I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since Plamen and I ate here, but I am very thankful for him reaching out with the invite.
The first in the Otsumami part of the meal was the Katsuo Tataki. It was, but a little fishy tasting, so not my favorite.
Next was the Mehikari, or greeneyes fish. I don’t think I’ve ever had this fish before and they are named greeneyes because in dim blue light, like in the deep ocean where they are found, they do appear green. They have fluorescent lenses that absorb and emit different colors of light that allow them to see bioluminescent prey. The fish was lightly fried with a bit of aioli and both Plamen and I found this to be quite delicious.
Then came the Chawanmushi which had shrimp and mushroom gravy and some shaved truffle on top (truffle also look awfully dry and not much aromatics coming off of it). Both of us found this to be quite underwhelming.
Then came their signature Shokupan which is a ground toro set atop a narrowish rectangle of milkbread. On top of the toro is a decent amount of caviar and a touch of gold leaf sprinkled on top. It is visually striking and was also one of our favorites (and pretty much every time I’ve been here, this being the sixth time) and not surprising that they have this as a signature dish.
Our last Otsumami was the Sunomono. Fortunately, they went back to a somewhat more traditional, but still upgraded sunomono (unlike the one when we visited in December) with the addition of Hokkaido scallop, some slivers of squid, a bit of bell pepper and cilantro. At it’s core it still was sliced cucumber and rice wine and I did enjoy the dish.
Then we moved on to the Nigiri section of the meal. First up was the Karei (barfin flounder). Then (in order) came the Kanpachi, Tokishirazu (Japanese king salmon), Mizu Tako, Zuke, Tachiou (beltfish), and Toro. Most were very simply dressed with shoyu or ponzu. The three standouts for us were the king salmon, the zuke which was cured with coffee and gave an interest flavor element to it, and toro which was beautifully marbled (I always call it the wagyu of the sea). The octopus was nicely prepared with the knife work, but was a bit bland. But overall, we did enjoy the nigiri. We were so engaged in our discussion though that we didn’t really pay attention much to the preparation.
Lastly, for dessert we were given a truffle ice cream with some truffle honey and some microplaned truffle shavings.
We had a great time catching up and both enjoyed the meal as well. Thank you again Plamen!
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