I would say the decor and service are what Urasawa would be if he were 40 years older and running his grandfather’s old restaurant. The food is what Urasawa would be if all fish went extinct and the only thing left to eat was blowfish cooked ten different ways. It was very interesting and delicious, probably my all-time favorite.

Also, unfortunately, I can’t say i would recommend Daigo. I was really hoping for a Japanese-version of Arpege — which to me would be the best restaurant in the world. It wasn’t. The meal was very grain-heavy and lacked enough vegetables, surprisingly. beautiful setting, though.

I’d say the food at Aronia leans more towards the French end of the spectrum compared to Ryugin. Some exceptionally creative dishes though nonetheless.

I was looking through some of your US reviews…ever been to Cyrus in Healdsburg near Sonoma? In addition to top notch food, the bartender (or mixologist I suppose would be more appropriate) makes some incredible cocktails. Food-wise, I’d say it has a slight edge on The French Laundry. I actually didn’t enjoy Manresa as much as Cyrus and TFL; I felt too many of the dishes were about presenting vegetables from the garden without regard for whether they worked with the other elements of the dish.

Kondo – yes – ended up going there – loved everything *except* the sweet potato sweet potato was way too big – not my thing. But the rest of the lunch was sensational – i’ve had better tempura in single courses but never that consistency over an entire meal.

Also if you’re checking out Kyobashi for tempura, I’d suggest Kondo as an alternative – make sure to order the sweet potato tempura. Kondo-san is probably doing the best vegetable tempura on the planet right now…his produce is amazing.

Of course, driving through the Mosel region in a rental and drinking some old riesling would also be a treat.

of course I can only endorse jpreister – come visit some German places. It is well worth it… I could provide you with a nice itinery…
Best
Ingo