THERE ARE TWO SIDES to being exposed to authentic Japanese restaurants: The down side is that the list of dining places that satisfy you gets shorter. The plus side is that other Japanese restaurants are motivated to improve their cuisine to compete with the rest of the market.

I love Japanese food, but I?m not familiar with some dishes?and discovering them has become one of my missions in life. It?s interesting to see how chefs have incorporated various international ingredients in them, so it?s such a treat when an invitation to sample Japanese food in hotels comes my way.

Delicious blend

I couldn?t have been more excited?everything that was served seemed new to me! We started with maiso salad, fresh greens with an assortment of seaweed, which came with apple dressing. It was a delicious blend of bright flavors. Next came dobin mushi, a seafood and vegetable soup served in a tiny teapot. The flavors were subtle, the veggies cooked to perfection, and the broth was simply delicious. We then had a soft shell crab roll.

Many chefs combine ingredients like grilled unagi or eel, avocado, fish roe, flaked crab with Japanese mayo, and chopped fresh scallops. Roll these in a seaweed, then top with slices of fresh tuna, sockeye salmon or fresh mackerel. The soft shell crab was deep fried to a crunch?fantastic.

The crazy roll followed. In its filling, we found shrimp tempura, tamago or fish roe, kani or crab, and grilled teriyaki salmon skin. The taste was out of this world!

Also worth a try: The ise ebi shinjo age, another variation of a creative roll made of crispy lobster cake, wrapped in nori seaweed. Metaiko sumiudon followed?pan-fried charcoal udon noodles, with spicy cod roe and mushrooms. Thereafter, we had strawberry sherbet with sake jelly.

For the main course, we were served orisini, which is melt-in-your-mouth fried black cod that?s cooked to perfection, with white radish and sweet soy sauce. And, the pièce de résistance?teppan grilled foie gras.

The foie gras had a very light sauce, so we could really savor its full flavor. It was my first time to try goose liver, Japanese-style. Delicious! And, finally, we had kurogoma ice cream, a homemade ice cream with black sesame and soy bean paste. What an experience!

Relive this culinary adventure at the New Senju Japanese Restaurant on the second floor of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. Japanese chef Kiyoshi Ogawa is to ?blame? for this outstanding meal. Happy eating!

E-mail sandydaza@shaw.ca.