Tokyo’s Nagatacho Kurosawa – the art of the meal

Every movie buff of a certain age is very familiar with the classic The Seven Samurai. It is a movie by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, one of the world's most influential filmmakers. George Lucas was a big fan and the lightsaber scenes from Star Wars are a tribute to the ways of the samurai. What people may not know is that Kurosawa was also a talented artist as well as a restaurateur.

During my stay in Tokyo, I had the pleasure of dining at his restaurant, Nagatacho Kurosawa. And pleasure is the appropriate word as it was pleasing to all the senses. During the six-course meal the visual presentation, divine smells, and exquisite taste made the evening a culinary delight.

There are many options for menus, but this is the meal that I had:

Arrowroot cake with salmon roe:

Amberjack and Flounder sashimi:

Boiled Komatsuna leaves with daikon radish millefeuille with baby sardine and cauliflower:

Then there was a salad that I can't remember all the ingredients, although I know that is a mushroom on top:

Steak with turnip, pumpkin, potato and watercress:

Traditional style (buckwheat) soba noodles with housemade dipping sauce:

Barbados sugar ice cream and dried orange (baked in-house for 8 hours):

Despite the numerous courses, the actual quantity of the food was no more or no less than the perfect amount. Harmony, beauty, and balance, it is omnipresent in Japan. That's not to say there is never over-indulging, but it is not the norm.

The meal was delectable. The accompanying ambiance was that of the ancient samurai and perfectly matched the food and decor. I look forward to trying the other three Kurosawa restaurants on future trips.