Food: ☆☆☆☆

Service: ☆☆☆☆

Ambiance: ☆☆☆ ½

Cost: $$$$

Fit for: People Watching, Special Occasion Dining

Dishes not to miss: Tuna & Avocado Megu Style, Tuna Soy Akami & Black Truffle

Special notes: Wait for restaurant week or special promotions to eat here because the prices really hurt.

Megu is renowned for its giant ice sculpted Buddha that is the central showpiece of the restaurant. Sitting under a giant 800-pound temple bell, this impressive sculpture is rebuilt every night.

This restaurant is filled with eye-catching embellishments. A stunning kimono bar sits on the top floor decorated with bales of antique kimono fabric that clads the ceiling and walls. The main dinning room is adorned with dramatic columns of stacked porcelain rice bowls.

The menu is a maze, filled with signature Megu items and various other kinds of Japanese offerings. They claim that all their food is organic and they choose their ingredients with utmost care. The food is gimmicky but really good.

Service is really friendly and for a chic looking place like this, the wait staff is very unpretentious. There are no airs or affectation going on here, but you do need a padded wallet to cover the costs.

Megu is quite outstanding as far as food and service. However, with appetizers priced at $28 a dish and a piece of special sushi at at least $9 apiece, the prices really hurt.

Dining at Megu is a privilege one pays for dearly. For this kind of money – I’d rather save up and spring for a ticket to fly to Japan for a taste of the real thing.

Here is some of what we ate: