Urasawa. My first time.
After a few months of talking about it, last night my boyfriend and I finally got a chance to go to Urasawa in Beverly Hills from an invite from our friend Arthur. The restaurant only seats 10 people in a bar seating arrangement so his friends and us ended up taking half the restaurant already. A very tiny restaurant, but with very big presence. Everything I expected out of this place was mostly met though I thought there would've been slightly more innovative pieces given the price point. But execution and the quality of everything from the fish to the rice the fish was served on was, without a doubt, the absolute best you could get in LA. I've never had a fresher piece of lobster, shrimp, or fattier and more deliciously melty piece of toro in my life. You can't really get any better. Anything that could be brought in live was prepared at the bar in front of us. The lobster, shrimp, abalone, scallops were all withering around and alive before they turned them into beautiful pieces of art for us to eat. Watching the master Hiroyuki Urasawa and his sous chef working the fresh fish in front of us was a spectacle in itself.
Attached are a few shots of my favorites from our 30 something odd number of courses we had though I would, as an American, hardly call one piece of sushi a "course". In any case, I was ready to burst 3/4 way through our 3.5 hour meal. Like El Bulli, it was pretty much non-stop eating; one dish after another. The pieces of sushi may have started to get redundant after awhile since there was so much but you really felt like this was something you'd get at some prestigious sushi restaurant in Tokyo. Everything beautiful and deliciously decadent at the same time. A place like Urasawa is deserving of an album of it's own. See full course at my web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/mstinawu/....
Fun fact: After being seated I noticed myself constantly rubbing the table, I commented on how soft it was and aparently the bar is made out of a 1,000 year old tree. It almost felt soft. I felt sorry for the tree, but more happy for myself.
Another fun fact: We mentioned our favorite noodle (or anything) place in Gardena, Otafuku, and we got props from the chef. Aparently, he's gone many times and it's one of his favorites. It's nice (yet sad) to know that Otafuku is probably one the best noodle place in town and that when Frank and I finally move to the Bay Area we won't get such great noodles anywhere else. Ah, well--we will come back and visit.
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SauceSupreme
Mar 20, 2008 10:55 PM
Finally went myself tonight.
OH.
MY.
GOD.I came in with fairly lofty expectations and was still blown away. We're not talking about a wow, I'm talking about a Damn, Gina! moment.
Favorites for me included the riff of a Masa classic, the shabu shabu with duck foie gras, kobe, and scallop, as well as the grilled Japanese beef nigiri. Other stars of the nigiri "lightning round" were the herring and the Japanese mackerel.
I think the whole savory portion of the meal was ended perfectly with a piece of tamago, which many believe to be the most important piece of sushi.
I also asked Hiro-san about the large pieces of carved ice on which the sashimi course was served: it takes him about 10 minutes to chisel each one by hand.
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re: J.L.
SauceSupreme
Mar 21, 2008 03:31 AM
Had a beer and a bottle of water that I nursed throughout the whole meal; I figure that with 29 courses of kaiseki action, I didn't want to fill up on anything unnecessary. My bill came out to ~$310 pre-tip.
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re: exilekiss
notmartha
Mar 22, 2008 08:49 PM
Please report on the Kyoto trip. I was asking for comparison earlier because I was contemplating on visiting Japan next year and was wondering if I should save my $ and blow out on an expensive meal there instead. But maybe I have to do both and compare. ;)
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re: notmartha
Hi notmartha,
Per your request, here's my writeup on the mind-blowing restaurants in Japan! (^_^)
(BTW, I'm going to Urasawa tonight! Woo hoo! I'll have a write-up and comparison soon.)
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re: exilekiss
Those are some fantastic reviews from your Kyoto/Tokyo trip! Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in the world. It's hard to say what I like more - the gardens, the architecture, the serene beauty, or the food - form and function meeting at the highest apex...
Have a great dinner tonight - I hope you can share your notes and compare it to your kaiseki experiences from your Japan trip...
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re: SauceSupreme
I'm glad you liked it. I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with a meal there despite the cost.
I made my reservation for my wife and I for 4/4. He said that there is a big group of 8 people showing up so I guess it looks like I won't get my favorite seat. Oh well, no big deal I guess. I'll sit anywhere.
And yes, I'll have my camera with me for the latest and greatest pictures.
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notmartha
Mar 17, 2008 08:57 PM
Thanks for reporting. Looks awsome. One of these days.
Not sure if someone can answer here, or maybe it's more appropriate at the International Forum. $400 isn't cheap. Is Urasawa simply one of the top Japanese restaurant anywhere (including Japan), or the best in US? Would think that the fish you can get while in Japan would be a lot fresher before it's flown over.
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Great review. You're right in that each piece of sushi is not a "course" but I started getting really full about 1/3 of the way. Oh don't worry...I still ate everything. I'll be headed back there again next month to celebrate getting into Business School.
I applied to UCLA (Anderson), UC Berkeley (Haas), and Penn (Wharton). I made a deal with my wife that we'd go to Urasawa if I get into Wharton. I ended up getting into all 3 so it's time to celebrate! It's an executive program so it means that I will not be leaving LA...which means means I won't be leaving Urasawa-land...
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re: rvd72
mstinawu
Mar 17, 2008 06:52 PM
Oohh.. You're Urasawa pictures are way better, I should just link to www.foodiedan.com for pictures. ~_^ Course we only shared about half the dishes. I heard the menu is switched around a bit every month or so. Sigh.. If only I could make this a once a month thing..
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re: mstinawu
I try to head out there twice a year and he does change around the menu a bit but I usually have had about 1/2 of the dishes and the sushi doesn't change that much. Sometimes he has a few special sushi pieces (if an especially rare fish was available or something).
Also, for other people wondering about the $400 price tag...yes, it's a lot and you should splurge every now and then but my wife and I don't drink much alcohol so when we go, we just go through about 3 bottles of their bottled water and the price comes out to about $350/person.
RVD.
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JeffW
Mar 16, 2008 06:30 PM
What an enjoyable read. When spousal unit was about to turn 50, we jointly decided to commemorate the milestone with a "once in a lifetime" meal at Urasawa. What was I thinking? After you've been to Urasawa, it is the equivalent of what I'm told that heroin does to you---hooked for life! So far we've been thrice, and it has never been anything less than sublime. And regarding the price point, when reading of other's experiences, it lets me re-live tastes and the other components of Hiro's special restaurant---So those dollars go a long way!
Cheers and enjoy Urasawa EVERY TIME YOU GO!
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