Top5 meal of my life. Master chef creates the finest Japanese dishes with finesse, grace and decades of discipline. Isami is worthy of long distance travel for this experience. Do it.
It has been six years since I first dined at Isami, but the memory lives on and I couldn't wait to go back, finally, this trip.
+++ exact amuse as last time, perfect:
+++ best miso soup I have ever had, float with a luscious piece of fatty salmon that melts in your mouth.
+++ best ankimo I have ever had, delicate, loose but also firm, just right. Wow.
+++ boiled welp, served in the shell, chilled
+++ chawanmushi for the ages. Best I have ever tasted. Absolute perfection in every bite, consistent from top to bottom, leaf sits just beneath the surface. There is magic within!
+++ natto ika. These are no store bought soybeans. Nor the squid. Crafted into the perfect strong but delicate texture combination. A very traditional dish, usually with the guts of the squid, chef has achieved lightness as of a cloud in this dish. Supreme!
+++ tosu (short for tako sunomono, pickled cucumber, seaweed and octopus) made me weep tears the octopus was so soft and delicate, each bite was a view to this magnificent creature's life in the sea, flowing gracefully as it swims. I'm not kidding. It brought me to tears. This ain't no frozen store-bought kelp neither! Perfect, pickled gently and with just the right bitterness too!
Omakase available only at dinner.
So instead (at lunch) we enjoyed a combo, one sushi sampler, and one sashimi sampler.
No need to take you through each bite, there were 25 or 30, each EPIC and among the best you've ever had.
OTHER TIPS
* make your reservation early.
* they have a full alcohol menu including some excellent sake, wine and beer.
* be respectful here. You are steps or inches from one of the finest Japanese chefs in the world. Relax, taste and enjoy. Quietly. read more