I first visited a Japanese restaurant as a student in Boston. The invitation mentioned a Japanese steakhouse with Samurai like performance cooking: sounded great for a fan of Asian food. No mention of the fact that not all Japanese food is served cooked. And so came sushi and wasabi: this first unexpected contact with a new pleasure had it all: you know there is something in it you like but hesitate about fully letting go. You know the second time would taste better. You know you will do it for the rest of your life.

21 years later Japanese food is commonplace in Europe. But now the point is originality. Which are the most Japanese of the Japanese restaurants? Consider the following criteria: (i) the personnel are Japanese and prefer to speak English rather than the local language (ii) you don’t understand much of the menu and it needs to be explained to you (iii) it gets full of Japanese visitors who apparently don’t speak the local language and order spectacular stuff (iv) service is slow (v) it is expensive.

Welcome to Bimi in Zurich-Seefeld: a simple and unpretentious environment; luxury lies in the flavor. The sushi is on the salty side. For a main course I recommend the beef filet: eat it slowly with the vegetables because the portion is Spartan. Finally: don’t be afraid of the red beans on the ice cream if you haven’t tried them before: they are good; let go on the first time.