your flight were on time despite there's flurries and wet snow in the lowland yesterday. certainly a good start of the evening as you have a dinner to go, a japanese kaiseki meal...
this is not your first time here, you can't consider yourselves as regular but you frequent here at least one or twice a year.
the restaurant...
you wanted to try other set menu, but finally decided on the recommended seasonal kaiseki menu because of the exquisite definition and the ingredient used in the meal...
shunkan was it! in japanese kanji "spring" and "cold". very seasonal kaiseki menu and just the name itself already resembles the weather you are experiencing lately...
the amuse bouche, the earthy lotus root and carrot simmer in japanese sauce and sprinkle with white sesame...
a very spring vegetables with yuzu peel, very refreshing, very spring indeed
first course - zensai, beautifully prepared and come in bite size
tazuna sushi of shrimp, herring and cucumber
hirame kobujime -brill served with rape blossom
taramoko kobu-maki - simmered cod roe with kelp
uzura jibu-ni - simmered quail with sweet soy sauce
second course - kaki-shinjo, a clear fish soup with oyster cake. the photo didn't do the justice, the presentation of this soup is so clever that a thin layer of daikon is use to represent the snow with bamboo shoot that's evidently winter and a hint of spring flower and green leaf. the yuzu peel brings forth the taste of spring
third course - tsukuri. sashimi of sea bream, tuna and yellowtail. this dish came with two dipping sauce and you prefer ponzu souce with the spicy mustard than the ordinary soy sauce
fourth course - yuzumiso-yaki. grilled sea bass with yuzu miso, and two tiny slices of dried fig wash your palate at the end
fifth course - futami-age - shrimp cake and brill cake. a tempura in your opinion only with some clever used of ingredients, in this case a tempura of shrimp and fish cake, the highlight really was the two slices of chips (or crisps). so crispy and burst of the taste of potato
six course - sukinabe, the main course of mini sukiyaki, come in a mini size pot with veg already simmering. a plate of wagyu beef and the raw egg whisk
really high quality wagyu beef,
this dish is a tad too sweet for you, and so is in general sukiyaki. you're a little skeptical about the egg whisk dipping sauce but at the end you're thankful as the raw egg white whisk actually masked out the sweetness from the beef and the veg...
seven course - tara-gohan. rice with cod, japanese pickles and miso soup. by now you're really full... even though most dishes are just bite size, your rice go to him in return you grab his pickles and wash down the miso soup.
eighth course - mizukashi. the finale! and array of dessert, beautifully and elegantly prepared
white sesame ice cream served with very thin crackers, you love the savory taste in the ice cream and the cracker is the perfect match ^^
marshmallow in a shape of wagashi. it has azuki bean paste wrapped. you didn't fancy the marshmallow at all, but the pearl-ish white chocolate is a delight
the green tea mousse is bitter and you don't taste any sweetness in it but that's okay as there're heaps of sweetness in the dessert.
yuzu macaron and white miso macaron, although you distaste yuzu macaron as it's way too sweet for you, but you couldn't hold on but finished the entire macaron because the citrus after taste from the yuzu macaron is such a pleasant ending node. the white miso is not that sweet but you abandon it after a bite. it's indeed special but the white miso taste is very subtle and you gave in to yuzu.
the ikebana at the entrance. you ate from 7 to 10.30pm, and was impressed by the menu. certainly a very clever use of the ingredient, although you would prefer a real shrimp tempura than shrimp cake, same to an oyster cake where you would prefer a whole oyster.
a very pleasant evening, set aside the fly back, you thoroughly enjoy the dinner. it makes valentine's day.
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