Hi, Friends! Looks like it's been almost a year again since the last time I tried to update my blog!
I have so much to catch up on, and it's overwhelming to think about all of the 2018 Japan/Taiwan posts, let alone the past few years. My last two posts were an attempt to catch up on the trip out to Hawaii January of 2020, while this and the upcoming ones are dining during a pandemic. At the time, we were torn on going out to eat (selfish), and if we should just keep staying home (paranoid). We really couldn't win. In the end, we decided that we should try to eat out and support the restaurants we want to see come out of the pandemic. To do this, we wore masks, and actually kept them on when we were not actively eating. In following various restaurants on Instagram, it is disheartening to see how people refuse to be considerate of others.
In deciding where to go, I took into account how much risk we were willing to take (this was just after having the first dose of Moderna #Modernagang). In the end, I went with Japanese Kaiseki because from what I could tell, Japanese restaurants, especially the higher end ones, took more covid precautions.
Kusakabe was always a noteworthy restaurant and I definitely took too long in making an effort to eat there. At this point, they had already earned their Michelin star and the prices had gone up what felt like significantly. So, we had to go and see - was it worth the price? Every year it went up a little more. I figured it was now or never!
Since it was a birthday celebration, we started off with some champagne: Brut Rose Billecart-Salmon Champagne. Thank you, yet again, Nakazawa, for introducing the beautiful pairing of sushi and champagne!
To start, we were served chawanmushi. I really enjoyed the look of it; it made me excited for the rest of meal!
This chawanmushi was very good, as Chef Kusakabe used an umami dashi. The dish itself had a smoky flavor that didn't overpower the egg. Overall, it was a very light and delicate dish. The umami dashi's flavor brought me back to Seattle. If Seattle had a flavor, it would be the flavor of this dish.
Interestingly enough, as I was doing my research for this post, I learned that Chef Kusakabe had worked with chefs in Vancouver before, and it all became clear.
This second course was sashimi, and it's a big favorite for me. Big eye blue fin tuna that was ever so lightly seared on binchotan. It had chervil, onions with yuzu, and wakame. This dish was beautiful.
The first nigiri was zuke tuna that was also lightly seared. This piece was the chutoro of the big eye blue fin, and was so full of flavor, kind of smoky, and really packed a big tuna flavored punch.
The next nigiri was sakuradai, or cherry blossom sea bream. The sakuradai had pickled cherry blossom on top, and was a little strong for me compared to the fish. It was still very good and would not turn it down if someone offered another to me.
The next nigiri that we were served, was bonito that was cold smoked in cherry wood. Very smoky, but had such a great flavor. It really brought out the essence of the bonito. If you like bonito and especially if you like silver fish, chances are very good you'll like this one too!
Next up, kampachi. Always a favorite of mine because it's a little fatty; Chef Kusakabe served this nigiri with yuzukosho and grated daikon. This was an interesting combo to me because of the yuzukosho. Usually a very strong flavor, it worked well with this.
Next up was a Hokkaido scallop and Hokkaido bafun uni. This was ever so creamy and delicious. I feel like it's hard to go wrong with any food items from Hokkaido, as long as it is fresh, and this my friend, was fresh and delicious.
Hotaru ika, aka firefly squid. This was served with a miso paste. This was not bad, but it was not my favorite. The guts gave it a bitter aftertaste.
Following the nigiri courses, we were served an "appetizer plate" that had:
* Kyoto style sushi in a ball made from duck and a special mustard
* Ayu wrapped in a wonton wrapper. Careful with the head, as the brains are bitter
* Eel tamagoyaki - this was sweet and had a very good umami taste
* Okra dashi was used to make a gelatin that had a fern in it, along with some soft shelled crab. The shishito really helped with the flavor, but I found it really musky and not the most pleasant
Following the appetizer tray, we were served black cod with jimami tofu (tofu made from sesame), and radish flower. When brought to the table, they pour a matcha dashi over it. We were told to drink it with both hands. I really enjoyed this dish as the cod had a great flavor, and the texture of the jimami tofu was really good. The dashi really brought it together though, as it had so much flavor, but wasn't an overpowering matcha taste.
You would think at this point that the excitement has died down, but when I saw this tray headed our way, I got excited again.
IYKYK
The next course was a Kyoto style sukiyaki of A5 Wagyu, daikon, and maitake mushrooms. This was prepared tableside, so we could enjoy the smell as well as watching the magic happen.
Once cooked (lightly cooked!), they serve it in a bowl. This was really good. Wagyu beef tastes really delicate and with such a fatty beef, the portion was perfect. As we were nowhere near done with our meal, it would have been a waste to be full already!
Next up, second course of nigiri sushi:
Sakura salmon with Sakura leaf on top was served first. I was actually surprised by the sweet taste.
Blue barracuda from Japan with grated shallot on top, and seared to bring out the flavor. This was the best barracuda I've had!
This was really good. When handed nori with otoro, it's always a debate on if I really want to take the time to photograph it, as the otoro starts to soften the crispy nori. I did though, but quickly, and had to hope that I didn't blur it from my excitement. Because it was v e r y good. The nori had a beautiful crunch to contrast against the otoro and pickled onions. We asked about the nori, and was told that it's a "first harvest nori" from Western Japan.
Uni is always a favorite of mine, and this was no exception. Uni two ways - one uni was from Japan (mafun uni, I believe), the other was Santa Barbara uni (which tasted like ocean). But combined, they were great!
This slice was so pretty, I think I ended up taking a few photos of it. This was a tender, melty piece of blue fin belly with a touch of grated wasabi.
Shirayaki-white eel dispatched at the restaurant and not frozen. Kushiyaki'ed and delicious. Fresh eel is the only way to go, especially if you aren't a big fan of eel like me.
Red miso with blue seaweed to cleanse the palate and to get ready to close out the night.
Since it was The Boyfriend's birthday, they put a candle on the plate for him.
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I don't normally make goals for the new year, but my goal this year is to "catch up" on these posts!
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