Happy Anniversary!!!

What a coincidence! I just made a reservation there for next month. Did you have the chef's tasting menu?

I ate at the Araki in London last night. It was a blissful experience. The chef was kind and friendly. His English wasn't the best but he tried, and one of his assistants explained each dish in perfect English. The staff had a holiday to Umbria where they personally hunted for white truffles that they used throughout the meal. There were 3 appetizers (turnip marinated in dashi stock topped with beluga caviar and wasabi; fatty tuna belly marinated in soy, ponzu, and egg yolk, with avocado, tomato, and buffalo mozzarella covered in white truffles; and steamed black bass with shiitake mushrooms and albino caviar in a soup of the fish's bones), followed by loads of nigiri and two hand rolls at the end. The nigiri was incredible, with the rice at the perfect temperature and with just the right touch of vinegar. Nigiri included 2 pieces of medium fatty tuna belly, 2 pieces of extra fatty tuna belly, seared yellowtail, fatty tuna belly with white truffle, seared tuna belly, squid, sea bream, abalone topped with albino caviar and sudachi, salmon tartare mixed with miso, ginger, and onion topped with beluga caviar, and then the two rolls were Scottish clam topped with yuzu zest, and the most incredible grilled eel hand roll. Oddly there was no tamago, but the dessert was a splendid creation of mochi, pistachio, macadamia nuts, and matcha. The Araki is the most expensive restaurant in London at 300 GBP + 15% service charge, for the food alone. But never have I had a more intimate meal of such opulence. And every flavor was mouthwateringly wonderful.