The most overrated meal I ever had. I’ve traveled all over Japan and lived here for a year. I’ve had many fabulous meals. This is not one.
I ordered the highest grade Kobe beef, A5, and several different cuts of it at that, for my first Kobe beef experience. The meat was good, but nothing deserving of the reputation. The vegetable sides were close to flavorless and entirely pedestrian. The salad was fine but nothing to write home about. The sauces didn’t impress. The atmosphere was nice except for the blown speaker which added a fuzzy distortion to every song. The staff and chef are very nice folks, welcoming and kind, if a bit corny.
All in all this was completely underwhelming. Mind you I’ve had some of the best meals of my entire life in Japan…this just doesn’t measure up. I admit I’m a bit spoiled for steak as I’ve had some of the finest steak cuts America has to offer at famous, chain, and local steakhouses (Morton’s, Flemings, Angus Barn, Sullivans), although to be fair there are probably even better cuts to be had in NYC, LA or other culinary hot spots. I’d take any one of those steaks over what I had in Kobe, even if not considering price. If you throw price in, it becomes a really poor value proposition here. Maybe I should try different cuts or a different restaurant. Sorry to be so harsh, but that was my experience.