard to get in the US. Hiro-san is very friendly and answered all of our questions.

To me, Urasawa is the result of one man's ideas about what is beautiful, and what tastes good. Of course, he has the traditions of his masters and the cuisine to guide him, but he's still doing things his way, within that framework. He personally makes the salt, the shoyu, the gari, etc. And so all these building blocks each have a bit of personality and they work together to make things just a little different, and a little bit better.

The harder question at this point is was it worth the money. I know there's the thread about Masa and if sushi could ever possibly be worth all that money. I look at it this way - many hands are employed in scouring the oceans of the world, and flying these delicate ingredients to one place, within hours or days, with special handling to keep them alive or otherwise perfect, so they can be prepared for you by a very talented man. I think about how much that would cost, then add on a premium because it's in Beverly Hills. Another compelling aspect for me is the opportunity to interact with the chef.

In my humble opinion, I'd have to say that it was well worth it, and I'd go back again whenever I have the chance, especially if it was at a different time of the year, with different seafood in season.

[milla]

Ore, I guess it's a "grass is always greener" situation, because I'm trying to figure out how to get to Italy... [grin]

Okay, so I've had a week or two to think about our dinner at Urasawa.  Please keep in mind that it's only one visit, and probably the only visit that I'll be making for a while.  I guess most important is that it was a great experience and I enjoyed it very much. I had several things that I've never had before, many of which are hard to get in the US. Hiro-san is very friendly and answered all of our questions.

To me, Urasawa is the result of one man's ideas about what is beautiful, and what tastes good. Of course, he has the traditions of his masters and the cuisine to guide him, but he's still doing things his way, within that framework.  He personally makes the salt, the shoyu, the gari, etc. And so all these building blocks each have a bit of personality and they work together to make things just a little different, and a little bit better.

The harder question at this point is was it worth the money. I know there's the thread about Masa and if sushi could ever possibly be worth all that money.  I look at it this way - many hands are employed in scouring the oceans of the world, and flying these delicate ingredients to one place, within hours or days, with special handling to keep them alive or otherwise perfect, so they can be prepared for you by a very talented man.  I think about how much that would cost, then add on a premium because it's in Beverly Hills.  Another compelling aspect for me is the opportunity to interact with the chef.

In my humble opinion, I'd have to say that it was well worth it, and I'd go back again whenever I have the chance, especially if it was at a different time of the year, with different seafood in season.

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This is all very thoughtful and well said. I agree on your opinion. Thanks for sharing.

[tanabutler]

FZ, my compliments on your lovely photography and report. Very very good work: an inspiration to me.

[FoodZealot]

Thanks everyone, for the kind words. jschyun, umetaro - what are your thoughts about it?

[jeffj]

Had an absolutely phenomenal dinner at Urasawa last week. It was a true pleasure and honor to experience the incredible skills of Hiro Urasawa. I’m far from an expert in Japanese cuisine but even I could recognize the incredible freshness and quality of the ingredients used in each dish. Simple things such as the ikura and fresh wasabi were revelatory. If you can afford it, I highly recommend you visit as soon as possible before it becomes too hard to get into.

Here are the pictures:

The counter before service begins

All the amazingly fresh ingredients are ready for service.

Preparing the chawanmushi

Chawanmushi with ikura, uni, and shira ebi

Getting ready for the sashimi

Sashimi: toro, Spanish mackerel, and snapper with fresh wasabi

Steamed halibut with shrimp and cherry blossom leaf

Hoba Yaki with toro, oysters, and scallop

Deep fried fish spine

Cutting the foie gras

Opening the scallop

Preparing the shabu shabu

Shabu shabu broth

Kobe beef, scallop, and foie gras shabu shabu

Nigiri Section

Starts with toro (not shown)

Maguro

Shima aji

Cooked toro

Uni

Spanish mackerel

Japanese Herring

Clam

Red Clam

Squid

Tiny shrimp

Snapper

Kuruma shrimp

Shrimp from Santa Barbara

Preparing the shrimp

Ready to eat...can't get any fresher

Needle fish

Shiitake mushroom

Anago

Abalone

Kyoto radish

Ikura

Toro roll

Kobe beef

Tamago

Green tea mochi

Papaya

Preparing green tea

Green tea

Edited April 8, 2005 by jeffj (log)

[alexhills]

Gorgeous pictures as ever. I especially like the one of the tea... What was the fish spine like? Fried so hot that the bones become crunchy I suppose. Sounds interesting. The whole meal does seem pretty much unbelievable, even something like a shitake mushroom looks totally different to those I'm used to eating.

[jeffj]

Gorgeous pictures as ever. I especially like the one of the tea... What was the fish spine like? Fried so hot that the bones become crunchy I suppose.

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Actually, the spine itself was not intended to be eaten...much too thick (it must have come from a large fish). You just kinda gnawed on it until you'd eaten the meat that surrounded the spine. By the way, this was to be eaten using your fingers (and not chopsticks). It was very tasty.

[jschyun]

He's already getting busy. Good for him, but bad for us. Great pics, as always.

The tamago is unlike any other tamago you'll find in your usual sushi joint. It's like sponge cake. He puts mountain potato, I think brined shrimp, and a host of other things into it. Takes several hours to make, IIRC.

[FoodZealot]

Great pictures, jeffj! Thanks for posting them.

[MakeLifeFun]

Just made reservations for my wife and I to visit Urasawa on Tuesday. We're definately looking forward to it!

One question, does the $250 per person cost include a built in tip (ie, no extra payment expected), or is an additional tip arrogantly added on (French Laundry style), or is it just classic tipping at diner's discretion?

Thanks to all the reports (and photos) from posters to this thread, especially jeffj and jschyun. We wouldn't know about Urasawa without you!

[umetaro]

Just made reservations for my wife and I to visit Urasawa on Tuesday. We're definately looking forward to it!

One question, does the $250 per person cost include a built in tip (ie, no extra payment expected), or is an additional tip arrogantly added on  (French Laundry style), or is it just classic tipping at diner's discretion?

Thanks to all the reports (and photos) from posters to this thread, especially jeffj and jschyun. We wouldn't know about Urasawa without you!

←

The $250 does not include tip. The tip is left to the diner's discretion.

[davebr]

I just made a reservation for a September visit, myself and 9 good friends. Im also visiting LA in a couple of weeks. Should I let it be a surprise for all of us at the same time or should I go by myself in a couple of weeks also?

[FoodZealot]

I can see how it would be fun to experience it fresh as an entire group, but personally I'd go twice - more is more. While the template of the meal will be similar, several of the ingredients will probably vary. Plus you'll get to look like a baller when he remembers you in front of your friends.

[davebr]

- more is more.  Plus you'll get to look like a baller when he remembers you in front of your friends.

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Great point, I'll call tommorow and be there this week, If they still have room for me.

[Hiroyuki]

Great thread, great photos.

I had often wondered what kind of rice Urasawa used for his shari (vinegard rice), and I recently found an answer. Koshihikari.

Sushi courses, made with koshihikari rice:

from here:

http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/features/urasawa_menu.html

Have any of you discussed rice in general with Urasawa and/or the rice that he uses for his shari?

[jschyun]

Yes this is the only kind of rice he uses. He said it was the best. He's very free with information like this, even to rude nosy Americans like me.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Shame on me for not writing this up sooner. My birthday present to myself this year was a trip to Los Angeles to see old friends and to finally dine at the mythic Urasawa. There was as much anticipation in approaching this meal as there was in going to the French Laundry for the first time; so much has been written about it and its masterful chef, that one can almost anticipate disappointment. I mean, how special and remarkable can ultra-expensive hunks of raw fish be after all? Suffice to say, that nary a meal in my past can surpass what I experienced at the hands of Hiro Urasawa. Yep, its true. It is the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life, bar none. No mis-steps, every taste a revelation, every offering better than the last.

Old food-chat-board buddy, Jschyun, was my dining companion for the evening and this was her -- what? -- fifth or sixth visit (if you can believe that!). It was funny to watch Hiro recognize her upon our entrance. She insisted on doing the camera duty for the evening so that I could just relax and enjoy what was to come. The only regret is that I did not bother taking notes and when the onslaught of nigiri commenced, upon reviewing the photographs after the fact, all cannot be remembered specifically. I have to laugh a bit about that, though. In perusing other blogs to try and match some others' recent pictures with what we ate, I learned that we easily had five or six MORE nigiri than what others have been served on similar dates. Jschyun and I are chalking that up to her presence; it seems she used to even eat a lot more than what we had that evening. I left stuffed so how her tiny little self is able to consume even more boggles my mind.

1. We started with a small crystal bowl of Junsai, a bit of fresh seaweed, a bit of fish (I thought shrimp, but Jschyun doesn't think so), all topped with a bit of gold leaf. Elegant, refreshing and a wonderful start.

2. Next was a gorgeous, delicious offering of o-toro, topped with a bit of grated radish, a bit of green, more gold leaf and all perfectly displayed in a rustic, handmade dish with an exquisite broth.

3. An incredibly simple offering came next, a single slice of Japanese eggplant with dipping sauce. Clean and fresh.

4. Goma Tofu - A stunning little dumpling made of sesame tofu stuffed with fresh uni and some red snapper. A little more gold leaf and a delicate broth.

5. The sashimi offering - on Hiro's famous hand-carved pillar of ice (which frosted, actually LOOKS liek paper!). Seaweeds, Spanish o-toro, red snapper, and uni. The wasabi was fresh and very sweet.

6. Chawan-Mushi - Hiro's sous chef, brother-in-law, Kim, instructed us to lightly mix the bit of wasabi hiding under the gold leaf. When he saw me scooping down the bottom to blend, he reached over with his chopsticks to show me that only the top gelée and wasabi were to be blended together. Within the custard were a bit of grated mountain potato and sweet shrimp. Elegant and enticing.

7. Tempura with uni, red snapper, a bit of greens. I can never not like a fried dish and tempura is a favorite. I could have eaten a number of these...

8. Seared fatty tuna - The stone placed in front of us was the cooking stone and while Jschyun was shooting pics, Hiro looked playfully annoyed as he reached over to cook her food while Kim cooked mine. So flavorful and rich it could have been mistaken for seared quality beef.

9. Shabu-Shabu - We had been watching Kim thinly slice foie gras and I had no idea that it was going to be cooked in a soup! The foie is added first to give the broth a level of depth and richness with the melting fat. Then the sweet shrimp (which we had been laughing at their movement during Kim's dessication) and a bit of Wagyu beef. Again, Hiro was scolding Jschyun as he is obviously anxious that the foods being prepared are eaten within minutes and she was delaying. I was fascinated that the chef was so conscientious about the timing of the courses and their consumption!

10. Being served some of the chef's homemade pickled ginger, the onslaught of nigiri was about to begin! First up was o-toro. Ohmygod. I apologize there are not specific notes on all of the nigiri. They were each remarkable and a great deal of the joy was the relaxed enjoyment while not analyzing and note-taking.

11. Seared Wagyu nigiri.

12. Aji nigiri.

13. Tai Red Snapper nigiri. If you look closely at the picture, you will see a fine dusting of yuzu on top. Much of the ritual of the evening involved Hiro slicing the fish for the nigiri while Kim watched intently, grating fresh yuzu in a small hand grater. Just as the pieces were ready, Kim would hand the grater to Hiro who, after topping the pieces with a light marinade of yuzu sauce and a light soy, would grasp a chasen (green tea whisk) to brush the grated yuzu onto the pieces. It was a ballet of culinary proportions.

14. Sawara Mackeral nigiri.

15. Shiitake nigiri.

16. Maguro nigiri.

17. Skipjack nigiri.

18. Red Snapper nigiri

19. Squid nigiri.

20. Ebi (Sweet Shrimp) nigiri. A beautiful presentation where Kim is scooping out the shrimp brains and pulverizing the offal into a "sauce" which is smeared on the raw shrimp. Stunning.

21. Kohada (Spanish Mackeral) nigiri.

22. Abalone nigiri. I enjoyed watching Kim prepare this. Only the "heart" of the abalone is used -- the rest discarded. And is very carefully scored so that when eaten raw, is completely tender.

23. Spanish Mackeral Tataki nigiri.

24. Scallop nigiri.

25. Migugai (Giant Clam) nigiri.

26. Anago (Sea Eel) nigiri.

27. Tamago - Egg custard.

28. Grapefruit Kanten - A sweet bite with bits of grapefruit and wolfberries, garnished with a touch of 24k gold.

29. Wagyu nigiri -- Okay, we couldn't resist and I asked for one more serving as I had never tasted a beef so tender. Served completely raw, it absolutely melted in the mouth.

30. Sesame ice cream with green tea - Hiro whips the tea himself and the ice cream also has a touch of gold. Such a beautiful finish to an amazing evening.

31. Barley tea. A way to clean the palate and relax while paying the bill. Yes, this meal was $500 a person (I alone drank sake). In retrospect, it was the most well-deserved and easily spent $500 I have ever spent. Worth every single penny.

Pics on the blog.

[tupac17616]

Here I was thinking (and hoping) Urasawa was a bit cheaper than Masa. Alas, it looks like a little financial sacrifice is in order for me. I absolutely have to try this place.

[mbernstein]

I'll be in LA next week and I am getting really tempted to go to Urasawa. I'm not so fanatic (although I like it) about Japanese food, but this seems to be the ultimate experience in this type of food. My only doubts are:

- I decided that in this trip to LA I would definitely eat original (Japanese) Wagyu. I was planning to go to Wolfgang Puck's CUT which clearly has it. At the CUT the portion is around 6-8oz. Is there Wagyu in every meal at Urasawa or just some days? How much in terms of weight of it comes (approximately, of course)?

- would a Japanese costumer consider this restaurant traditional, fusion, western influenced?

- is necessary to book in advance?

Out of curiosity, how does this rank in comparison to top notch Japanese restaurants in Japan (I know the debate about Michelin Stars, but I am curious as this is a two star and in Japan they gave three stars to dozens of restaurants)?

Thanks for the help.

Marcos

PS: BTW, Carolyn, I haven't managed to get to the photos on your blog (very nice one, btw).