Tokyo, Japan! - Omae XEX

Before leaving for Tokyo, we were told, "If you want to have one nice dinner you should definitely, without a doubt, eat at Omae XEX... It's AMAZING. The best meal I've ever had, hands down." That's a pretty serious statement, especially coming from a member of the Landenberger clan (who consider fine dining a way of life), so we didn't question adding the restaurant to our plans.


After a little research, we discovered that Omae XEX was Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's former restaurant. It has received many awards and accolades for their unique culinary style. For two people that love good food as much as we do, it seemed foolish not to go...

Sweating on the subway

When we got there, we were given the choice of a sushi course menu or a teppanyaki style menu. The route we chose determined which floor of the restaurant we were to dine in. We went with the teppanyaki route (a Japanese style of dining where the chef cooks the meal on an iron griddle in front of the diner), so they led us down into the basement.

The meal

Round One

Vegetables and Bagna Cauda
(An Italian variation of fondue made from
garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter)


Prepping the next dish


Round Two

A stack of seared tuna, foie gras and a scallop
covered with a balsamic reduction


A quick sorbet pallet cleanser


The most amazing onions in the world...Judy even enjoyed it!


Mid meal pose

The steaks before going on the grill.
Judy's fillet on the left and Andrew's tenderloin on the right.

On the top: mashed potatoes

On the bottom from Left: Daikon radish,
wasabi and soy sauce, salt and pepper

Shochu

A traditional Japanese liquor most commonly distilled from rice, sweet potato or barley. It is similar to Korean soju, with an alcohol percentage landing around 25%, so its stronger than wine or sake but weaker than vodka. We drank it on the rocks and were quite pleased. The rice shochu was a little sweeter, and the shochu made from sweet potato and barley tasted a little smokey, like a watered down scotch. Each was slightly different, but all tasty.

The Main Course

The Tenderloin


The Fillet


Prepping the final course


Garlic fried rice and miso soup

After we finished our courses in the teppanyaki section of the restaurant, we were led up a spiral staircase and put into a tiny elevator. From there, the elevator door opened onto 3F, in the desert and bar area. It was super dark in there, so it's difficult to see, but we had a chocolate plate and a cheese plate. (Unlike cheese plates in Korea, there were no Kraft singles, which was a nice change!)

----------

The meal was expensive, yes, but it was completely worth it. All aspects of the meal and the restaurant were delicious and unique. The recommendation we were given was spot on. If you find yourself in Tokyo, you should definitely check out Omae XEX!