Les Créations des Narisawa placed 12th in The S. Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants this year. With only five restaurants from Asia on that list, Narisawa topped them all. The restaurant serves a prix-fixe tasting menu that includes a bounty of wonderfully local Japanese produce and ingredients in a distinctly Western style. Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa showcases his cuisine as “gifts of the season” and “gifts from nature.” For example, the chicken from Amagi Shamo farm Izu is described as a “gift from the forest” on my tasting menu. The textures of carefully selected ingredients in this dish are remarkable: Onions poached and grilled, the crispy skin of the chicken contrasting the extreme tenderness of the juicy meat atop the creamy soft potato gratin. Each juxtaposition is carefully considered to create a balanced experience in each bite. A true pleasure.