“Fave Meal In The 417”
Hello Chef Viewers, Chef Paul Allen is here and ready to report on some good food. No, sorry, it’s not good. It’s mind-bending, a bit whimsical, absolutely mesmerizing, and fantastic!!!! I took my wife for a date night at Ariake- Sushi and Robata the other night with another couple in Springfield, Missouri. I call my friend Steve (about 4 hours before dinner, lol) and say hey, can you get a babysitter, he calls back and says he’s got it covered. Double date in full effect!!!
This fantasy of a culinary wonderland was dreamed up by Power Couple Young Sun Jung & John Jung and completely brought to life, sparing no expense. From the bowls & plates hand selected in Japan, to the ambiance & craftsmanship that surrounds you, to the cultural recipes passed down from generation to generation.
I messaged into reservations on the website and told them I am Paul Allen with The Chefs View and asked if they can accommodate an “Omakase”. Which translates to, “I’ll leave it up to you chef” where the chef selects the finest seasonal ingredients and guides you through a mind-bending sushi tasting. They did even better than that, they did the very first and only “Chefs Dinner” with owner John Jung hand preparing it himself. I felt so honored to be present at this experience, Owner Young Sun Jung went into the kitchen and hand-crafted a course herself, wow, what a treat to have such service, I truly felt like a king.
They prepared a 17-course dinner that was so good it made me cry. This is only the second time in my life that I have cried happy tears over a dish, and this time it was the A5 Wagyu Nagiri topped with Volcanic Sea Salt. The A5 Wagyu was torched lightly and encased around perfectly cooked rice, topped with the Black Salt and smoked tableside. This was my favorite bite of food I have ever tasted in the 417 area. I closed my eyes and was transported to a place of pure happiness, a true culinary paradise. When I opened my eyes, I truly had a tear of joy coming out of my left eye, and was asking myself, did this dish really make me cry??? It did, and I feel so blessed to be treated with such special and over the top service, and hope you treat yourself as well, you deserve it.
We were seated at the sushi bar with Owner/Chef John Jung and the GM Terri Martin personally took care of us. Terri knew every single dish by heart and explained every one in detail as they were presented. I truly felt like I had been transported to a high-end restaurant that you would find in New York City or Los Angeles. As a yacht chef I have eaten my way all over the world and this truly made my culinary heart so full of joy and happiness. Dish after dish was prepared flawlessly by chef John Jung, there was no lag time, it was perfectly and flawlessly executed.
I had some faves of the night and one of them was the Japanese Style Caesar Salad. I am always chasing the perfect Caesar, and this was hands down the best one I have had in America. (My fave so far was in Mexico when I was a child) The dressing was mild, yet had some tangyiness and the perfect balance. They freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and enrobed every single piece of lettuce. Then they blew it out of the water with the purple Belgian Endive, absolutely bursting with flavor. I would come here just for this salad and suggest you try it too.
Let’s touch on the Mocktails (I know you’re supposed to say NA Cocktail but I like Mocktail). So in this era of life, I am not drinking or doing anything that alters my mind, and totally into fun mocktails from different high-end restaurants, and of course at home. This place hit on all cylinders for mocktails. They made me three craft mocktails that weren’t just different juices blended. I don’t remember the names, but I remember the essence of passion fruit, fun exotic flavors, and not too sweet, that is key for me. There are over 40% of us diners who don’t drink alcohol, and we want something fun to sip on, if you like an eclectic mocktail, then this is the place for you.
Master Chef John Jung also had fun dishes of Tuna Sashimi that you ate in order based on the fat content, we started with the leaner cuts, then worked our way into the fattier part of the fish, so so so good. They also were topped with freshly grated wasabi, which puts the dish on a totally different level. If you have never treated yourself to freshly grated wasabi, I highly recommend you do.
Let’s not forget about the infamous scallop crudo, a bite-sized portion of the scallop inside and actual scallop shell and topped with a small piece of strawberry and sesame seeds and drizzled with the perfect umami-acidity combo. This dish puts me in my happy spot every time.
They also have a show stopper, a specialty raw oyster topped with two different kinds of caviar, such mesmerizing flavors jam-packed with umami. The flavors in the restaurant are so raw, and simple, the ingredients speak for themselves. Every dish is curated as a work of culinary art, truly magical.
If you haven’t tried the sea bass, do yourself a favor and order that next time you come, it has the perfect texture, and from what I understand, they use a higher quality sea bass than most in the area. There is a miso foam on the side that just hits differently than most. I highly recommend this dish.
You might not think of fried rice when you think of high end, but the A5 Wagyu Fried Rice is packed with depth and flavor. I think they must fry it in a wok because you get like 10 layers of smoke and it is a culinary masterpiece.
If you want to impress your friends and have one of the best cigars you have ever enjoyed, get the tuna cigars that are filled with diced tuna infused with a truffle chili oil. They come out in a cigar box, lying in smoke. When they lift the lid, the smoke wafts over you and puts you in a trance, and then you have to be silly and get a selfie with the cigar hanging out of your mouth and then eat the whole thing, super duper yummy.
We ended on a unique dessert they typically don’t offer, and it was completely different. It was an Olive Macaron with Mango Sorbet and Coffee Dirt. This dish blew my mind with deliciousness, textures, and depth of flavors. The Coffee Dirt was a macaron cookie crumbles soaked in espresso then toasted to perfection. So eclectic, so fun, such a pleasant way to end our 17 course meal.
Thank you so much Chef John for coming in on your day off to treat me and my guests. Thank you Young for making it all happen and making us a special course yourself, that Tuna Sushi was so so over the top good! And thank you to the GM for taking care of us and treating us to the first and only chefs table you have ever done, we were truly humbled with the impeccable service, depth of flavors and a perfectly orchestrated expeerience.
Ariake, you truly are the whole package and this was by far my favorite meal in the 417 area. If I had a genie that would grant me three wishes, one of them would be for John & Young to take me with them when they go back to Japan. A dream I plan to make a reality is that one day I will take my family to Japan to experience first-hand all of the cultures and sights.
Please comment below your favorite restaurant and fave items to order and try them out for myself. Here is the info below for this superb restaurant that the 417 area is so blessed to have:
Ariake Sushi & Robato
1110 E Battlefield Rd
Springfield, Mo 65807
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Wed 11am-2pm/4:30pm-10pm
Thur-Sat 11am-2pm/4:30pm-11pm
Sunday – Closed
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