Cocon, Tokyo. From the perspective of a first-timer to fine dining.

I've always been somewhat of a foodie and have been very interested in the world of fine dining for sometime now but as a student living in Vancouver, it's always been pretty far outside of my budget. I have eaten high end cuisine before on very rare occasions but have never had the chance to do a full tasting menu before. We really wanted to try one during this trip to Tokyo and so my girlfriend brought me to Cocon based on Reddit recommendation as well as the extremely reasonable price of ¥15000 pp for the standard 10 course menu. It was a fantastic experience overall.

The atmosphere is very relaxed and intimate. The casual and inviting vibe helped us feel comfortable especially as first-timers who would feel like fish out of water if we wandered into a more formal, multi-starred establishment. Cocon is a phenomenon of a one-man show and watching the chef prepare everything with such care for 3 seatings of guests who were all staggered on different courses was such a treat. Here's how I felt about each dish from the perspective of an adventurous but more novice palate:

• Kangaroo tartare. It was a surprisingly mellow but succulent start. The meat did not taste gamey at all and the peanuts really tie it together. Pleasant chew to the meat. Intriguing signature dish.

• Oysters with shiso gel. Lovely acidity running through the dish to help balance out the saltiness of the oysters. Though while the flavor was good, I felt having so much gel paired with oysters ultimately made for slightly too much of a slimy texture overall that the crunch of the vegetables couldn't quite combat alone.

• Third dish was a big hit, onion and crab with egg pudding. Very rich and sweet, loved how creamy the dish feels and the seafood foam was lovely.

• White asparagus. I'm usually not a big asparagus person but this was really great. The brown butter and caramelization on the onions together gave some bites an almost desserty sweetness.

• Snapper and octopus. Delicious crispy skin and the cauliflower purée was divine. I enjoyed the octopus but felt it ultimately didn't add a ton to the dish.

• Wagyu beef cheek. This was really fantastic. What's not to love? Perfectly cooked beef with a sticky and delicate sauce. The Japanese mustard added a pleasant sharpness but was much more subtle than expected, in a good way. Only complaint was watching the guests next to us who got the more expensive tasting menu version with shaved black truffle which we couldn't afford.

• Mackerel with mixed greens. This was the only dish that fell flat for me. No flavor truly jumped out or was overly memorable to me and the mackerel felt like it could have used 15 less seconds in the pan.

• Duck breast main course. This was my highlight of the evening. As a novice and plebeian, good quality and perfectly cooked duck feels like such a luxury. The sauce made with miso was to die for and the eggplant added needed depth. I'm easily impressed at this stage by simple dishes with quality ingredients and classic flavors executed perfectly just like this.

• Carrot and mandarin. Pre-dessert was quite rich for a palate cleanser. The purée was perfectly smooth, really enjoyed this.

-Apple and strawberry. Dessert was a huge highlight. Lots of little elements that sing together perfectly. Fantastic ending. The caramelized apple ice cream was beyond delicious.

All in all we are very happy that we chose Cocon as our first real foray into fine dining. Was an exceptional all-around experience. I do really hope to experience this side of dining more often in the future, though it will probably remain a very special occasion only event for now. We have a trip to Bangkok in September and really want to go to the next level and attempt to reserve one of the heavy hitters there like Sorn or Suhring. Until then I will continue ramen-snobbing my way across Tokyo like usual.