TAKAZAWA

Akasaka side street. The TAKAZAWA entrance is just beside the oyster bar. 

Amuse bouches: In the background a sort of chip of dried seaweed and scallop. In the front, cherry tomatoes and basil on a salt rock as well as baby vegetables in a miso-sesame cream.

In the glass: Bubbly from Takazawa-san's favorite Champagne house, Gardet.

Amuses bouches, second round: Smoked salmon with a jalapeño pepper cream.

1st course: Ratatouille (2005). One of Takazawa-san's signature dishes. 15 vegetables cooked individually served with a bit of volcanic salt. Must be eaten in one mouthful.In the glass: A 2004 Komoiderochiku Koshu.

Corn bread with rilette of Okinawan Agu pork.

2nd course: Vegetables parfait (2011). A sort of gazpacho topeed with mozzarella mousse, caviar, seaweed chip and edible flowers. 

3rd course: SEA (2012). "The beach" featuring barnacles, oyster, shiro-hamaguri clam, Okinawan umi-budo seaweed...

3rd course: ...and a tiny pink crab and "sand" made of powdered shrimp.

3rd course: "The Sea" featuring uni, abalone flesh and liver in jellied dashi stock with peaks of lemon foam.In the glass: Yuko-no-bijin, a junami ginjo sake from Akita

4th course: Powdery Dressing (2006). White liver, guinea fowl breast, cauliflower, corn, lotus root and asparagus...

4th course: ...topped with nitro-chilled power of apple vinegar.
In the glass: Kido Chardonnay.

5th course: TAKAZAWA GOLD (2012). A take on Japanese energy drink Real Gold. Cream soup of asparagus and suppon turtle served with deep-fried asparagus and suppon meat.

6th course: Candleholder (2007). Foie gras crème brulée with mango purée served with thin, toasted slices of fig-nut bread.
In the glass: An unfiltered blend of Muscat Bailey A and Merlot from 2007.

7th course: SALTS (2009). Tempura of ayu sweet fish and vegetables. Salts of curry, matcha, sakura.

In the glass: A Japanese beer made from grapes.

Preparation for 8th course. Warm water is poured over and the little pill turns into a warm hand towel. The next course was to be eaten with our fingers.

8th course: Dinner in the Forest - WAGYU (2009). Covered by a branch of spruce...

8th course: ...we find grilled saga beef, baby corn, fingerling tomatoes and sort of mushroom which I have failed to remember.In the glass: A late harvested Chateau Mars from 2006.

9th course: Grated Cheese? (2009) Actually, this turned out to be a palate cleanser of frozen, grated apple.

In the glass: Sweet wine from Yamabe made from Niagara grapes.

10th course: Stone Pavement (2012). Supposed to be a picture of a narrow, paved Kyoto street. Featured mascarpone cheesecake with green yuzu and matcha powder, green tea ice cream, crunchy almonds and kuromitsu syrup.

Post-dinner tea (I chose "For the mothers") with petit fours of miso cookie, coconut cookie, mochi and umeboshi marshmallow

Takazawa-san in his kitchen.

TAKAZAWA
3-5-2- Akasaka Building 2F
Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

Notes:
How do you even begin to describe the best meal you have ever savored? Impossible. But I have at least done my best to write down the description of each course in the captions. What else do I have to add? The evening B and I had at TAKAZAWA is among the most memorable we have ever shared. Takazawa-san's food challenged and pampered our senses so many ways. Takazawa-san's wife Akiko was graceful and delivered flawless service, answering even our most stupid questions. The beverage pairing were (except for the Champagne apéritif) all Japanese and thus new to us, which was incredibly interesting and an eye-opener in may ways. At +100,000 yen for 2 people this is also the most expensive meal I have ever eaten - but worth every penny.There is not doubt that we will return next time we are in Tokyo.