Relax, there's only 2000 deadly weapons dangling above your head

Bored? Well, why not try suspending deadly weapons above your delicate skull?

Going out for dinner can be so dull. You sit down, you order, you eat and you go. Blah, blah, blah… So how does adding a little frisson sound? Perhaps like the collective frisson of 2,000 samurai swords dangling – sharp side down – over your head as you tuck into your dinner?

At Kobe Club, the latest offering from super restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow (of China Grill and Asia de Cuba fame), here in partnership with Charlie Walk of Epic Records, you can have this experience while enjoying a selection of high-end, lovingly pampered cow. When The New York Times critic Frank Bruni dined there, his waiter's rather alarming opener was, "Are you scared?" (Bruni, obviously ‘bovvered', went on to give it a zero star rating.)

Los Angeles-based designer Dodd Mitchell has created a thrilling space. It's hip, dark and intimate. Aside from the minor matter of the 2000 samurai swords shipped over from Japan and suspended over your noggin, there are other edgy attractions, like the leather cords decorating one wall and the hard-edge metal mesh napkin holders.

The excitement doesn't end there. From the kitchen, headed by Russell Titland, are any number of variations on an elite meat theme, including the finest Kobe from Japan, Australia and America as well as US prime beef.

There's even a ‘pig in a blanket' or Kobe beef hot dog amuse-bouche, and the Samurai or Emperor's flight of beef, the latter setting you back $295 for a 4oz taster apiece of Kobe fillet and strip loin and a 10oz of rib-eye. Small wonder the cheque comes with a knife sticking in it. Forget sharp swords. That bill has really gotta hurt.

Kobe Club 68 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 ++1 212 644 5623 chinagrillmgt.com