Sushi Mahana

Remember from my last post where I mentioned that most Omakase experiences run you $250+ per person in the Lower Mainland?  Let's talk about one of those shall we?  Viv and I recently visited Sushi Mahana out in North Vancouver where they have been receiving quite the accolades.  Chef Hiroshi Hoshiko presents a Kyushu-style sushi Omakase that focuses on mainly whitefish and shellfish.  When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by owner Yuki Aida.  We sampled some Sake and ultimately, I went for the Sake paring with my meal.

Now about that meal...  We began with the Surinagashi which is a fish soup that features seasonal vegetables.  This was full of umaminess and a sweet fishiness.  Definitely impactful but still subtle at the same time.  From there we moved onto the Ainame (Ling Cod) with Sudachi.  Not that I would be surprised, but the fish was beautifully cut and displayed a nice sheen.  It was lightly sweet with a semi-firm, yet buttery texture.  The sudachi provided citrus to compliment while a bit of salt really elevated the nigiri.

Striking in presentation, the Tenshi No Ebi (Paradise Prawn) featured both cooked and raw components hence the contrast in colour.  I found the prawn to be super sweet while having both a soft texture (raw) and firm texture (cooked).  On top, we found some aromatic egg yolk powder.  With uni and multicoloured sesame seeds on top, the Aka Ika (Squid) was bright and fresh with natural sweetness.  We found some lime and a touch of spice giving way to the nuttiness of the sesame seeds.

We moved onto a more robust fish after the aka ika with the Aji (Horse Mackerel).  Showing off the knife skills of the chef, the aji was beautifully presented.  It was sweet and fishy (in a good way).  There was a light brush of soy which was complimented by the aromatic and sweet basil on top. Ending this portion of the menu, we were served the Gindara (Sablefish).  The warm sablefish was flaky and buttery.  Nice contrast of textures with the chewy rice and the crispy nori.  The sharpness of the onions was balanced by sweetness and saltiness.

To start our next portion of the menu, we were served the Hotate & Zuwai Gani with local vegetables.  Presented in a crispy shell (figuratively and literally), we found little bites of scallop and snow crab mixed with yuzu, sesame paste and maple syrup.  There was plenty of sweetness going around as well as acidity.  The crispy shell provided textural contrast.  On the side, we had baby corn, fig, grape and mushroom. 

Topped with the same multicoloured sesame seeds as the Ika, we had the Suzuki (Sea Bass) nigiri.  There was some chew to this with a fresh taste of the sea.  This was complimented by the nuttiness of the sesame.  With beautiful sea grapes on top, the Shima-Aji (Stripe Jack) was buttery with a snap.  It was sweet with elements of the sea.  Loved the crunch from the sea grape as well as the salty sea-tasting elements to it.

Continuing on with the whitefish, we had the Kijihata (Grouper), topped with pickled kiku flower.  With a firmer and chewier texture, the grouper was lightly sweet and had definite subtly.  The pickled flower did provide some impact to the nigiri.  The Tachiuo (Swordfish) was comparatively more impactful where the sweetness and appealing fishiness came through.  It was slightly smoky from the torching (of the skin).  This was further enhanced by the sweet tang of the ume plum and tanginess of the myoga.

From here, we transitioned into the 3rd part of the meal starting with the Tako (Octopus).  This was cooked perfectly where it was tender with a wonderful chewiness.  It was naturally sweet and was accompanied by a mountain yam puree with spice.  Then we went onto 3 types of bluefin tuna beginning with the Akami.  Being the leanest part of the fish, this was predictably more meaty.  However, by virtue of being bluefin tuna, it was still buttery soft and sweet.  Nice fishiness and just enough brush of soy.  There was some crunch from the shiso seeds too.

Heading up the spectrum of butteriness, we moved onto the Chutoro (getting closer to fatty part of the fish).  Naturally, this was more buttery and flavourful.  Remember, most of the flavour in any meat is from the fat!  With black garlic on top, there was some fermented umaminess going on.  So we then had the fattiest part of the bluefin (the belly) being the Ohtoro topped with nori and yuzu peel. This was literally melting at room temperature.  Super buttery and lots of tasty fishiness.  We got some bitter tanginess from the yuzu peel and umami from the nori.

The final dish in this 3rd portion of the menu was the Kegani (Hairy Crab) served in a covered bowl that revealed warm, fluffy and bouncy crab.  There was chewy rice to go with the ample amount of crab while all of it sat in a sweet buttery broth.  Not only did the broth flavour the crab, the rice happily soaked it up.  Loved the pops of subtle tanginess from the berries strewn around.  This was topped with a crispy zucchini blossom.

The 4th portion of the menu began with the Renkon (Lotus Root) where the beautiful green colour of the shiso leaf peaked through the thinly sliced lotus root. The lotus root had a delicate crunch that was also a bit tangy.  The herbaceousness of the shiso leaf came through after the initial tang.  Next, we had the Tekkamaki featuring a big piece of tuna inside while the whole thing was topped with uni and ikura.  With the first bite, the creamy sweetness of the uni came through while the tuna was soft and sweet.  Rice was perfectly chewy.

Colourful and vibrant, the Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) featured torched skin.  Therefore, we had immediate smokiness that gave way to a buttery texture with a slight bite.  I found the fish mildly sweet while amped by the watermelon radish with tanginess.  Next up, the Anago (Seawater Eel) was lightly brushed with sauce and then garnished with sudachi zest.  It was buttery soft and sweet due to the glaze.  Although there was zest on top, it was rather subtle.

Ending off this portion of the menu, we had the Miso Soup and a piece of Tamago.  So you might be wondering why we were having miso soup at the end of our meal...  Well, it actually helps in the digestion, so after eating sushi is a good plan.  This particular miso soup was rich with fermented flavours.  It was salty but sweet at the same time.  As for the Tamago, it was brûléed on top.  Therefore, we had a hit of smoky and sweet to go with the custardy texture of the egg.

For dessert and the final part of our Omakase experience, we had the Hojicha Ice Cream with Purple Yam Mont Blanc.  Loved the gorgeous puple colour of the yam, but also sweetness it imparted.  The creamy ice cream was nutty and sweet while the crunch from the rice crackers was welcomed.  Overall, the Omakase at Sushi Mahana is excellent with expertly-prepared bites that were respected by the chef.  Definitely worth the $250.00 and belongs in the higher-end of Omakase experiences in the Lower Mainland.

The Good:
- Passionate staff from the Owner to the chef
- Quality ingredients
- Expertly-prepared

The Bad:
- Not really anything here other than the fact you need to have that kind of money to enjoy it?

Tekkaba

It seems to me that there are places that offer Premium Omakase experiences in Vancouver more than ever.  Maybe our palates and experience has levelled up to the point where we can appreciate these meals for what they are (which is a combination of the freshest ingredients, prepared expertly and artfully).  However, these meals come at a price and usually $250+ per person.  That is not really an affordable option considering the economy as it stands.  Yet, there is one place that charges only $118.00 a person and it's located in Downtown.  Sure, Tekkaba will never be confused with Okeya Kyujiro, but at 1/3rd the price and reasonable expectations, it is truly a steal.

In fact, you can even go with the $78.00 Dinner Omakase that has just as many courses, but just with different items.  Now that is an even bigger steal.  For our Omakase, we started with the Chawanmushi with some ground pistachio & pumpkin seeds and Ichiban sauce.  This was purely just egg without other components hidden within.  As you can see, the steamed egg was not watery nor bubbly.  Hence, it was silky and smooth with some background sweetness.

For our next course, we had the Beef Tartar Salad made with AAA beef tenderloin.  On the side, there was a organic spring mix tossed with a Japanese fruit dressing (made with 12 types of fruit) and drizzled with balsamic.  As you can imagine, the dressing was naturally sweet and needed the balsamic to balance it out.  As for the beef tartar, it was buttery soft with a definite spiciness.  There was a cracker and chip to use as a vessel for the tartar.  Good crunch on both.

We had the Sweet Prawn Tempura for our next course and it came with dendashi sauce.  It came in two pieces with one being the tail (without shell, except the very tip of the tail) and the other being the head.  Since the head was fried with a tempura batter, the shell wasn't able to fully cook until it was crunchy.  Hence, I couldn't actually eat it.  Rather, I ate the antenna and the insides.  For the tail, it was buttery and sweet.  The batter was super crispy and light.

From the tempura, we moved onto Traditional Japanese-Style Clam Soup with garlic and green onion.  Although this looked pretty simple, the broth itself was both subtle and impactful at the same time.  The brininess and sweetness of the clam really came through in the broth.  It wasn't a strong flavour, but enough to create impact in our minds (if that makes sense).  The green onion added some brightness to the soup.  As for the clams, they were plump and buttery.

Onto the Sashimi course, we were presented with one piece each of the Madai, Hamachi and Bluefin.  To compliment this, we had matcha salt, ginger and real wasabi.  We were encouraged to use the matcha salt with the madai.  The bitter-saltiness really did compliment the sweetness of the firm fish.  The hamachi was aged for 7 days and it showed in terms of its rich fishiness and the buttery texture.  As for the bluefin, it was aged 5 days and it had its umistakable strong sweet fishiness.  Being the akami, the bluefin was meatier, but still buttery soft.

We had two hand rolls next consisting of Uni and Fuagra (Foie Gras).  Well, it was suffice to say that these were a treat.  Sweet and creamy the uni was lightly torched where it heightened the sweetness while still imparting a smokiness.  The warm rice was still appealingly chewy.  As for the foie gras, it was also torched and topped with some tobiko caviar.  Also fatty and buttery, this was a bit smoky and slightly sweet. As part of the same course as the hand rolls, we were also served two pieces of Atemaki.  From what I can gather, one was chopped hamachi and the other was some type of whitefish, maybe hirame?  Whatever the case, these were nice little bites.

For those keeping track, we moved onto Step 7 of our meal with three nigiri including Hirame, Kinmedai and Saba.  Topped with shiso pesto aged for 3 months, there was definite sweetness.  The hirmae had a halibut-like texture being firm.  As for the kinmedai, it was beautiful and was subtle in flavour with a clear taste of the sea.  With the saba, it came with so lemon juice and it was at its mackerel best with an appealing fishiness.  It was nicely torched on the top.

Our next course consisted of Aburi Nigiri.  The Hotate was served in a shell while doused in lemon butter.  The rice was actually served on the side with some tobiko caviar.  The trick here was to sandwich the rice in betwen the split hotate.  This was absolutely delicious with buttery soft and sweet scallop with chewy rice in the middle.  The other nigiri was more traditional with Baby Squid topped with yuzu and lemon rind.  The squid was lightly torched being smoky while the texture was crunchy and not chewy.  Nice sweetness tempered by the tanginess.

From the aburi, we had another trio of Nigiri including Bluefin with caviar, Hamachi with black truffle sauce and Shima-Aji.  The bluefin akami was still buttery and sweet even though it wasn't the toro.  It was definitely meatier and less melty.  I found the hamachi sweet and pleasantly fishy with black truffle sauce really coming through.  Lots of woodsiness and some tangy-saltiness from the olives.  Lastly, the shima-aji was fishy (in a good way) and had a slight snap before being buttery tender.

The heaviest and last course was the Caviar Truffle Uni Pasta.  Yes, put all of the most luxurious items and put it in a heavy cream pasta right?  Well, it was not just that, the execution was good!  The pasta was al dente but not hard.  There was enough heavy cream to coat each strand without drowning it.  There was just enough truffle for effect and the uni and caviar provided sweetness and umaminess. Some grated parm added even more flavour to the mix.

We ended off the Omakase with some cake and we all had something different.  For me, it was a square of Oreo Cheesecake.  Pretty standard and pleasant enough.  Maybe not very creative, but it did the job.  Next to it, we had some Yuzu Tea that was clean, refreshing (despite being hot) and helped end everything by cleaning my palate.  Overall, this premium omakase is a fabulous deal.  For what you get, the pricing is a steal.  Sure, the meal isn't perfect (but nothing ever is), but the majority of the items are prepared well and are ultimately delicious.  Really, that is all that matters right?

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Fabulous deal
- In general, it was tasty
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- I would prefer they do not pre-cut their sashimi
- Maybe a more creative dessert?

Shoku Van

As exemplified in my Okeya Kyujiro post, high-end Omakase prices in Vancity are $300+ these days.  Depending on what you value most, this could be highly worth the cost or insanity.  Well, I'm not here to argue that point.  Rather, I'm here to provide a more cost-effective option with Shoku Van.  Their Dinner Kaiseki is only $58.00 per person and I feel it was enough food for me to be fully satisfied.  This location of Shoku is located in the former Raga and directly across the street from Toys R Us.

Instead of courses, the menu lists "5 steps" and that immediately brought back memories of NKOTB.  So Step 1 (We can have lots of fun) consisted of Spring Mix with apple dressing, Chawanmushi and Tempura.  Salad was fresh and the dressing was lightly sweet with some acidity.  Tempura was excellent with a thin crispy batter.  Silky without too much excess moisture, the chawanmushi was sweet and aromatic.

Moving onto Step 2 (There's so much we can do!), we found Sashimi (Salmon, Hamachi & Madai), Nigiri (Aburi Kia, Bluefin Tuna & Jumbo Prawn), Atemaki and Miso Soup.  In general, this was a solid collection of items where the fish was fresh and had a clean, pleasant taste.  I was surprised with the addition of bluefin akami.  Sure, it is the leanest cut, but still it was buttery and sweet. Of note, the hamachi was lighter in colour, which is generally an indication it is the farmed version.  That didn't matter to me though as it still ate well.

So Step 3 (It's just you & me) was the most filling course with Hire Katsu, Garlic Butter Prawn, King Oyster Mushroom, Grilled Pork Belly, Grilled Unagi and Grilled Scallop with assorted vegetable. There was also a variety of condiments on the side to build your own lettuce wrap.  Again, this was a solid collection of food where the katsu was crispy and the scallop was buttery.  Some things could've used a more aggressive sear though.

From here we got to Step 4 (I can give you more) where we found the Ichiban Dashi Vegetarian Udon.  I found this to be pretty standard with a light broth that had the usual savoury and sweet elements with a touch of umaminess.  The noodles were not overdone while the temperature of the broth was still fairly hot.  To complete the bowl, we found inari strips,  shungiku and narutomaki.

Last but not least, we had Step 5 (Don't you know that the time has arrived?) with 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream.  I found the ice cream to be a little on the icier side, but still creamy.  This was a nice portion size to finish off a pleasant meal.  Naturally, we can't compare this to some of the more premium Omakase spots in town, but if we look at it for what it is, the Premium Kaiseki at Shoku is a good value.  Food quality is definitely more than acceptable and makes for an affordable multi-course meal.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Good food quality for the price
- About that price, it is completely reasonable
- Nice people

The Bad:
- May not meet the needs of some people wanting a more elevated experience, but really, consider the price...

Okeya Kyujiro

I've had many expensive meals in my lifetime (I'm fortunate, I realize that), but honestly, this would be the most I've ever spent for myself and Viv on one meal.  With the urging of Mijune, I booked Okeya Kyujiro for Viv's birthday dinner recently.  She raved about the food and dining theatre provided by the experience.  Now this experience would cost $325.00 each person not including beverages, tax and tip.  Turns out with all that, we got close to $1000.00 for this dinner.  So was it worth it?  I guess you are about to find out!

So, the place only seats 16 people max around the sushi bar where you can see the considerable amount of staff curate all 25+ courses of the Omakase meal.  We started off with the Clam with Dashi Jelly.  This was a subtle dish that featured buttery soft clam meat that was naturally sweet with only the slightest of brininess.  As expected, the jelly was equally subtle with its signature umaminess and sweetness.  This was an excellent intro to the meal as it whet our appetites in the lightest way possible.

Speaking of light, our next course featured a Scallop Chawanmushi with ikura and a touch of freshly-grated wasabi.  Silky, sweet and aromatic, the chawanmushi was so made with such precision that there was barely a lick of excess moisture.  Rather, it was all egg that was super airy and buttery smooth.  Once again, this was an exercise of balance rather than exhibiting strong flavours.  The scallop on top was buttery and sweet while the ikura provided pops of brininess.  That little dollop of wasabi added just the slightest bite to the dish.

From here, the meal started ramping up in terms of impact with the Sawara (Smoked Spanish Mackerel) with ponzu.  The meatiness and and smokiness of the mackerel was so apparent, yet still not out-of-balance.  I found the texture to be robust, yet delicate at the same time.  Exhibiting a touch of bright and appealing fishiness, the smokiness brought a rich savouriness.  Things were kept light with the tang from the ponzu.

Next, we were served a beautiful piece of Blue Fin Tuna (Akami) Nigiri with Japanese mustard atop brown sushi rice.  Although not the fattiest parts of the fish (Otoro & Chutoro), this was still buttery soft with the clean taste of the sea.  It was lightly brushed where it further enhanced the fish with a sweet savouriness.  Underneath, the brown rice was firm and chewy while not hard either.  It was very lightly seasoned so that the blue fin tuna remained the star of the show.  However, the small amount of Japanese mustard afford some bite.

From this we moved onto a piece of King Crab Nigiri with tomalley that brought things down a notch with more gentle flavours and texture.  Naturally, the fluffy texture of the king crab was a contrast to the chewy sushi rice and crisp nori.  The sweetness and brininess of the crab was refreshing compared to the last 2 pieces of nigiri.   This was a nicely planned break before the next course.  Umaminess and sweetness was provided by the tomalley on top which helped bring more impact to the crab.

Progressing from the last 2 nigiri offerings, we moved onto the Lobster Tempura with sudachi juice and seaweed furikake.  This was comprised of a substantial nugget from the lobster tail.  As such, it was meaty, sweet and had all of the succulent bounce texture we associate with lobster tail meat.  The tempura batter was super thin and subsequently light and crispy.  It was not greasy, yet the meatiness was a good transition to the next item.

That next item was something more rich in the Brown Mushroom Soup.  Although there didn't seem to be any cream added, the soup itself was cooked down enough to be thick and full of body.  Normally, mushroom soup can be earthy and woodsy, but this one was far beyond that with a mushroom flavour that hit us in the face.  Calling it impactful would be an understatement.  It was also seasoned just enough where it enhanced the flavours without overshadowing the main ingredient.  I also enjoyed the mushroom pulp in terms of texture.

We moved back to mackerel with Saba Bou-Sushi (Seared Mackerel Pressed Sushi).  Unlike the previous mackerel course, this one was more pure tasting.  What I mean by that is, without the smoke, we got much more the natural mackerel essence.  This brown sushi rice paired well with this as it created a consistent robust bite from first chew to the last.

If you ever questioned the luxuriousness of this meal, it would be answered partially by the next course.  It featured a Flounder Nigiri with monkfish liver, flounder fin and topped with caviar.  Due to the more firm texture of flounder, it is usually a touch chewy, but in this case, it was surprisingly tender.  This was possibly due to the thinness of the slice.  It was lightly sweet.  Adding some more taste of the sea, the ankimo was firmly buttery.  As expected, the small piece of flounder fin was more delicate.  Of course the caviar added some brininess.

Continuing on with nigiri, we had the Shima-Aji next which was buttery and sweet with more impact than the flounder.  It was slightly fatty which made it tender and required very little chewing.  Again, it was brushed with nikiri which added some more sweetness and a touch of light saltiness.  It didn't need much though as it was flavourful on its own.

I expected there to be Miso-Marinated 

Gindara (Black Cod) somewhere during this meal and I was glad to see it served here.  It was classically marinated with sake and miso while beautifully seared.  We found a piece of Japanese ginger to compliment the fish.  Buttery and flaky, the fish was perfectly prepared.  As much as black cod can be forgiving, there is still certain levels of execution and this was on point.  There was just enough seasoning to compliment the fish while the Japanese ginger provided tanginess without the usual sharpness of typical ginger.

As we were progressing through each course, we began checking off the expected luxurious ingredients and sure enough the Hokkaido Uni appeared next.  It was served seaweed jam atop brown sushi rice on a spoon as well as Gunkan with nori.  There was no doubt how fresh this uni was where it was creamy and sweet with the essence of the sea without any funkiness.  The seaweed jam atop Bafun Uni added a jolt of umaminess that was a nice contrast to the pure taste of the nigiri.

So we got some refreshing reprieve from the uni coming from the gindara, now we moved onto something heavier with the Deep-Fried Taro with ankimo cream.  Creamy without any chalkiness, the taro ate easily.  It was coated in the thinest of tempura batter that was crispy and light.  As aromatic as taro can be, the ankimo cream provided that natural sweetness that brought things down a few notches even though it was quite creamy.

On cue, we were brought right back down with the refreshing Persimmon topped with Mashed Tofu.  This was far from complex, but it was thoughtful in terms of placement in the meal progression and also how it tasted.  The floral sweetness and subtle honey flavour of the persimmon was at the forefront as the mashed tofu was mild and creamy.

So far, with all of the things we had been served, the whole ingredient was displayed for us prior.  For instance, with the Golden-Eye Snapper with lemon and seaweed salt, they paraded it around showing us how fresh and stunning the fish was.  Well, it was truly beautiful in terms of the sweetness and slightly firm texture.  It had a slight smokiness due to the searing of the skin.

Presented in a hand-carved cucumber flower, the Moro Kyu featuring moro-miso with black bean was a fermented and umami delight.  Naturally, there was plenty of deep saltiness to go around, but the cucumber helped balance that off.  There was also some sweetness to go with the savouriness with this little bite.  Best of all, the crunch from the cucumber was nice texture after several courses of soft items.

Interestingly, Viv didn't know what she was eating in the Cod Milt with ooba leaf tempura and uni sauce.  I just had to have a giggle to myself about it.  This was lightly tempura fried and appealingly crispy while the milt was creamy and sweet with just a touch of the sea.  I thought the addition of uni sauce added even more seafoody sweetness.

Now in this picture, you might figure it is just a simple Miso Soup.  Yes, it was a miso soup, but with snow crab and harry crab shell infused elements.  Hence, this was intensely sweet and briny.  Furthermore, this paired well with the usual fermented umaminess of the miso soup to create depth of flavour while at the same time being naturally sweet.

Back to the nigiri, we had the Bluefin Otoro which was super fatty and buttery.  As you can tell in the picture, this was melting as it just sat there at lukewarm temperature.  That meant this literally dissolved in our mouths on contact.  The natural sweetness and appealingly fishiness came through with brightness despite the fattiness.  Good thing there was some chewy rice underneath.

The hits kept on coming with the Freshwater Eel that was butchered in-house just before being grilled and sauced.  The result was a super fresh skewer of buttery eel.  It was subtle with natural sweetness that was further enhanced by the caramelization from the grilling.  There was just enough sauce to compliment in a sweet and savoury fashion.

The top-notch ingredients continued with the A5 Wagyu Beef from the Miyazaki prefecture smoked with cherry blossom & black salt.  This little bite was so decadent and sinful, but also thoughtful in its simple seasoning.  The fattiness of the beef was at the forefront with aromatics and meatiness.  However, the small amount of salt added just enough seasoning to compliment the smokiness.

 

As if we could top any of the previous dishes, the Ikura Don with snow crab, bluefin tuna, bonito, seaweed and freshly grated wasabi was such a treat.  Naturally, the sushi rice was perfect in texture while the luxurious items on top was literally the icing.  We had the butteriness of the bluefin while the pops of the sea from the ikura added a nice brininess.  Such simplicity and it was all about the natural flavours and sweetness.

Although we'd already had some beautifully grilled freshwater eel, we were also served some tempura-fried Anago Nigiri.  Yet another example of premium ingredients prepared expertly, the eel was buttery soft while the light and crispy batter acted as a wonderful textural contrast.  Just slightly sauced, this was all about being subtle.

On the topic of simplicity, we were served a piece of Tamago next.  As basic as this is, there are so many bad versions out there.  Well, it is by no surprise that this was prepared with care.  Hence, it was fluffy, not dense and had all of the soft and velvety textures we'd expect.  Furthermore, it was sweet and delicately seasoned.

Our final savoury item was the Seafood Ramen featuring a clean and sweet broth with the intense umaminess of the freshly-shaved bonito.  We also found gold flakes that continued the luxurious theme of the meal.  With an intricate design, the kombu fan was a little surprise sitting in the broth.  As for the noodles, they were al dente with a nice chew.

 

Onto the dessert course, we found a Phyllo Apple Pie, White Bean Paste, Vanilla Ice Cream with raspberry sauce and Crown Melon (Japanese Musk Melon).  Everything on this plate was about simplicity (used this word many times!) and subtle flavours.  The apple pie was sweet and very light while the heaviest item was the bean paste, which was also lightly sweet.  The best part was the small piece of crown melon as it was super juicy, floral and sweet.

Lastly, we ended off this epic meal with the Green Tea Ceremony, which was part of the overall dinner theatre.  I can't stress enough how memorable this meal was.  This might sound outrageous, but the quality of the ingredients, expertise in preparation and entertainment value are probably worth more than $325.00pp.  I'm sure this will go up in price (as with everything else these days), so if you feel spendy and want to celebrate something special, Okeya Kyujiro is a Michelin-Star restaurant that is legit.  

The Good:

- Quality of the ingredients

- High level of execution

- Entertaining

The Bad:

- Well, yah it is going to cost you

- Due to the need for you to eat the food in its optimal state, each course comes pretty quickly