Misato Kaiseki

I recently came across a brief review of Misato in CNNGo.com. Seems the restaurant has been an institution in Shanghai for a number of years, and earning a reputation as one of the best kaiseki experiences this side of the Bund. Misato-san even had the privilege of cooking for former Prime Minister Nakasone as well. I couldn't get a seat at Sushi Oyama for tonight, so I thought this was a good alternative.

Located at the City Hotel along North Shaanxi Road, the restaurant looked pleasant by Japanese standards. Nothing too ultra modern along the lines of a Super Potato designed eatery, but very traditional Japanese aesthetics that are both welcoming and soothing.

I sat at the counter and selected their top kaiseki meal set, and braced myself for an exciting culinary experience. The reviews I read about this restaurant mentioned that the food was strictly traditional kaiseki style, meaning, the ingredients were the stars, and had better shine.

The meal started with an assorted appetizer dish, beautifully presented as three small plates on a wooden tray. While the ingredients were fresh, the preparation was nothing exceptional like recent kaiseki meals that I've tried. The sashimi course was overall fresh, but I thought the otoro could have been better.

The soup course was seafood broth, with a prawn, sliced fish and some mushrooms. This was one of my favorite dishes. The stewed course was a bit of a letdown, again, nothing mindblowing, and the ingredients were cooked in a very bland way. The grilled course consisted of grilled king crab legs. The waitress offered to grill each piece for me.

The meat course was pan seared wagyu beef sirloin, very well prepared and tasted delicious. The last course was rice, and this was served as chirashi don, with six types of seafood served with a bowl of miso soup. This was another of my favorite dishes.

 However, the chirashi don at Suju, another one of my favorite hangouts, was still superior to this. The dessert course completed the meal with three types of dessert - bean ice cream, fresh seasonal fruits and tofu jelly.

For this meal, I paid RMB800. This was one of the more expensive dinners I've had recently in Shanghai, but for this price, I could think of better options to spend my money.

Misato is at City Hotel, 5-7 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Julu Lu.
Tel: +86-21-6215-7375