Julian Schnabel, Reika Yo
Guests walked in and were immediately offered traditional wooden masu cups of sake from a dedicated sake bar. It was aptly stationed in front of the house photographer, giving people the liquid confidence to pose amusingly for a few pictures. Everything about the night underlined the authentic Japanese cuisine the restaurant offered. The cocktails all featured either fine sake, Suntory Japanese whiskey, or shochu, another Japanese spirit that served as a base to the most refreshing ginger and lemon drinks of the night. The food was equally phenomenal, with the waitstaff struggling to make it to other parts of the room before their trays were depleted. Fresh avocado and tuna, rice balls, fried chicken skewers, and wagyu beef bites were all gone in seconds, with the crowd relishing in the tasty delights. Desert came in the form of rice cakes that were made right in the middle of the room, where two chefs beat a vat of rice with a mallet to achieve the correct texture, much to the crowd's astonishment.