The Art of Living-Well

Last tuesday I went to Kin no Taki with my fiancée. It was a new experience to me, eating at a restaurant that's thickly accented with Japanese styling.

However, I am not an interior decorator nor an architect. So it's suffice to say that I feel the blaring modern Japanese song (sung by a cute singer, of course) is . . . not Japanese enough, and the necessity of removing your shoes before entering [the smoking section] is . . . really a taste of Japanese habit.

Now, on to the food. And the bottom line.

Follow up:

Since it was our first time there -- and due to the fact that it was her birthday -- we splurged. We bought three grilled meal, um, choice. One dish consisted of slices of beef (I think), another dish consisted of slices of chicken legs (the meat only, of course), and the last dish is a combination of lamb and beef. Now don't ask me what's their name, it was decidedly Japanese, and although I *do* enjoy watching anime and reading manga from time to time, heaven help me if I can remember them

Oh, and two bowls of japanese rice with shredded seaweed sprinkled frugally on top.

As is usual in such a restaurant, the dishes are delivered raw, and we're supposed to cook them over a charcoal-cum-gas stove contraption built into the table. The controls to the gas stove and the blower is located to the side of the table, and quite easy to operate. The first two dishes are easy to handle (despite the chicken taking the better side of forever to actually become well done). The third dish is a mixed affair: The beef slices are easy to handle (albeit small-ish -- I was worried that the slices might run through the grating). But the lamb slices is an altogether different story. It was sliced oh-so-thinly, Kleenex would be proud to make tissues that thin. I am in constant fear that the slices of meat will choose an inopportune moment to shred itself to pieces.

That said, the worst thankfully did not happen, and thanks to the thin-ness of the lamb slices, it reaches well done almost instantly. At least when compared to the chicken meat blobs.

I can hear you clamoring, "The taste! What about the taste!!"

Well, be joyful, folks. After all those painful exercises with the thong and the inevitable, incessant flipping of the meat slices, I have to say that the taste of the meat was certainly a very nice reward to all my hardships. Yes! It was really delicious, tasty, and delectable!

And me & my fiancée were full and satisfied afterwards.

All in all, for three dishes, 2 bowls (actually, cups would be a fitter term) of rice, 1 glass of Lemon Squash, 1 glass of some kind of juice, and 1 glass of unsweetened, iced oolong chai, the grand total is about Rp. 198'000. Not cheap, and bordering on expensive, but it was a nice experience.

Verdict: Go to Kin no Taki for special occasions, and you won't regret it. However going there regularly may have a detrimental effect to the health of your wallet.