Such a disgusting experience ..so bad.

I visited for the ¥250,000 truffle course.

The wagyu bresaola, mortadella, and 48-month-aged Iberico ham, all sliced paper-thin on a manual prosciutto slicer said to be one of only two in Asia, were truly delicious and made for a wonderful experience.
I spend about a month in Spain every year and also travel to Italy annually, but this level of thin slicing for jamón was, frankly, a very interesting and memorable experience.
And it was genuinely delicious.

That said, this is not the chef’s own work, is it?

Those items were the most delicious part of the meal.

Now, about the truffle course itself.
To begin with, I am not particularly interested in truffles, but since there was availability, I thought I would try it.

First dish:
Gitaro gamecock soup with mini ravioli, essentially cappelletti.
A simple and carefully made chicken soup, generously topped with truffles.
It’s not fair to compare it directly to Italy, but it was more or less what I expected.
The minced chicken filling in the ravioli lacked depth of flavor.
Well, dishes in Italy often have lighter umami, so that in itself isn’t unusual.
The pasta dough was freshly made in front of us and while I wouldn’t say it was bad, I found myself wondering whether I needed to politely say “delicious” out of courtesy.

Second dish:
Tuna with truffles.
The tuna was not good at all. It smelled.
Failing to notice this fishiness is not acceptable.
No matter how much truffle you add, there is absolutely no synergy here.
It was a completely unsuccessful dish.
I wonder where the tuna came from. If a well-known wholesaler was used, it feels like a terrible waste.
This dish had no meaning whatsoever.
From every angle, it was simply not good.
Why does no one notice this smell?
I won’t say it outright reeks, but any Japanese person would immediately sense that fishy note.

Third dish:
Naruto sweet potato with Hungarian duck foie gras.
The foie gras was well prepared, with excess fat removed, very clean and well done.
The sweet potato was good as well.
Both ingredients stood on their own merit.
Then, of course, truffle was added. After all, it’s a ¥250,000 truffle course.
But does it really pair well? Is it actually working?
The texture of the sweet potato was completely overpowered by the foie gras, making its presence almost meaningless.
It wasn’t bad, but I honestly couldn’t recall it until I looked back at the menu.
That too is a fact.
As a dish, it doesn’t leave a strong impression.
It’s tasty, but… yes, that kind of feeling.

Fourth dish:
Botan shrimp with crinkled spinach and truffles.
The spinach retained too much water, which was disappointing.
I was told the softness was adjusted to match the shrimp, but the result was ordinary and uninteresting.
Is there really any flavor synergy with truffles here? In my opinion, no.
I found myself thinking, even as a layperson, that if the sweetness of the shrimp were emphasized more, or if there were another idea entirely, the “dance” with truffles could have been something wonderful.
Still, given the atmosphere, I kept repeating how delicious it was.
After all, there were only six guests in the restaurant.
I didn’t want it to feel like a funeral.

Fifth dish:
Shockingly bad.
White tilefish with yuzu and truffles.
Serving something like this defies common sense.
It wasn’t just bad, it made me question whether this was really made by a top-tier chef.
A dreadful dish.
It’s rare these days that I think something is outright bad, but this truly was.
I’m sorry to say it, but it was awful.
Mushy, bland, what happened here?
Even the presentation was terrible.
I was genuinely stunned, and for once, I couldn’t even force a smile.

Sixth dish:
Handmade pasta, tagliolini with truffles.
Yes, just ordinary.
At this level, I might be disappointed even at ¥3,000.
No matter how expensive the truffles are, if you don’t think “this is delicious” the moment it enters your mouth, it’s not a dish you should charge money for.

Seventh dish:
Biei Yazawa beef.
This was carefully grilled while being brushed with a special sauce, and the beef itself was good.
However, the accompanying chicory, radicchio tardivo supposedly imported from Italy, was extremely disappointing.
I actually muttered in my head, “Are you bad at cooking?”
Just like the spinach in the fourth dish, it was overcooked.
That beautiful Italian chicory was rendered completely meaningless.

The second part of the meal, as mentioned at the beginning, was an excellent ham presentation.

The dessert ice cream was also not tasty at all.
I honestly don’t know why.

This was the worst meal I have had in Japan this year.
My worst restaurant experience abroad was Noor, a three-star restaurant in southern Spain.

Including the wine pairing, the cost was just under ¥300,000 per person, nearly ¥600,000 for two.
If the food is delicious, I don’t care about the price.
I was shocked because it wasn’t.

The clam soup was delicious.
I was told it was made using only clams for the stock. Less