Narisawa

One of the best dining experiences we had in our lives! So happy to have had a chance to get reservations for lunch at Narisawa. All the dishes were so artistic, stayed closely to his theme of getting the best from the earth and absolutely delicious. The service was amazing and it was also great to meet Chef Narisawa at the end of our meal. Would love to go back again to try another seasonal menu.

I had a fantastic time at Narisawa.
We had booked 2months ahead and eagerly awaited our turn to try Chef Narisawa’s cuisine.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up being the only member of our group to arrive on time. As embarrassing as it was, the staff were very accommodating and provided me with some beverages while I settled in to wait.
When our entire group finally arrived, we were promptly allowed to start our meal.
Overall it was a wonderful experience. The food, interior and service was excellent. There was a focus on sourcing local ingredients which was a common thread through the the meal. We also ordered a wine pairing where we were not only served imported and local wines, but also a few glasses of nihonshu, which were very nicely paired with the dishes.
Obviously, the only downside was that with the pairing, the bill was a little high. But definitely worth it.
A brief overview of the dishes follow below.
1. Essence of the forest and forest bread.
The essence of the forest was arranges on a wooden board with «soil» and «moss» covered with micro greens. The entire dish tastes just like the forest and transports you to a crisp hike in the mountains.
The bread had pine nuts and sweet citron peel which went very well with their olive/​green tea coated butter which was arranged to look like a mossy stone!
2. Yamaguchi Aji tartare with tofu skin (yuba)
This was our first bite of what was to come. The crisp crunch of the yuba chip was a pleasant counterpart to the cool Aji tartare. A sprinkling of scallions tied everything together in a fragrant bite.
3. Hokkaido sweet shrimp, Iwate sea urchin and Akita junsai.
Junsai is a gelatinous plant that grows in ponds in Japan. The leaf buds are surrounded by a clear cocoon of jelly which offers a very interesting texture. Paired with the sweetness of the shrimp, the bright briny taste of the uni and a light aromatic broth, this was a fun dish to eat.
4. Hamaguri clams from Mie with Aichi tomatoes.
Simple flavors that pair wonderfully off one another. The taste of the ocean with a few drops of olive oil, a sprinkling of chives and a simple acidic accent was all this dish needs.
5. Shizuoka Akaza-​ebi (langoustines)
Possibly my favorite dish of the entire meal. A perfectly cooked, succulent langoustine nestled under a canopy of bright, colorful vegetables. The different cutting techniques produced a variety of textures and the sweetness of the langoustine was just perfect.
6. Kagoshima squid and Gifu mixed rice.
A perfectly scored and grilled piece of squid served with mixed grains. Normally, these grains are mixed together and cooked, but they were prepared separately as «risotto» here.
7. Kyoto eggplant «Gion Matsuri»
Possibly the most beautiful dish of the night, tender roasted eggplants with edible flowers covered in a clear tomato gelèe sheet. The concept was the Gion festival in Kyoto.
8. China suckling pig.
Sweet, tender and delicious. Served with a haeavilt caramelized onion sauce and a charred onion.
9. Aichi pike conger, Tokyo udo (a type of vegetable)
Battered and fried to a crisp with a savory sauce. Fried is always delicious!
10. Shimane beef
Roasted and covered in charcoal to look like a charcoal briquette. Very juicy and melt in your mouth — as expected of Japanese beef. Served with simply prepared white asparagus.
11. Aichi Grapefruit cold soup.
Salty, sweet and refreshing.
12. Kagoshima raw cane sugar, Fukuoka matcha.
13. Nice petit dessert to end the meal. The play of the taste of dark cane sugar worked well with the slight bitterness of the matcha.
Last was an assortment of beautiful desserts…
And a birthday surprise!

An amazing adventure into the culinary experiences of Chef Narizawa. Yes, cost is $ 250 per person but since there is no tipping in Japan felt like l got a 20% discount. The set menu can be changed but why would you want to? Thats like going to someone’s house and asking for them to cook something else! This is a 2 star Michelin restaurant! The presentation was well thought out and created discussion at the table. The wait staff was attentive and knew their spiel. Some of the accents were difficult to understand but they were patient with our questions.
The food was simply put, out of this world. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I have posted pictures!

Yes, believe the hype! Our experience at Narisawa was perfect being that it was at the tail end of our trip after traveling through multiple cities in Japan and leaving the countryside of Gifu. First off, the location was discreet and unassuming. We were a little worried initially that we were running a bit behind schedule since being on time in Japan means 10 minutes early and Aoyama was a few train rides from where we were staying in Ueno. Thank goodness we had a friend who was a Tokyo native and could navigate her way through Tokyo with her eyes closed. She dropped my boyfriend and I off at what looked like a corporate building. However, once we walked through the door, the impeccable service began as we were escorted to our table for our lunch reservation.
My boyfriend was initially worried that he was underdressed but for lunch it turned out to be fine. I ordered the wine-​pairing as an early birthday celebration but be forewarned. Towards the end of our experience, I felt rather tipsy and tried to stay composed having to use the restroom multiple times and leave room for their dessert. The food was phenomenal, what I expected from #8 in the world and I was SO excited that we got to meet Chef Narisaw afterwards and even take a picture with him (soon to be posted).
The experience was breathtaking and delicious. Being that my last gastronomical experience similar to this was in Lima, I especially enjoyed our courses since it was very Japanese to me, tied to nature, the land, and we appreciated it more having just been in the countryside where everything that we practically ate was local and organic. Chef Narisawa captured the same thing except the presentation of each dish was a piece of art (highly noted by my boyfriend who is also a visual artist and had never eaten at such a high caliber and well-​known restaurant like this before) and we really enjoyed tasting the flavors and choices from different parts of Japan. It was like a summary of our trip and it was amazing! We especially liked the bread which rose while we waited, the wagyu beef, the appetizer that resembled the forest and the uni, amongst everything else that we ate.
I highly recommend this restaurant for traveling foodies and those who can appreciate a well-​done gastronomical experience. This memory is definitely going down in the books.

This is supposed to be the #2 restaurant in Asia and a 2 Star-​Michelin.
The restaurant is amazing, the service is perfect and the wine paring was fantastic. Unfortunately we didn’t enjoy the food as much as we expected.
Sure, you’ll eat fantastic things like carbonized snake soup or turtle legs meatballs or drink the water of the tree but, at the end, especially for the price paid ($ 250/person+drinks+tax+tip) I don’t think is worth it.
If you want to try something alternative this is for sure the right place but if you just hope for amazing food… I’d go somewhere else.

We wanted to reserve one really nice restaurant during our trip to Tokyo, and I am so glad we selected Narisawa. We were still reminiscing our meal here days after we came for lunch. This place definitely makes my top 5 restaurants list. The food, the service, and the attention to detail were impeccable.
Reviews on Trip Advisor mentioned that reservations may be difficult to come by, but this wasn’t an issue at all. We asked our hotel to book us for lunch about a month in advance. The restaurant only offers 2 seatings (one for lunch and another for dinner). This is to ensure that guests don’t feel rushed during their meal.
Narisawa can be difficult to find as there isn’t a big sign anywhere. We came through the back and actually ran into Chef Narisawa, who kindly pointed us in the right direction. Once we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the staff, who took our jackets and walked us into the main dining room. The inside of the restaurant is quite small with just several tables, but the space and décor are elegant and refined.
Only one menu option is available — the tasting menu — that consists of individual courses reflecting seasonal changes. The cost is 20,000 yen, which is a steal for the dining experience, but luckily for us, the strong dollar worked in our favor. Here is what we ate:
1. Bread of the Forest — Dough was prepared in front of us and was left to rise. Once this process was completed (we ate the next 3 courses in the interim), the dough was baked in a bowl. In addition, we were later served another type of freshly baked bread that came along with butter formed to look like a moss covered rock.
2. Essence of the Forest and Satoyama Scenery — This dish was beautifully presented and underscored natural, forest-​like themes. It was also served with a special water in a «tree trunk» vessel. I loved the use of matcha and sesame powder to create the «soil.»
3. Horse Mackerel — Fresh mackerel served atop crispy tofu skin (yuba). It reminded me of a more refined version of an ahi tuna chip.
4. Soft Shelled Turtle — This bite-​sized dish was fried and perfectly seasoned. The turtle itself was very tender and presented the perfect intermission between the prior seafood course and the following soup course.
5. Sea Snake — The broth was prepared with dried sea snake, which surprisingly gave the soup base a unique flavor profile and richness that I had never experienced before. The waiter even brought out the sea snake so we could see what it looked like.
6. Botan Shrimp/​Sea Bream — This seafood course was one of my favorites. Sea bream, shrimp, and sea urchin all make an appearance in this dish.
7. Clam — My favorite plate of the entire meal! It was amazing beyond words.
8. Japanese Spiny Lobster — The lobster was fresh and perfectly prepared. It was served with fresh vegetables.
9. Eggplant — Garnished with flowers, this eggplant was too pretty to eat but once we finally took a bite, it left a lasting impression.
10. Milk Baby Pork — One of my favorites. Baby pork, get in my belly! It was tender, well-​seasoned, and left me wanting more.
11. Conger Pike — Another standout dish that was served alongside peach fruit pieces.
12. Duck/​Kobe Beef — This was the only entrée of the entire meal which we were allowed to swap out. The other choices were Kobe beef and pigeon. The duck was cooked medium and was extremely tender. I loved the crispy skin as well as the sauce that accompanied the meat. This dish was served with a side of quinoa. The Kobe beef was equally delicious. It was presented to look like coal through the use of black powder completely covering the steak. Black on the outside and pink in the center, the Kobe beef came with a sliver of onion.
13. Pickled Ume — Ume is a fruit that the waiter likened to a sour plum. This was a great segway to dessert, acting as a palate cleanser. Simple and complex, all in one.
14. Bellini — The dish was an interesting take on the traditional bellini drink. A bowl containing peach fruit and tapioca was presented to us in a clear, large bowl. Next, the waiter brought over a bottle of champagne that he poured into the bowl to complete the delicious dessert.
15. Dessert Cart — Imagine an eclectic array of different sweets and treats like piña colada macarons and coconut mochi. Dream. Come. True.
The service was flawless throughout our entire lunch. All the waiters and waitresses spoke English and explained each dish in detail. They were well-​versed with the menu. I must have asked a staff member a very difficult question that left him stumped, so he went back to the kitchen and returned with the answer.
Overall, it was a once in a lifetime meal I will never forget. There is a reason this restaurant constantly appears in the Top 50 Restaurant List. I would HIGHLY recommend Narisawa.

Narisawa. Here are the accolades of the restaurant:
1) 2 Michelin Stars in 2015.
2) #8 on The San Pellegrino’s 2015 World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
3) #14 on The San Pellegrino’s 2014 World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
4) #2 on The San Pellegrino’s 2014 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
5) #2 on The San Pellegrino’s 2014 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Now, the shokuhin. The tasting menu consisted of 13 – 14 courses including the amuse bouches. Everything was wonderful and there wasn’t a dish I did not enjoy. The best thing was I didn’t feel overwhelmed and extremely full after the meal. It was the right portion and the time interval between the dishes was golden. The evolution of the meal was very calculated unlike people who popped bottles in their 20s and still popping bottles in their 30s. It’s like all your reviews are complaining about portion size or price and you never graduated from AYCE spots.
Overall, I would have to say Narisawa was an amazing and awesome dining experience. It definitely ranks in my Top 10 best experiences. It’s elegant, classy, and the dishes were near perfection. There was something extra special about restaurants in Asia. The details of RyuGin and Narisawa in Tokyo were something out of the Ordinary League of Extraordinary Chefs.
US 2015 Michelin 3 Stars Count: 8 down. 4 more.
2015 Michelin Rated Restaurant Count: 13
San Pellegrino 2014 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 6
San Pellegrino 2015 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 8

On my recent trip to Japan, Narisawa was on my husband’s list of must try restaurants in Tokyo. In my research of fine dining restaurants in Tokyo, I found a few articles that listed Narisawa as one of the top restaurants. After dining here, I can see why. The décor was clean, simple, and comfortable. The staff was nice and very attentive. Before starting our dinner service, Chef Narisawa came out to welcome us to his restaurant. (Always exciting to meet the chef!).
Narisawa reproduces seasons or scenes in each of its plates and we were lucky enough to have the Spring collection menu. Here is a rundown of all of the courses.
— For drinks, I started off with a mimosa type drink. It was champagne with seasonal citrus. I enjoyed it and had to keep myself from drinking too many.
— First course: Bread of the forest 2010 with sakura and pomelo. As mentioned in many of the other reviews, this bread is made table side. It is left out to continue fermenting for 10 minutes and then baked in a hot stone for 20 minutes. Since it was cherry blossom season, our bread had a hint of a sakura taste. We enjoyed it warm with no butter, as recommended. We wish we had more of this bread!
— 2^nd Course: Chiayu — baby sweet fish. It was explained to me that the baby fish is on the bitter side and will get sweeter as it gets bigger. We each had a deep fried baby fish that was bitter, yet very good.
–3^rd course: Irabu, Sea snake soup with Okinawa taro potato. Have to admit that i’m very fearful of snakes but I was able to put my fears aside and tried this dish. Luckily, the sea snakes were used to make the broth. I could only describe the flavors of the soup to be a very light beef broth. The potatoes were slightly gummy and was a nice compliment to the soup.
–4^th course: Ishikawa botan shrimp. For someone that doesn’t love shrimp, I loved this dish. The shrimp was lightly cooked and still translucent in the inside, which made it very tender.
–5^th course: Garden Medly for me and Hiroshima oysters for my husband. After a few test trials, I found out that I’m very allergic to oysters. This is unfortunate for me since I love them. While my husband enjoyed a nicely prepared oyster, I had a medley of garden vegetables white a light cheese sauce on top. I know you’re thinking that this wasn’t a great «trade off» but I really enjoyed it. The vegetables were lightly cooked, topped with an amazing cheese sauce that went very well with everything. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
–6^th course: Abalone from Hokkaido. Whenever I hear that my shellfish is from Hokkaido, I do a little dance inside because I know its going to have a great flavor. To me, preparing abalone is really tricky because it can result in having a rubber texture and become flavorless. This abalone was a decent size and very soft. This was the best abalone I’ve eaten. Ever.
— 7^th course: Kashu pork from Chiba. This dish had a crispy skin on top with a very soft, buttery piece of pork below. The pork was so tender that you didn’t need a knife to cut it. The soft pork went well with the crispy skin.
–8^th course: Fugu, Tiger puffer from Yamaguchi. Fugu has never been my favorite and I have to admit that this was one dish I wasn’t a fan of.
–9^th course: Title fish from Yamaguchi. This fish was served with a green vegetable on the side. While I loved the fish, the dish was overly salty for me. Luckily, the chef was nice enough to prepare me another fish dish that was in a lighter broth, which was better balanced for me.
–10^th course: Sumi 2009 Saga Beef. I love my meals in Japan that come with any type of A5 grade wagyu beef. While I can’t remember the details of how this beef was prepared, I do remember it was cooked in a lower heat. The beef was still red in the middle, just the way that I like it.
–11^th course: Tsubaki with Koji. This was one of our two desserts. Tsubaki is Camellia in Japanese and they used the flavors (I think) with Koji, which is the fungus used to make sake. I love the flavors from the koji, as it reminds me of drinking amazake (a japanese drink with fermented rice).
–12^th course: Kuzuyu — Our last dessert had a warm sauce that went over the ice cream, strawberries, and a delicious strawberry jam purée/​jelly. The warm sauce melted the ice cream and turned into a soup like dessert. So good! We finished our meal with the dessert cart! Some of my favorites pieces were anything made with warabi mochi.
In all, this was a great way to end our Japan trip. The food and service did not disappoint me. If you have a chance to visit Narisawa, I highly recommend it. We had visited 3 other 3 Michelin starred restaurants during this trip and we all agreed this was our favorite.

One of the top restaurant in Tokyo (and the world). Surprisingly, it’s also one of the cheapest 3 Michelin stars I’ve been to (~$ 200 USD). A must-​go for any foodie visiting the city.
Bread — Our bread was made right AT our table, the dough was risen in front of us. There was a small fire/​heat source underneath the bread container heating up the dough (which was placed when we first arrived). The bread was ready at around the 2^th-​3^rd course.
(Course 1) Essence of the forest (4.2÷5) — Very creative course. They made mock dirt out of spinach and sesame powder; mock tree branches out of deep fried burdock filled with 10 different ingredients; and lastly mock rocks out of fried bread and sweet onions from Kyoto. They also served a cup of water along with this course that was infused with a special kind of wood, tasted very earthy.
(Course 2) Sea snake soup (4.5÷5) — Light, savory soup made with scallops liver, pork belly, and fried dumplings and lastly, sea snakes from Okinawa. I like it, the broth was fantastic.
(Course 3) Japanese langoustine (4.5÷5) — half cooked Japanese langoustine, cooked to perfection.
(Course 4) Giant Squid (⁵⁄₅) — Chef Narisawa’s specialty. The squid was so tender, and what made this dish special was its presentation. The squid was served with a sauce frozen with liquid nitrogen. As they «poured» the sauce over the squid at table side, the smoke released from the sauce made the squid look divine.
(Course 5) Pike with pear (4.7÷5) — One of the most perfectly cooked fish I’ve had.
(Course 6) Tilefish with matsutake (⁵⁄₅) — Tile fish with matsutake mushroom, wrapped in a plastic bag with savory broth, steamed for 8 hours. As they cut open the bag, the area around our table was quickly suffused with the aroma of this dish, delivering an intoxicating olfactory experience.
(Course 7) Oyster (⁵⁄₅) — I could not remember how they cooked this Oyster, but no words could do this dish justice. The oyster was extremely creamy inside, the texture was like that of warm butter
Main: They gave us the choice of A5 wagyu or Japanese pigeon, if you are not sure what to pick, go for the Pigeon. I heard afterwards that their pigeon is famous throughout Japan, and better than the beef.
(Course 8) Wagyu steak (⁵⁄₅) — A5 Japanese wagyu cooked at the lowest possible temperature to cook beef in. Then, they used burnt leeks to create a charcoal black powder to cover the beef in. From the outside, the dish looked like a lump of charcoal, but as they cut it open, a vibrant looking, pink colored flesh revealed itself. It tasted absolutely amazing.
(Course 9) Chestnut dessert (4.5÷5) — Another beautifully presented dish. Taste-​wise it’s quite amazing, but I prefer the next dessert better.
(Course 10) triple layered chocolate dessert (⁵⁄₅) — I normally don’t like chocolate desserts, but this one was exceptional. This dish had 3 layers with 3 different textures and 3 different temperatures! I was asked to eat this dish really fast to experience all the elements of this dish. It was like a chocolate symphony in my mouth.

*** 300^th Review ***
This culinary experience takes you on a journey through a season.
Chef Narisawa takes local seasonal ingredients and creates the most beautiful dishes that are visually stunning and equally amazing to eat. His attention to detail and use of ingredients is truly amazing; from his curved fried fishes presented in such a way where it seemed like it was actually swimming to his forest patisserie cart really reminds one of spring time.
Service was impeccable: they never left a napkin unfolded, a dish or wine unexplained, and always retuned to see if you were satisfied with every course. They were also very knowledgeable about the menu and the wine. I felt as though they were an extension of Chef Narisawa.
The décor of the restaurant is very modern with a lot of clean lines. It is a very unique experience and one that can only be best described if you did in person.

Narisawa made it to #14 on the worlds best restaurants list for a reason. Small restaurant so get in early. Online reservations for overseas visitors works well.

It was definitely an amazing experience! My husband and I enjoyed the taste and presentation of each dish. There was a glass between us and the kitchen so we had the chance to see Narisawa and his team putting together the dishes. All in all, it was a beautiful experience and I recommend making a reservation here if you plan to visit Tokyo. Fun fact: #2 best restaurant in Asia in 2014

Narisawa was a great experience. Been to a few Michelin star rated restaurant and this one was at the top. You can book online a month in advanced.
Food is excellent and the presentation is amazing. Good for romantic special occasion!

Not hard to see why this restaurant is consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in the world. Beautiful presentation with subtle and well balanced flavors. Molecular gastronomy at it’s best. We will be back in the fall when their menu changes with the changing season. I wish he had a restaurant in Los Angeles!!!