The Masayas told us about this Japanese restaurant in San Mateo that serves a very small number of tables per night and is completely omakase.  It’s called Wakuriya and we went a couple Tuesdays ago (11/16).  We lucked out on getting in and were seated at the bar.  We were the only ones at the bar and got a front row view of the chef preparing our meal.  There were only 4 other parties in the restaurant and no one else entered after our 7:30 reservation.  It was like going to someone’s house for dinner.  There was one chef, his wife as the floor manager, and a guy in the back washing all the dishes.

We were treated to a 9-course Japanese meal that included a cold dish, raw dish, steamed dish, hot dish, fried dish, rice dish, and some stuff in between.

One of my favorites was the trio of appetizers – especially the foie sushi (circular one next to the carrots).

Another was the pork and cabbage in the most delicious broth.  The chef carefully layered the two ingredients and it was steamed for 4 hours that afternoon.

I also enjoyed the rice dishes – especially the braised washu beef and egg over rice and swimming in a yummy broth.  Everything was beautiful and delicious.

I also had a flight of fruit sake and Jes had a flight of the regular sake.  From left to right, I had yuzu, rice, and plum.  They were served in handmade glasses that are super thin and are molded to fit your fingers perfectly.

The nice woman that waited on us was really sweet and she was very enthusiastic about the food and sake.  She also offered to take a photo of us.  She noticed that we had the same camera that she did and also said that most people who eat at the restaurant take photos of the food and not of themselves.  She was funny.

So, after 2 and a half hours, we rolled out of the restaurant happy and stuffed.  That was fun.  If you want to go, call to make a reservation and ask to be seated at the bar.  They only seat 5 parties per night so cross your fingers.

Here are more photos.