Nice Ambiance, Pretty Plating, Pleasant and Underwhelming - n/naka [Thoughts + Pics]

[Chowseeker1999]

@beefnoguy

However she chose to label her food as California style kaiseki which is perceived both in good and bad ways depending on how sharp your Japanese cuisine lens is and how much experience you’ve had with Japanese fine dining. My impression after watching the episode was, great cinematography and potentially some dishes can be seemingly very good, but there’s something that’s also a bit lacking at the end and perhaps something missing in the flow.

Good point. For 2 of our friends (the ones who visit Japan 5 - 6 times a year to eat), they didn’t go into their 1st visit at n/naka thinking it was “Kaiseki” (and they’ve been to most of the highly recommended ones in Kyoto), but they came away disappointed. They actually managed to visit Chef Nakayama 4 times (to give it a fair shake) and currently their takeaway is that it’s not worth going to (for them).

For us, we went in with a totally open mind, super excited to try a place I had been hoping to visit for years. And it resulted in the experience above.

@beefnoguy

Yeah that is correct…Raku’s sashimi is so high level that it’s the golden standard even for me as a visitor.

It’s not just the quality of the fish, but Chef Matt Weaver’s ridiculously skilled knifework and creativity (not to mention presentation) to enhance its enjoyment, and the overall experience even on the sashimi alone, matches in satisfaction level with some of my recent meals in Tokyo.

Wow, that’s good to hear how Raku’s Sashimi is comparing to your recent Tokyo meals. Thanks for the perspective.

@beefnoguy

As far as sake goes, it may be easier for me to think about what works at Shiki with Mori/Nao than taking a stab with n/Naka (though haven’t seen a sake menu there other than the old sample from the website). That bottle of Junmai Ginjo I’ve never seen before but looks interesting and kudos for the waitstaff for recommending one that doesn’t break the bank. That expensive bottle of Akita prefecture sake…I’m sure it’s good but not sure if it is worth that much more (maybe it’s on par with the Fukukomachi limited edition at Shiki)…Akita prefecture sakes tend to be more floral and feminine so it would fit the style of the food (and perhaps sake from Hiroshima and Kyoto with their soft water base). In that case, it’s easier to buy a bottle of Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo, a beautiful value Akita prefecture sake (not sure if SoCal Whole Foods has it) or order from K&L

Thanks for the recommendation on Chokaisan. And yes, I think for your next visit, you should go visit Mori-san and say “Hi”.