Blink, and you might miss the simple exterior of Koryouri Urara, an intimate Japanese restaurant just a few blocks up from the hustle of Georgetown.
From the minimalist decor to the black-and-white color scheme, everything about the restaurant is understated,
allowing chef Urara Iwasaki to focus her energy on diners and the traditional Japanese dishes she serves at the tasting counter. From her signature steamed egg-dashi custard (chawanmushi) topped with seasonal jewels like sweet corn to a buttery miso black cod topped with snappy pickled burdock root, she takes diners on a journey across 10 courses for her tasting menu ($138 per person), alongside a newer 18-course sushi omakase for the same price, and a few small tables for a la carte nigiri, sashimi, sushi rolls, and small appetizers.
What to order
- For the tasting menu, a parade of bites take center stage over two hours, including: an original egg roll filled with a textural wonderland of shrimp, fish roe, avocado, and shiso leaf; lean and fatty cuts of bluefin tuna alongside fresh uni and crisp dashi-poached okra; and partially raw slices of sashimi-grade seared wagyu beef served with wasabi dressing and caramelized roasted tomatoes.
- Don’t mistake the tasting menu for tweezer food. Urara’s last savory course is a rice dish filled with seasonal vegetables, fish, and pickles. After a dramatic unveiling of the huge claypot filled with rice and its steamed toppings, she mixes up the comforting dish and doles out generous servings, asking if anyone needs seconds to make sure no one leaves hungry.
- For the omakase, you can watch an expert sushi chef serving nigiri, quail-egg topped bites of rice, and fresh sashimi. Highlights include arctic char served with shaved ginger on warm sushi rice, thick pieces of sweet shrimp that burst in your mouth, and a warming clam soup that breaks up the raw and seared fish portions of the meal.
- If you’re looking for a lighter dinner, four tables line the room for a la carte dining. Order real crabmeat-filled California rolls ($17), yellowtail nigiri ($14), and even craggly morsels of karaage (fried chicken, $20).
What to drink
Iwasaki goes all in on wine. Check out the handful of wines produced in Japan and by wine-makers of Japanese descent around the world. The Noumin Dry from Coco Farms & Winery in Tochigi was light and crisp, with an herbal finish that pairs wonderfully with fish.
The vibes
The sparse dining room is adorned with black shelves showcasing ornate pottery and black-and-white photos. Iwasaki recently found an expert sushi chef to run the omakase that partially overlaps with her two tasting menu seatings. For about an hour diners’ heads are on a swivel, watching the two chefs gently open cans of caviar and plate lavish bites with wooden chopsticks side-by-side.
Insider tip
Look out for night-of reservations for the omakase and tasting menu. There tends to be open day-of seats in the middle of the week and with a pretty reasonable price tag for both the 10-course tasting menu and 18-course omakase, it feels like a much more affordable indulgence to celebrate the small victories in life.
