Omotesando Ukai Tei

Absolutely amazing. One of my favorite meals in Tokyo and I’ve been to a number Michelin stars. We had one of the tasting menu and I’m just going to talk about what stood out to me. We started with the abalone and that was incredibly fresh. Not surprising as the chef showed us that it was live. Kind of disturbing but I guess it was worth it. The next course was foie gras on a puff pastry and an orange sauce. Definitely one of the best foie gras I’ve had. And the beef. The best I’ve had. Minimal seasoning and the beef was cooked perfectly to rare. I think the last course was fried rice which was good but nothing spectacular. For dessert they bring you into a separate room that has a beautiful skyline of Tokyo. The ambiance is like a place you go for afternoon tea. We all got one dessert each and after they came over with a cart with petit fours. Definitely would come back here again!

Ukai-​Tei Omotesando is far from the cheesy entertainment and cheap shoyu glitter of Western-​style teppanyaki; the atmosphere at Ukai-​Tei is relaxing and the teppan chefs take pride in their craft with elegance and refinery. Only a few courses are actually prepared table front by the teppan chef; the majority of the dishes are prepared in the unseen kitchen.
I get the merchant house décor, but it didn’t do it for me as it tries too hard to be fancy shmancy and exudes late 1990s over-​the-​top excess. On the other hand, the dining room’s floor to ceiling glass windows allows for great natural lighting and I can only imagine how the atmosphere changes in the evening.
We had the special prix fixe at 24,000 yen per person and upgraded our meat to the premium selection for an additional 4,800 yen per person. Overall, the courses were good and well executed, but the menu seemed dated and tasted like 1997. There were less than a handful of standouts.
White asparagus and clam — simple, subtle, and I loved the juicy and meaty texture of the asparagus, which I found to be much more interesting than the clam.
Foie Gras and bamboo — thick sweet glaze of the foie gras really compliments the earthiness of the bamboo.
Tenderloin filet — Wow, just wow. A5 BMS10+ Ukai-​Tei wagyu. Our teppan chef prepared it as he described in a roast beef style, grilling slowly and evenly on each side, then covering it for a bit. The finished product was luscious slices of gloriously marbled and succulent roast beef with a melt-​in-​your-​mouth texture that tastes like rich meat butter.
Sakura ebi rice — I’m not a rice eater, but holy heck, this was probably the best seasoned rice I’ve had. The sakura ebi are bursting with this brightness and sweetness that plays so perfectly with the rice and soup.
Service is good but a little old-​school stuffy. On the other hand, our teppan chef was very amiable and enthusiastic, seemingly taking pleasure in answering all of our questions and explaining his precise preparation methods with each course.
After the meal guests are escorted to a dessert parlor, which was nice and kind of cute, but the desserts themselves were forgettable.
Sure, the beef and seasoned rice were by far the BEST I’ve ever had, but most of the courses were just alright so I definitely have no intentions of returning on a future trip. I’ve enjoyed better meals at $ 300+ a person, and we could have gone to French Laundry for dinner at that price point. I’d recommend just ordering the premium beef ala carte, if anything.