dining 269(つむぐ) — Restaurant in Odawara

Japanese omotenashi at its finest. From the welcome, to the service, to the food and drink, everything made our off-the-beaten track visit a delight. A must visit if you enjoy fine dining with classy music, attentive service and stunning flavours and are in the Odawara area.

I came with my husband and child on a weekday night and we were the only diners until about 9pm, so we enjoyed the restaurant all to ourselves with the relaxing ambience of mellow jazz.

Menus were challenging for us as it was all in Japanese kanji with the specials of the day handwritten on a board but we enjoyed the challenge. The owner did ask us if Japanese was OK and we said yes and did the entire ordering and conversation in rudimentary Japanese, which was enjoyable as she was so friendly and lively. I think she appreciated the effort and we were happy to get a chance practice our listening and speaking skills.

When we left, they gifted us a few pieces of traditional origami craft (but maybe don’t expect this to be the norm during your dining experience as we had a child with us who she loved to play with) and waved us off at the front...

An unsuspectingly elegant dining experience. Far exceeded any of our expectations given that it was after 9pm on a Sunday and we were two weary travellers looking for a late night feed. Our hostess was kind, friendly and accomodating, and went above and beyond to make us welcomed within her establishment. The chef (and by extension, the food) were exceptional. The steak was perfectly cooked, easy to cut with a butterknife, and melted in our mouthes. Will happily return if ever we...

The food was absolutely delicious and one of the best I ate in a while. The restaurant owner was very lovely and made an effort to communicate with us via Google translate. The plates were perfect to share with your partner, if I'm ever close by again I will definitely...