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2010-08-08
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So I was here for a lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in quite a while. The elevators weren't working so we had to hike up these stairs - a pre-meal work out that made me sweat like mad in today's 35degree weather =(.We chose to sat at the famous counter where two Japanese chefs sat (or kneeled) in front preparing grilled meats. Presented with a lunch and drink menu only, we proceeded to study the well-chosen and reasonably priced menu.I had a tough time debating in my head whether I wanted the
We chose to sat at the famous counter where two Japanese chefs sat (or kneeled) in front preparing grilled meats. Presented with a lunch and drink menu only, we proceeded to study the well-chosen and reasonably priced menu.
I had a tough time debating in my head whether I wanted the seafood robatayaki set ($250), the deluxe sushi/sashimi set ($200) or the Beef Teriyaki set ($100) and a waitress quietly interrupted my thoughts and told me there was a "Suzie set" ($168) which was their day's special that had five kinds of sashimi, a bowl of rice and the standard miso soup, steamed egg and pickles etc. It was quite similar to the sushi / sashimi set, save for the bowl of rice instead of somen noodles and additional sushi. Since the former sushi / sashimi set sounded like too much food any way, I went with the Suzie set which I thought I'd be able to handle!
My friend ordered the Pork Cutlet Donburi Set ($98), and we waited patiently whilst catching up and watching others devour their food. I must say I couldn't stop staring at the Beef Teriyaki that was being preparing in front of me...medium-well and all.....next time!
Soon enough we were presented with a small salad of mesclun and cherry tomatoes dressed in a vinaigrette. The dressing could go more Asian...perhaps some yuzu or sesame? But I wasn't complaining!
After a while our lunch 'trays' arrived, looking gorgeous. Although the pictures pretty much speak for themselves, let me describe a little!
In one covered tea cup was some steamy miso soup with spring onions and precisely diced tofu which was yummy. The soup was not too salty either.
In another wider tea cup was Japanese Chawanmushi (egg custard). This was again executed very well - steamed to just-set, the egg was silky, soft and smooth. At the bottom sat a ginko nut, and at the top a couple pieces of thinly sliced mushrooms and ikura (salmon roe). Yum.
Then I tried the yellow radish pickles which were nice but not as sour as ones I've had. This is quite nice for people who like milder pickles. The sakizuke (pictured as the little white square thing in a dish by itself) is the appetizer that also appeared on all their set lunches. I didn't care for this at all - it had a spongey/soggy texture and didn't carry much taste. My friend didn't even bother trying it.
My plate of sashimi, although consisted of all local-favourites, certainly looked wonderful! When I was ordering I asked not to have salmon and whether they could give me something else. The waitress kindly said it was okay, but they would probably swap the salmon for more of the other sashimi that were to be plated for this particular set. I agreed, but when it arrived I still found five different types of sashimi. From the left there was hotate (scallop), tai (snapper) maguro - akami (lean tuna), hamachi (yellow tail) and kanpachi (amberjack). Not the most exciting sashimi, but all were very fresh - after all that's what is most important right? The maguro (tuna) + hotate were my favourites - sweet and succulent.
The rice is equally important. Mine was a bowl of luke-warm Japanese pearl rice which was cooked to my liking - a bit of chewiness retained....yum!
My friend liked the miso soup and chawanmushi equally, and enjoyed his katsudon but would've preferred if the pork wasn't so peppery... a bit over-seasoned there.
Our meal ended with a small plate of fruit - melon, one grape and a thin slice of strawberry. A bit sad, but we weren't here for fruits.
All in all, a very reasonably priced meal we had. The setting of the restaurant was spacious and quite genius. This one, I'll definitely return =)
For original post and photos: http://gastronomerr.blogspot.com/2010/08/busy-suzie.html
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