First of all, I’ll say it’s quite funny that I’m posting a RyuGin review right now since I’ve asked in this sub a few months ago if it was worth it going there and most people told me no (still, I’m very grateful for your contribution). So now I have to explain why this was worth it and why I would go back.
First of all, and that’s not helping my case, it’s very – very – expensive. As someone who didn’t have a hotel concierge (because I didn’t stay in a fancy hotel) and considering the 77,000 yen pricepoint of the menu (exclusing service) plus the My Concierge fare, I had to pay almost 100,000 yen in advance just to be there.
Any extras would be charged by the restaurant on the day (from still water to the wine/sake pairings that can go up to 500,00 yen on the most expensive sake pairing or bottles even pricier than that). I sticked to the cheapest 70,000 yen sake + wine pairing.
I read many reviews on Google before going there, even the ones that said that the food was digusting, and I can’t imagine a reason for this kind of review other than that the person was just expecting something different than traditional japanese cuisine. Personally, I thought that the menu was very consistent on the idea of bringing a more modern touch to those traditional flavours and succeeded on doing so.
From the amouse-bouche chawanmushi with pear and plum to savoury dishes like furtle soup (very delicate with herbs and cherry leafs and petals), Hamaguri tempura + hamaguri soup, stonefish sashimi, abalone with vegetables and livre sauce, duck with bamboo shoots and vegetables sauce, everything was beautifully crafted and with very clean flavours.
It’s also worth mentioning that the course duration was very reasonable – I was in no hurry at all, taking my time with wine and sake and it took little over three hours, but other tables did leave sooner. So if you also read the comments online on how it was unbearably long, lasting over four hours, at least for me that wasn’t the case.
Overall RyuGin did match my expectations: a sophisticated japanese cuisine with a modern touch but – a least for me – very relatable flavours. The pricepoint must be taken in consideration though; perhaps this is one good example of what the Michelin Guide would call “a special occasion” on their price scale.
by voabarros
1 Comment
This was one of the first starred restaurants I dined in when I first got into fine dining. I have a very fond memory of Ryugin in my heart. I really should revisit. I just remember everything being so refined, and running so smoothly, like a well-tuned engine in a sports car.