Bizen Kaiseki Seasonal Cuisine of the Japanese Tea Ceremony

One of the worst Japanese restaurants I’ve ever eaten in! And it was expensive too!
Tables sticky, icky as were the tattered menus. I was given a broken chopstick someone had already used. The bathroom was less than clean; never a good sign. No soy sauce dish to put chopsticks on except for the sticky table. We had multiple offers to get fresh hot towels after we already used them, but no one appeared to refill my water glass when it was empty.
The food was prepared as if the kitchen staff were half asleep or otherwise considerably impaired. Slimy lettuce in my salad. I had the yellowfin tuna that was char broiled to a consistency that was so dry, making it difficult to chew and swallow. Big chunks of carrots and broccoli that were ill prepared for eating with chopsticks and tasted like they came from the winners of the TV show «Worst Cooks!» An unrecognizable vegetable that appeared to be a turnip sans the flavor! Brown rice that was obviously a leftover from sushi rolls. Yech, yech, yech!
We sat at a table next to the bar and were also treated to the aroma of overheated and smoking cooking oil and the food being prepared there smelled nasty too!
The only positive thing about this restaurant was that the waitresses are young and attractive.
If you want a reasonable and tasty Japanese meal, I’d recommend going elsewhere. I wish we’d have gone home and had scrambled eggs for dinner instead!

Best sushi outside of Japan. The ambience and service are always delightful as well. The Bizen pottery the food is served on is lovely, I was told the owner/​chef makes it; multi-​talented!

Used to eat there a lot. But last time when I ate there, found the portion was much smaller than before. Don’t know if I will go there again.

Just went there with my girlfriend tonight. One of the worst Japanese food I’ve ever had. Soba tasted soggy and melted in your mouth like ice cream… maki rice is loose and watery… fish is not too bad but definitely not even average… the scary part is the chef touched a very dirty machine from cabinet without his glove on and back to his station making sashimi without washing his hands… so glad that happened after we had all orders served. The only good is tempura with stir fried vegetables. Definitely not a second visit for us.

Very unusual restaurant. The sea bass was awesome.

Great authentic Japanese. Kaseki rooms make small group dining super fun.

The prices are extraordinary, but the food is delicious. Withe the exception of the head waitress, the service is horrendous. That said, I can’t stay away.

Having lived in Japan and eaten at Kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, I can attest to the excellent quality of the food served in Bizen’s Kaiseki. As a vegetarian, it is often difficult to find gourmet exciting food in restaurants. However, if you call a few days ahead and make a reservation for the Kaiseki part of the restaurant (Bizen is divided into the regular dining section and the Kaiseki section), you can get an absolutely fantastic set course vegetarian meal. The food probably is unlike anything you have ever experienced and is truly delicious. It is a lovely experience– you get to sit in your own private tatami room with sliding shoji screens that surround you and a small koi pond nearby. The food is presented in a gorgeous manner and is served by a waitress wearing a yukata.
The non-​vegetarian set course meal is also fantastic according to my dining companions.
It is expensive by most people’s standards– $ 40 – 60 for an eight course meal (which changes seasonally). But, in Japan I paid $ 100 – 140 for the same type of meal when I went out with my colleagues for work parties… So, really, it’s not too bad in comparison.