Kanazawa — Restaurant in Lisbon

Top end kaiseki / omakase experience in Lisbon. This is pretty much the only omakase restaurant in the whole of the city FYI and for those from London, think sushi tetsu / Endo at rotunda etc. The whole places only sits about 6-8 people as it’s the one counter only. We went for the full tasting menu as such, with fantastic interesting dishes (including wagyu sukiyaki, clams, chawanmushi and more), followed by a symphony of delicious fresh nigiri with most of the fish coming from Portugal. The chef serving us (who was working alongside Paul) was fantastic - really knowledgeable, passionate about the food, friendly and welcoming. They also served a pairing of sakes and/or white wine which was great too. €300 for the two of us, which for this high quality cuisine is actually good value. Definitely recommend for serious Japanese food...

I’m originally from Kyoto, Japan, and moved to Lisbon last year. Last night, I found this restaurant satisfied my needs and crave for authentic Japanese foods. Chef Paulo fit right in at the counter, and I felt as if I was in Japan. Ingredients were all very fresh, many rarely found in European markets, and I was very much impressed and grateful for that. Chef Paulo keeps the tradition of Japanese kaiseki, and his ingenuity, originality and skills make each dish very special. For instance, sushi rice is mixed with milder red rice vinegar, kizami-wasabi as well as regular wasabi, and soy sauce uniquely mixed with uni and citrus, etc, - subtle, but definitely brings new experience of tastes. The 7 course menu made my palate very happy, and the pleasant memories of special dinner will stay with me for...

This restaurant is simply not special in any way. The food isn't special, the preparation isn't special, the process isn't special, the experience isn't special. They serve torched nigiri here, with a torch. Ma in Coimbra goes above and beyond and orders a special Japanese grill, with special imported Japanese charcoal, and that's how they torch the fish. The traditional way. They spend tons of money to improve things by maybe 10%, that's what fine dining is all about. I'm not even convinced Kanazawa is maturing fish. This is no better than a regular sushi restaurant but with some dishes coming at you in sequence, called moments. Maybe this was just meant to be a casual omakase and because it got a Michelin star we now have high expectations and...