Showing posts with label Seafood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seafood. Show all posts

Monday, February 25, 2013

Nobu Miso Black Cod

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There are certain dishes that are foolproof and just right. These dish have that magical combination of ingredients that really don't need to be (and arguable can't) be improved. They are already perfect. I believe this Nobu black cod recipe just might be one of them.

I saw "sablefish" in the frozen section of Trader Joe's the other day. Sablefish (also called "black cod" or "butterfish"), is a buttery, high fat white-fleshed fish that can be found in the Pacific Ocean, both near Alaska and also the US Pacific Northwest.

Sablefish is very nutritious, having about the same amount of omega-3 fatty acids as salmon. It's a rich, fatty fish which seems to "melt in your mouth" like butter, thus the nickname "butterfish."

I love this simple yet super flavorful recipe from Nobu's cookbook. This rich fish picks up tons of umami from the magical combination of miso, sake, and mirin. It's foolproof, super easy, and tastes fantastic every single time.
NobuBlackCodMarinade
Heat shiro miso (white miso paste) together with sake, mirin, and sugar in a saucepan until everything is melted. Marinate the black cod overnight (you don't have to use a vacuum bag, but I like to maximize the amount of fish that "fits" with a certain amount of marinade, and I find I can save on marinade if I use the bag).
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The next day, try to remove as much marinade as possible from the fish (I wiped it off with my fingers). Then simply sear the fish on a hot cast iron skillet until nicely browned (2 minutes), and then finish in a  400 °F oven for about 10 minutes, or until flaky and done. You can use the broiler instead if you don't want to sear.

Serve!

This recipe is forgiving of mistakes and it can still tastes pretty good despite minor mishaps. The first time I made it, my oven wasn't nearly hot enough, so my "broiled" fish became more like a steamed fish. It looked awful, but it still tasted pretty good. The marinade speaks for itself. Also, sablefish is pretty rich, so you can overcook it a bit and it won't taste completely dried out. In other words, if I want something easy that's reasonably foolproof, this isn't a bad dish to make!

Enjoy!

Nobu Miso Black Cod
Source: Food and Wine from Nobu Matsuhisa
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup sake
4 T white miso paste
3 T sugar

Bring mirin and sake to a boil. Add white miso paste and mix until smooth. Add sugar and heat until melted. Let cool. Combine with black cod and place in a vacuum bag or a baking dish, making sure the fish is completely covered. Let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Heat up a cast-iron skillet (or grill pan) and briefly sear the fish until it is browned (about 2 minutes). Cook in the oven until flaky, about 10 minutes.

Serve!


And it's not too late to vote for my lamb recipe here! We're getting down to the wire, with only a few days left for voting. If you haven't voted yet, please stop by. No registration or anything necessarily - just click and vote

Have a great day!

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Sushi Aoki

Sushi AokiThis is the sixth post in the series titled Tasting Tour of Tokyo detailing my recent trip to Japan. Other posts include Kikunoi AkasakaRokurinshaMikawa ZezankyoKaoriya, and Sushi Sawada.

Spending a week eating in Tokyo is more like a marathon than a sprint.

Usually many of the meals I enjoy are omakase in nature, which means they often have many, many courses. Near the beginning of the week I’m OK. However, by the end of the week, my stomach is crying uncle and I begin to feel like I cannot eat anymore.

It was near the end of our trip when I told Bryan, “I can’t do this anymore.” The idea of yet another omakase where a sushi chef would continue to hand me food, piece after piece after piece, terrified me.

I was all ready to just stop by a local ramen shop for a simple meal.

“But it’s our last night in Tokyo, a city known for its incredible sushi. We won’t get to eat sushi like this again for another year at least.”

Bryan wanted sushi. And I wanted control over what I ate.
UntitledSo I asked the concierge at our hotel. Although most high-end sushi places only serve omakase, there are a few exceptions that still serve excellent sushi. The most famous one is Kyubey, which we’ve visited several times in the past. Kyubey not only offers a really reasonable lunch for around 5000 yen, it also offers various types of lower priced set menus, as well as a la carte. Our concierge also recommended Sushi Aoki, a 1-star Michelin family-owned sushi restaurant that has expanded to three locations. Similarly, it offers lower priced set lunches (3000-4000 yen) as well as a la carte options.

Mostly because we’d already been to Kyubey several times, we opted to try Sushi Aoki. Sushi Aoki
Clean and sparse, the ambiance of this location was similar to many other sushi places we had visited. Blond wood, bare walls, and serious sushi chefs focused on their craft in the middle of the sushi bar.

There was a bit of confusion at first as I tried to order a la carte for myself but omakase for Bryan. We got it clarified at the end, but in the beginning Bryan didn’t get the true omakase experience because the sushi chef was also giving him the a la carte stuff that I was ordering.

Oops! Sushi Aoki
We began with a gorgeous starter of bonito sashimi with chives, which was fresh, flavorful, and a perfect way to begin the meal. I tasted hints of ginger, likely from the sauce in which the fish sat.
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Off to the side, one of the chefs began grinding fresh wasabi from a root. Fresh wasabi is less pungent compared to the "imitation" horseradish variety of wasabi that we get in the States. It has a deeper and more intense flavor, even though it has less "sting."
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And then, sashimi began to appear, starting with three slices of the delicate white fish hirame (fluke).
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Next, we sampled various "grades" of tuna, from chutoro (medium fatty tuna) to otoro (fatty tuna). It was quite good, though I could easily tell that the quality and precision of these cuts were not quite up to par as the best sushi places in Tokyo (namely Mizutani and Jiro).
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As part of my self-designed "a la carte" menu, I ordered ika (squid) because I was still dreaming about the luxuriously soft squid nigiri that I had enjoyed at Sukiyabashi Jiro (post coming soon!) earlier that week. Alas, even though this ika was still very fresh and tasty, the texture of it was much tougher, noticeably inferior to those served at Sukiyabashi Jiro or Sushi Sawada (places I had tried earlier that week).
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We had another tasting of tuna, this time in nigiri form. From left to right: otoro (super fatty tuna), chutoro (medium fatty tuna), and akami (tuna).

The Rest of Bryan's Omakase
At this point I was quite full and decided to stop, but Bryan wanted to keep on going. Here is the rest of Bryan's omakase.
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Kohada, or gizzard shad, is in the herring family and is a rich, fattier fish.
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Saba, or mackerel, was softer than kohada and came as three slices on top of the rice.
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Next was Scallop and Akagai (Red Clam) which were both very good. The scallop was fresh and sweet and the red clam had that interesting, characteristic "bouncy"and almost crunchy texture which we both love.
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Ikura, or salmon roe, came served sort of as an "upside down" nigiri with the rice and wasabi on top of the eggs. You use the spoon to mix everything together, which tastes divine.
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Out of all the sushi places we visited, Sushi Aoki was the only places to give us a sampling of uni from different regions. The lighter one pictured at left is from Kyushuu while the darker orange one on the right is from Hokkaido.  Though both were delicious, Bryan preferred the Hokkaido one better, which was creamier.
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Ebi (or prawn), was juicy and sweet. Anago (saltwater eel) [not pictured] was super soft and tender.
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Next was hamaguri (clam), which came brushed with just a tad of sauce on top.
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Finally we ended the meal with one of my favorite pieces, the tamago (egg omelet). This one was sweet and spongy with a lovely browned top. Perfect.

The Facts
In Tokyo, there are two locations of Sushi Aoki: the original one in Ginza and a newer one in Azabu-juban. There’s also a third one in London, interestingly enough. The one at Ginza was very hard to find! Signs are not written with English characters, so it's important to know the kanji (Chinese) characters. Even with our GPS-enabled phones, we still had trouble locating the entrance. We ended up searching for the restaurant's kanji characters on the web and comparing it with the sign shown below to confirm we were at the right place!
Sushi Aoki
Sushi Aoki is open for lunch as well as dinner, and you can order either omakase or a la carte. It holds one Michelin star and often shows up on "Best sushi in Tokyo" lists. It's well known in Tokyo, and boasts quite a pedigree of "graduates", including the well revered Sawada-san. Everyone who works there is polite and pleasant, which makes a visit less intimidating for a foreigner (compared to Mizutani, who can be a bit distant, or Jiro, who stresses you out with the speed by which he doles out the sushi).

I was sort of biased when I visited Sushi Aoki because I had just tasted Sushi Sawada and Sukiyabashi Jiro right before, both arguably among the top 3-4 sushi restaurants in the world. Compared to those world class establishments, I definitely noticed some minor "misses" and differences in quality. I'm sure if I had visited any other time of the year, I would have raved much more highly about this place.

It's just that -  Sawada and Jiro are pretty much impossible acts to follow.

So rest assured that this place is excellent and serves very high quality sushi. What I like best is that you can get excellent sushi in a very accessible location with friendly staff who are happy to let you choose your meal, if you so wish.  No sushi nazis here.

Of course, if I'd had the stomach space, I would have still let them design the omakase. After all, chef seems to always knows best, and I confess that Bryan's meal seemed to have much better theme and flow compared to the haphazard toro-focused mish-mash that I created.

Live and learn.

Sushi Aoki, 2F Takahashi Building, 6-7-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; + 81 3 3289 1044

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Mikawa Zezankyo (tempura)

UntitledThis is the third post in the series titled Tasting Tour of Tokyo detailing my recent trip to Japan. Other posts include Kikunoi Akasaka and Rokurinsha.

Rick Bayless called his meal here "one of the most impressive, most intimate meals of my life."

Michelin deemed it worthy to receive one Michelin star.

Chef Tetsuya Saotome has been called a "living treasure", a "maverick", and even "idiosyncratic."
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Opened only since 2010, Mikawa Zezankyo has quickly become recognized as being one of the top tempura places in Tokyo.  It's not that surprising, actually. After all, Chef Saotome spent over thirty years making tempura at his original Mikawa restaurant in Kayabacho. It became so popular he eventually opened up a second, larger location in Roppongi. Chef Saotome estimates he's made over half a million pieces of tempura in his lifetime.

Mikawa Zezankyo is Chef Saotome's newest project. After handing off his other two successful restaurants to his apprentices, he opened Mikawa Zezankyo in 2010. Hidden in a small residential street east of the Sumida River, this tiny restaurant is not that easy to find.
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There are only nine seats, so reservations are very difficult to get. Furthermore, Chef Saotome works alone to create the actual tempura. The assistants will help with everything else, but only Chef Saotome does the actual frying. If he's on vacation, the restaurant closes.

According to Chef Saotome, "I am able to see the scales on the fish that other people cannot see and then just coat each piece in the appropriate amount of batter. After that the trick is simply to count the seconds the fish should be cooked for." [source]

It's an art that takes extreme precision and skill. Come here, and you know you'll have the master himself cooking for you.
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I had originally tried to book this place through my hotel concierge, but had no luck. Thankfully, my friend and fellow blogger Shirley from Lovely Lanvin (who happens to be a local!) called them and was able to reserve a table in the private room upstairs.

I couldn't wait to see what kind of magic would arise from Chef Saotome's expert hands.
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I love places that already have something for you to taste at the table as soon as you arrive. Here, the table was set with these lovely seabeans with sesame and bonito, a small cube of  jelly with fish egg and scallions, and octopus. On the right, we tasted a simple broth with a seafood cake of sorts inside. It was as great mini-appetizer.
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Traditionally, you can dip your tempura into a sauce made of ground up daikon and soy sauce. Oftentimes, however, I preferred to just enjoy my tempura with a bit of sea salt. It's really up to you.
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Chef Saotome cooks in the edomae tradition. This means he only serves seafood and produce that was available during the edo period when Tokyo was a shogun capital, about a hundred fifty years ago. Most of the seafood would come out of Tokyo Bay.

We started with ebi, or shrimp. Lightly fried to perfection, there was not a hint of oiliness in this shrimp. The shrimp was fresh, sweet, and very good.
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As is traditional in Japanese tempura places (as I've learned from past experience), they always follow up a shrimp "tail" with the deep fried head. Though I'd typically be a bit squeamish, I actually thought the head here was fantastic. It had a stronger, deeper shrimp flavor than the tail. It was light yet very crispy.
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Next we tried kisu (whiting), which was also sweet, tender, and (again) flawlessly fried. I enjoyed it with just a touch of salt, which brought out the natural flavors of the fish without overpowering any flavors.
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The ika, or squid, was beautifully soft and tender. I am impressed at the sheer delicate nature of the batter, which almost seems paper-thin at some points. I preferred enjoying this just with a touch of salt as well.
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Because it was autumn, we had the opportunity to sample some seasonal ingredients. On the left is shiso wrapped uni (sea urchin), while on the right is a skewer of ginko nuts.
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I must say that the gingko nut was my favorite discovery of this trip. This classic Japanese fall ingredient looks like an olive, tastes starchy like boiled peanuts, and has a lovely, complex flavor that's sort of sweet and earthy. I had tried them boiled earlier for the first time at Kikunoi and I had fallen in love. It was equally fantastic fried.
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Shiso and uni are really a match made in heaven, and this was no exception. I think I am still more impressed with the version at Tempura Kondo, but this one was still excellent.
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Next we had meguchi (3 little fish), which was soft and flavorful. At this point I realized I was hardly using the daikon soy mixture as a dipping sauce. I guess I really like to savor each piece with just a touch of salt. I find it's easier to really taste all the nuanced flavors of each piece.
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I am a huge fan of anago (conger eel). The meat of the eel is naturally really tender and sweet. It tasted excellent fried, although this was the only piece where I thought the tail portion was just a tad greasier than I would have liked.
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I decided to cough up the extra yen and add matsutake mushrooms to the tasting. Matsutake mushrooms are very seasonal. You see them pop up all over the place in restaurants during autumn. I had tried these lovely, earthy mushrooms in many forms at Kikunoi earlier that week. They were absolutely fantastic fried - though I still wonder whether matsutake mushrooms are really worth their extremely high costs.
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I love vegetables, and these fresh asparagus and shitake mushrooms were delicious - fresh and flavorful, I could really taste the essence of the asparagus and the mushrooms. It was also a nice, lighter way to wind down the meal.
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Finally, going along with tradition, we ended the meal by enjoying kaibashira, deep fried clams over rice with pickles and miso soup.
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The pickles were fantastic. Fresh, super crispy, and not too sour or salty. The flavoring just right and did not overpower at all.
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I was quite stuffed at this point, but I still managed to eat a few bites of this lovely ending part of the meal. You can also opt to have a tea-based soup poured into the rice, which results in a lovely congee of sorts that's extremely flavorful. Shirley preferred this style because the clams stay crispy. If you're here to enjoy this chef's incredible frying technique, why not enjoy it as much as you can? We did try the tea soup version at Kondo, so you can see pictures over there if you're curious.
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Finally for dessert, a few huge, sweetened beans. I enjoyed these - they reminded me of sweetened bean desserts I used to eat as a kid. It was a nice ending to an excellent meal.

Thoughts
There's no question about it, the tempura here is excellent. I did find it interesting the number of similarities between my two tempura experiences in Japan. There must be all these traditional steps that make up the authentic tempura meal in Japan. It's something I've yet to see in the States.

It's worth making the trek to come try this place. The decor alone is unique and whimsical, and the intimate experience is hard to beat. On the flip side, the restaurant is not easy to find. Definitely use a GPS and/or write down detailed instructions. We used the instructions under the "How to Get There" section of this article, which worked out well.

If you're short on time, I think the tempura at Tempura Kondo in Ginza is just as good, if not better in some cases.Tempura Kondo is also more centrally located in the bustling area of Ginza, which is nice.

All in all, you can't go wrong if you pick either of these places. Along with Rakutei, these three restaurants are often hailed as the top tempura places in the entire city.

Sources
Nick Lander (Financial Times writer)
Japan Times
Eater

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Kikunoi (Akasaka)

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This is the first post in the series titled Tasting Tour of Tokyo detailing my recent trip to Japan.

One negative aspect of being a tag-along on your husband's business trip is that you're often alone. After all, he's in the destination to work, which means he can't hang out with you during much of the trip.

Thankfully, Tokyo is an easy city to navigate, and at this point, I know it quite well. I was perfectly happy to spend my afternoons shopping, exploring, and even visiting friends while he was at his conference.

Unfortunately, there were a few nights where he had business dinners and couldn't even eat with me.

Last time that happened, I bought simple take-out at the local depachika (basement of the department store) and ate in my hotel room. This time, I decided to head out into the city and dine solo at one of the most famous kaiseki establishments in Tokyo.
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Kikunoi specializes in Japanese kaiseki cuisine, a traditional, multi-course, Japanese meal. Kaiseki meals typically involve the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared in such a way as to emphasize their flavors. The entire experience is a big part of kaiseki cuisine, and therefore the ambiance of the surroundings as well as the artistic presentation of the food are also very, very important.

Kaiseki has been around for over 500 years, starting back in the 1600's when Sen no Rikyu, a tea master in Kyoto, felt that the powdered green tea used during tea ceremonies was too strong for an empty stomach, and needed some food to accompany it.
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The original kaiseki meals consisted of just miso soup with three sides, but over the years they have evolved significantly, turning into one of Japan's most elaborate and high-end cuisines. Naturally, Kyoto is famous for its kaiseki cuisine, and houses some of the most famous restaurants.

Yoshihiro Murata is one of the most famous kaiseki chefs in Japan. He has his own TV show and owns three restaurants in both Kyoto and Tokyo, totaling 7 Michelin Stars.

Chef Murata practices a form of modern kaiseki that draws influence from many difference sources, such as imperial palace cuisine, the traditional tea ceremony, shojin ryori (vegetarian temple cuisine), and obanzai (traditional Kyoto cuisine that includes tofu, gluten, vegetables). Murata also derives inspiration from other well-known chefs, such as the famous Ferran Adria (with whom he is close friends) and Nobu Matsuhisa.
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Kikunoi is Chef Murata's prized creation. The original flagship Kyoto branch (Kikunoi Honten) boasts three Michelin stars, while the other two "offshoots" (Roan Kikunoi in Kyoto and Akasaka Kikunoi in Tokyo) each have 2 Michelin stars.

Since I didn't quite have enough time to zip to Kyoto on a shinkansen (bullet train), I "settled" for the Tokyo branch in Akasaka.
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Like many Japanese restaurants, Kikunoi has a bar area that makes solo dining much nicer. You can interact with the chefs and also watch them cook.

Although the staff's command of English was only so-so, they did have Chef Murata's colorful kaiseki ryori book which includes pages describing (in English!) important details about the dishes I was enjoying.  Furthermore, they had English language menus, which was very helpful.
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For dinner, you get a choice between three set-menus. The price difference is based on the expense of the ingredients. Matsutake mushrooms (which are very expensive) were in season during the fall, and thus set menus that included lots of the prized mushrooms naturally cost a lot more.

The prices are 15,750 yen, 18,900 yen, or 21,000 yen. Seeing how weak the US dollar is these days (about 79 yen for every US dollar) , that definitely hurts!

I went with the cheapest one, partly because it had a bit less meat and because it still focused quite strongly on matsutake mushrooms, which I love.Untitled
I gasped when the first course came - it was so utterly beautiful. Made to conjure up the image of one "watching the moon from a boat on a lake", this exquisite dish features many seasonal ingredients. Let's take a closer look.
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The Grilled Saury Sushi at left was topped with a strongly marinated sea bream which was quite "fishy" and salty. The single pink peppercorn on top gave the entire bite a nice "pop" of flavor that I liked. In the middle front, we have Grilled Chestnut Paste (shaped like a dumpling), while in the back we have Roe bearing Ayu (sweet fish) poached with sansho peppercorns. On the very right, a  half-cut lime is filled with Prawn Marinated in Shao Xing Wine. The alcohol made the dish a bit bitter, almost boozy like Sojo.
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Because gingko nuts were in season, we enjoyed a small sampling of Glazed Ginko Nuts topped with a gingko-leaf shaped chip. I loved the gingko nuts. They were warm, lightly salted, and toasted with sake and salt. The intricate pine needles are actually dried green tea noodles, which surprised me with its strong tea flavor!
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Next came the Poached Baby Kabura Turnip topped with walnut miso sauce and crushed walnuts. This local Kyoto dish is traditionally served with yuzu miso. Chef Murata's own version uses a beautiful, creamy walnut miso paste which was really, really good. Though I usually don't like walnuts, I couldn't stop eating this dish. The flavorful, umami laden miso sauce worked well to balance the light, steamed turnip, which reminded me of boiled daikon.
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Sashimi of Butter Fish and Tai (Red Sea Bream) came with pickled chrysanthemum petals and freshly grated wasabi. The tai was chewy and had a very clean flavor. A flavorful, salty "gel" was sandwiched between one of the fish slices and added flavor to the entire dish. The pickled chrysanthemum was pleasantly not-too-sour, The texture reminded me of tiger lilies we used to eat in Chinese soups.
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The next course was Sashimi of Koshibi (young bluefin tuna) topped with a small dab of mustard and served with a soy-marinated egg yolk sauce. The young tuna was buttery soft and picked up the thick, eggy sauce quite nicely. The flavor of this dish was excellent, although it didn't stand out as being particularly unique or unusual.
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This next dish was one of my favorites all evening. Hamo (pike eel), Matsutake (pine mushroom), and Mitsuba Herb steamed in a teapot with Sudachi Lime. I love Matsutake mushrooms, and in my opinion, any broth made with these oh-so-expensive mushrooms is heavenly. The eel added needed umami to the fragrant, herbaceous broth. After slowly savoring the golden elixir sip by sip, I opened up the tea pot and ate all the mushrooms inside. The Sudachi lime added a nice, bright citrusy splash to the strong savory notes of the dish (though I don't think I was supposed to pour the tea over the lime - oops!).
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The next bite, Salmon Roe with Grated Radish, sounds simple yet was surprisingly really, really good. The slight bitterness of the daikon was nicely balanced by the briny roe.
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At this point I was already getting really, really stuffed. Honestly, I almost groaned when I saw the next dish - two whole Salt-Grilled Ayu (Sweetfish) with Roe.  Nevertheless, I had to admit it was an absolutely beautiful presentation.
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The chef placed two perfectly grilled fish, sliced so that the roe was spilling out, onto a bed of pine (?) needles and autumn leaves.
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I was definitely a bit squeamish about eating a whole fish. I had watched the Japanese ladies to my right eat this, and they polished the entire thing off -head and all! At the end, I couldn't bear to eat those eyes staring at me, so I left the head.

Objectively, the dish was perfectly executed. The fish nicely grilled with a gorgeous char and a crispy tail. Although it was tasty, the dish didn't strike me as mind-blowing (though, to be fair, I was getting stuffed at this point).
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Almost like a break, the next course was refreshingly light, a salad filled with Mibuna Greens (A variety of mizuna), Grilled Shitake Mushrooms, Grilled Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Mushroom, and Trout Roe tossed together in a sasame and ponzu dressing. Edible flowers completed the colorful display.

I really liked the use of bonito flakes, which add a bit of umami to the very leafy salad. The flavors were nice, though the salad did not quite strike me as a Michelin-level dish.
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The final main savory course was an Anago (sea eel) Baked Custard with Lilly Bulb, Carrots, Shimeji Mushrooms, Mistuba Herb, and Yuzu. The custard was very light and delicate, reminding me of the steamed Japanese egg custard chawanmushi. The custard was only lightly salted, giving you an opportunity to really taste delicate nuances of all the seasonal ingredients inside.
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Finally (I was sooo full at this point), they brought over a HUGE bowl of Steamed Rice brimming with Matsutake Mushrooms, Mitsuba Herbs, and Yuzu. I was so sad that I was so full. I sampled just a tiny bite.

I was so surprised when the chef offered to wrap the rest up for me to take home. UntitledHe wrapped it up so nicely, it was like I was taking a gift home. I'm so glad that 1) we had a refrigerator in the hotel room and 2) I was able to eat more of the rice at the airport on my way back to Boston.
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Finally, for dessert, I had Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea) Ice Cream with a Rum-Raisin-Fig cake. The tea ice cream was the best part, full of that strong, roasted tea flavor. The cake was dense, cold, and only OK (reminded me of fruitcake a little).

*  *  *  *  *


General Notes
This place is really, really hard to find on foot. I took the subway to Akasaka (cute neighborhood, by the way) and then tried walking to the location, using my phone GPS as my navigation guide. Even though I was almost standing right on top of the restaurant, it still took me about 15 minutes of wandering before I could find how to get in. It turns out the entrance is in a back alley, down a dark, bamboo-lined path (see top picture). Perhaps if you take a cab it will drop you right in front!
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Service here is excellent, and the staff took really good care of me. On my way out, they offered to take a picture of me at the door. One of the chefs also walked with me down the dark, wooded path until I got the the lit road just to make sure I was OK.

As for the food, it was good, but I'm not sure if I would come back. Sure, there were some dishes that I loved, such as the Matsutake Soup, Matsutake rice, and the gingko beans. However, there were many other dishes that I only thought were good, but not mind-blowing. I also thought the food portions were way too big, and that affected my enjoyment of the entire experience near the end.
UntitledOverall, however, it was a fascinating experience. I loved the focus on seasonal ingredients and the artistry of the food was really an integral part of the entire meal. I learned I love fall ingredients, especially Matsutake mushrooms and gingko beans.

This is only my first kaiseki experience, so jury's still out on what I think of the cuisine style as a whole. In general, their raw fish dishes aren't as good as those from the top sushi places. However, I do enjoy the interesting variety of cooking methods and flavors.

Can't wait to try more!