Oniku Karyu (Tokyo) - Single Table Experience

There are two starred restaurants in Tokyo designated as having "beef specialties." One is Jo, where I've been twice, and the other is Oniky Karyu, where I had the privilege to dine recently.

I was the lead instigator of a rowdy, by Tokyo standards anyway, group of Westerners who kicked back and had genuine fun at this meal with the affable Chef Haruka Katayanagi, observing his precision in wagyu cookery.

The opening broth could have been a boring sipper, but not here. This complex bowl delivered on umami, but also cleansed the palate, with the incorporation of seaweed. The bamboo became so tender and infused with the clear broth.

The rice in the nigiri sushi was perfection, and is often overlooked in a restaurant of a lower level.

In a surprising move, the legendary cutlet sando makes an appearance early in the meal. It may be just bread (and breadcrumbs), sauce, and meat, but the timing and proportions leave no room for error. This was one of the better versions in the world and mastered what a sando should be. Special recognition to the sauce. It's tangy, a little sweet, and melds with the beef. Good luck figuring out the secret recipe as it's called the "house sauce."

We continue with a raw preparation of melt-in-your-mouth beef before digging in to the stew which felt like a warm hug, and tasted like a Japanese mole. You could tell it had simmered all day to build flavour.

Of course, what wagyu kaiseki would be complete without grilled chateaubriand? The charred spring cabbage gave off those smoky bits before you returned back to the sweet, luxurious meat.

Next, the tongue was so tender it practically disintegrated. Served here with seasonal asparagus.

The final savoury course included grilled eel in the rice bowl. This "surf and turf" was rather genius in approach. Bringing the eel in at this point was unexpected, but appreciated and another example of grilling technique.

One final note about chef, he is also a certified sommelier. So the front of house delivers a beverage pairing that sources small producers and unique finds. The effort shows.

Karyu recently opened an outpost in Miami. Clearly someone saw the value of the restaurant, the vision, and decided it would make sense to bring this cooking beyond the borders of Japan. It makes perfect sense to me too.

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