This is not my first time going here, but this is more of a last meal stateside before my move to Japan. This Omakase joint specializes in dry-aged fish of varying lengths, ranging from 2 weeks to a month, depending on the type. The menu this time is somewhat similar to the one from last time, but with a few new fish from the summer season.
The first dish is a deep-fried fish cartilage in a house-made sweet soy sauce.
The second dish is one of my favorites. Here is the braised ankimo (steamed monk fish liver) with ikura over a bed of deep-fried nori.
The third dish is a grilled Japanese turban snail, and its flavor is very mild. The broth inside the shell is a soup from the grilling process.
The fourth dish is slow-cooked abalone over a bed of abalone liver-infused rice. The flavor is stronger but still very palatable.
The fifth dish is the chawanmushi egg custard with lobster and sugar snap peas.
The nigri portion begins from this point forward.
The first is Mikandai, Mandarin Orange Snapper – very light in flavor with a light chewiness to it.
The second is Tennen Shin Aji – Wild Striped Jack – with a unique flavor that tasted slightly stronger than the last piece.
The third is Fuedai- Star snapper- Also mild and chewy, but the flavor is more concentrated.
The fourth is Aki Sake- Chum Salmon- Not as rich as normal salmon, but the aging process gives it a new dimension of flavor
The fifth is Ji Kinmedai- Golden Eye Snapper-Better than the previous snapper in terms of texture and taste
The sixth is Ayu- Sweetfish- As the name suggests, there is a hint of sweetness to it, but it is very mild in taste.e
The seventh is Kamasu- Japanese Barracuda- Very meaty and robust in taste, kind of akin to beef, but my favorite so far
The eighth is Zuke Chu Toro – Soy Cured Medium Fatty Tuna – Delicious with just the right amount of fat. Combined with that soy sauce, it is, as expected, terrific.
The ninth is Bafun Uni – Hokkaido Sea urchin – delicious and deep in flavor, slightly sweet with no metallic taste, compared to the Santa Barbara Uni.
The 10th Piece is Shirayaki – Fresh Water Eel – similar to unagi (salt water eel), but the flavor is actually an improvement, surprisingly.
The last official piece, the toro handroll, is as delicious as the chu toro piece earlier.
The last dish is the miso black cod soup, which is delicious and hearty, making it a perfect end in itself.
*They offer a small a la carte menu, so I went with the Shinko- Young Gizzard shad- medium flavored nigiri that is wildly popular in Japan and pretty expensive.
The dessert is a cheesecake they make in-house with locally sourced ingredients.
Overall, a solid Omakase meal as always, and I will be back when I visit again for sure.
by kazekai8
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