How do you say: You been screwed in Japanese?

Lemon Juice on Left, Salt on Right

Shrimp with Fresh Wasabi

Shrimp Toast

Shrimp Tempura (between Tempura Courses)

Green Pepper Tempura

Onion Tempura

Quail Egg Tempura

Potato Tempura (double Yumm!)

Fig Tempura

Shrimp Tempura over Rice

Fresh Persimmons

Half of all of Tonight's Customer

Tonight was the big Tempura Experience. We went to what is the only 3 Star Michelin Rated Tempura Restaurant in the world. Damn is it expensive! I always thought somewhere in the Michelin World 3 stars must also reflect, charm or décor or ambience. Clearly in the case of 7 chome Kyoboshi (which also has the distinction of being the most expensive Tempura Restaurant in the world), you aren’t coming here for the ambience. No cloth napkins, no water, no menu, no other customers (now that could be a warning sign). The Tempura is Kyoto style. I think that means they charge triple. The Chef is the fourth generation of his family charging triple. The family has a good thing going.

You have to guarantee the reservation with a credit card. 100% forfeiture if you cancel within the last 48 hours. So I guaranteed the reservation with our AmEx card. Quick cut to the end of the meal, I go to pay the enormous bill with my AmEx card and he says he doesn’t accept them. Wait, I think, I guaranteed my meal with it. He says he takes Visa only. Ok, I pull out my Visa Card. He says pay cash or I charge you an extra 6%. I know the meal is big bucks but all of a sudden I feel like I am getting a mortgage. So Cathy and I pool our cash and pay the bill.

Ok, I know, lousy atmosphere, weird financial arrangements, but tell me how the Most Expensive Tempura in the World is. It is very lightly battered. It is only served with salt and lemon juice. Between every Tempura course you are served a course of Tempura Shrimp (wait that means between every Tempura course he repeats a tempura course). You get a lot of courses. I think we 22 courses. We asked about the salt. The salt is a secret blend. We asked about the batter, the batter is a secret blend. There are a lot of Kyoto secrets at this restaurant.

After 22 courses of dipping a Tempura’d fried food in lemon juice or salt or both lemon juice and salt just being wild, things do tend to run together in ones memory. Some were excellent. Some were less successful. Strangely one of the best was a potato. But wait a minute deep fry a potato, it should be good, we all love French fries, Why not love a Kyoto Fry at 200 times the price. Though I must admit this one was damn good piece of potato.

So we left, fuller in our stomachs, much lighter in our wallet, feeling, well lets say a little fried.