That is amazing advice! I treated myself to omakase at Yazawa a while back. Was fantastic (although I really didn’t need the upcharge for truffle oil and uni on some beef). I was sort of begging for something from the plant kingdom during the course meal. But you are certainly onto something. Thank you for the detailed response.
You can’t go wrong. We went the full Monty. Agree re abolone. One of the best bites ever. We enjoyed the tea ceremony, but I had had an interesting email back and forth with the woman who ceremonied us, and that enhanced it. The tempura beef was also delicious. Enjoy your payday meal because yummy.
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i chose to do alc because the non-tempura dishes (sashimi, salads, dessert, and tea) didn’t interest me. that allowed me to sample more of the tempura and try things that are not normally on the set menus.
Sorry for the late reply…
Go after 9pm and a la carte it.
Start with abalone, followed by abalone, chase that with an interlude of abalone, then change it up with some abalone. For dessert, try abalone.
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So should I get the abalone?
I wish I would have read you and @PorkyBelly’s responses before heading out. I ordered the $220 set, thinking, “Well, I may never come here again” – and despite the fact that I was told that the abalone only came with the $280 set. To me, it wasn’t a good value. At least not for the price. I could have dined at n/naka for less or had the tasting with Wagyu supplement at Providence for the same price. And been wowed for hours. Nothing was bad and some bites were outstanding. But in terms of quality, flavor, atmosphere, and service, I really don’t think it’s a good value at all. The sashimi course was good, but one can get way better at Raku. The ten-cha was pretty much flavorless, even with the wasabi addition. Mind you, some of the dishes were great, especially the uni, pea, scallop, and tofu. But I can get this itch scratched with a bowl at Hannosuke for a lot less. Also, I have one dietary restriction which I made known at the beginning. I am pretty cool with not expecting to be wildly accommodated at all times and can be satisfied with a reasonable omission instead of anticipating a substitution. And I came face to face with said restriction twice: once being told, “That’s OK?” and another with “I’m sorry” with the check being unceremoniously slid in front of me. Having said that, I wish I would have gone a la carte. The items I probably would have chosen were the ones that I wound up really enjoying as a part of the course menu.
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Holy Mother of God. . stunning!
Is that the entirety of the $220 omakase or only the dishes you photographed? It looks delicious but somewhat spartan for the price.
Everyone seems to have forgotten about Inaba in Torrance. The tempura and soba are always outstanding for a fraction if the price!
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@onelabneh Ah! I only posted that collage of the fried stuff. There was an amuse with uni, ikura, and dashi; a rather superfluous salad; the sashimi course (I know that there are posters who find this concerning, so I shall report back that the slices of fish were retrieved out of a box); the ten-cha; some pickles; a cup of hot green tea; a tray that contained a bowl of matcha, a scoop of sorbet, a “macaroon”, and a piece of sweet potato that was flambéed in some booze.
I had ordered a glass of iced green tea as my beverage. At one point, I had a half full glass of iced green tea, a cup of hot green tea, and a bowl of matcha all sitting in front of me simultaneously – a rather odd sight. I did not receive the miso soup that was mentioned on the menu, nor did I receive any “tea ceremony.” Now that I am typing this out, I’m kind of getting frustrated as all of the aforementioned items were pretty unremarkable, as well as the fact that I didn’t get everything that was noted on the menu. Not that I desperately needed a tea “ceremony” or a bowl of miso soup. But again, it comes down to the value, the price point, and what was actually delivered. Ugh!
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No bueno. Very disappointed in the picture painted by your description. I have been considering going back, as my experience was so positive. This is discouraging. Wish I could have paid forward part of the excellent experience my wife and I had to you!
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Completely agree.
Not to put any fuel on the fire, but I decided to drop them an email considering all of the thoughts that I had expressed here on the board. A manager responded back relatively quickly. There was an apology with an explanation that Saturday nights are very resulting in additional tasks for the staff. Wouldn’t this be the case with most places around town on a weekend night? It closed with a statement hoping that I might “consider” coming again. I think I’m going to direct my hard earned income elsewhere next time I’m feeling flush.
I have a feeling n/naka would have given you a different response. thanks for taking one for the team, guess I’ll just swing by for the ALC abalone sometime when I’m feeling baller.
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[quote=“djquinnc, post:53, topic:2330”]
I think I’m going to direct my hard earned income elsewhere next time I’m feeling flush.
[/quote]Good idea. At least they responded. I can’t tell you how many times I have emailed a business directly, instead of giving them a bad review on social media. Most never bother to respond.
Next time if you are in Kyoto, go to the original. Only cost you half as much. 
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