影片
更多
2019-07-08
49 浏览
Uo N is a place that took me by surprise. As a regular at the 759 Store below, I noticed a new Japanese restaurant had taken over the previous Japanese restaurant. Always up for trying something new that is close by, I decided to come here to give it a try. And hey .. it's been two months since my trip to Japan. I think my taste buds have gotten over the excellent food there to venture into Japanese food here.The restaurant is not a huge place but it was spacious enough with tables on one end
The restaurant is not a huge place but it was spacious enough with tables on one end and a sushi bar table when you come in. There were a few diners but it wasn't particularly busy.
I was presented with the menu. Menu is in English and Chinese. At night they only offer the omakase for $980. There is no other offering available. Which is fine with me as I am way too lazy to decide for myself most of the times.
The staff presented me with a kettle of sakura tea. This had a very light fragrant taste. Definitely different than the usual tea provided by other Japanese restaurants.
Then the omakase experience began. And let me tell you, it was not what I expected as the menu stated various sashimi and sushi items. I expected, like past omakase experiences, intricate slicing skills, fish not seen before, different sauces told to accompany what item, all with entertaining banter with the chef. But instead here, the chef takes you on a different path. A complete play on the words provided on the menu. A different interpretation to everything. Sushi roll is not sushi roll that one expects.
We started with a crab salad. The salad greens were fresh with large chunks of fresh crab meat found throughout. The vinaigrette was light and not overpowering. There were bits of tempura to give the salad a crunch factor so it wouldn't be boring. I suppose the only critic I could part on this was the heavy use of shichimi togarashi scattered around the plate as decor. It really added to nothing and was a slight waste of seasoning. Perhaps leaving that out would have made the plate look tidier.
What is a creative dining experience now a days without a bit of smoke. And here we have it! A plate covered with a glass clouche was placed in front of me. Smoke was trapped inside.
Whisking it open, revealed a next with an egg. The smoke had slight lemon scent.
A nest with a single egg was beautifully presented on an imitation Bernardaud plate that has become very popular lately as it looks like the food is handed to you. It makes for stunning plating. The egg had a lovely semi runny yolk and had a slight lemon taste. Something unexpected as usually the egg is marinaded to taste a bit more salty. But here it was not the case.
The next course was an avocado shelled out and refilled with avocado cream. At first I feared it might be too heavy as avocados usually are. But it wasn't. It was very creamy but still light in texture.
Digging in I found tuna sashimi, salmon sashimi, cucumber and cake.
Cake? Yes, A piece of castella cake. I was a bit confused by this part. I am still scratching my head at it. Was it some way for the chef to say this was a hidden treasure found beneath? Was he playing games? I felt like the song they play on the children's television show Sesame Street. "One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the others. By the time I finish my song?"
The next course was tempura. Tempura shrimp four flavors: original, truffle, salted egg yolk and rice puffs. There was also tempura green beans and plum flavored somen. Beautifully presented like a basket. The shrimp meat was fresh and firm. The tempura not too heavily coated, not too oily and maintained the crunch. The truffle was interesting and wasn't too heavy handed so I could still taste the shrimp. The rice puffs were fun. But the best was the salted egg. It was wrapped in a layer of beancurd skin and reminded me of the deep fried element in a Chinese banquet. Very clever I thought to incorporate a well known Chinese banquet item in a Japanese setting. The noodles were crunchy and were a bit like eating chips.
Suddenly, the staff brought out a siphon brewer. But instead of using it to brew coffee, it was used to brew soup. The bottom chamber was wagyu beef soup instead of water. The top chamber was bonito flakes instead of coffee grounds. For those that don't know how a siphon brewer works, it's based on vacuum pressure. When heat is applied to the bottom chamber, the liquid will be drawn up into the top chamber, blending with the ingredients found there. It is then (through vacuum pressure) the liquid will be drawn back into the first chamber.
There was a bowl where the broth would be poured into. Here I found a slice of wagyu beef, lotus, a tiny ox tail and shungiku, topped with a dollop of yuzu pepper.
When the broth was done, it was poured into the bowl. I found the soup to be a strong, yet clear beef broth. It slightly reminded me of the same broth used in Vietnamese pho especially enhanced by the addition of the yuzu pepper. Something that was much like the squeeze of lime juice and slices of chili often added to pho. There was a woodsy taste from the bonito that further enhanced the taste of the beef. Interesting was the selection of shungiku out of all the vegetables in Japan as it is equivalent to the Chinese tong ho. A vegetable I like to order when at hotpot for it's strong scent. Adding this made me wonder. Was this a play on the Chinese hot pot? Complete with the slice of beef?
The next item was rice paper wrapped grilled chicken meat and pickled lotus root. Cleverly presented as the rice paper had a print that looked like it was straight from a Japanese newspaper. It was burnt to give it a bit of drama. Crispy, it gave it texture to the grilled chicken meat wrapped inside. I think this was the most clever dish out of all that was presented. A true art meets food moment.
At this point, a yuzu sorbet was provided as a palate cleanser.
The next course was minced peony shrimp and rice topped with truffle paste and wrapped in pink soy paper. A nice little morsel. The shrimp was delicate and thus overpowered by the truffle paste addition. Soy paper was soft and delicate.
It did look like flower.
The next item was seared salmon wrapped in butter lettuce. This was the chef's take on the usual sushi roll moment but instead of nori, lettuce was used. The lettuce melted in my mouth as it was soft. The salmon was thickly cut, seared to enhance the fat content.
The next item was a sake marinaded monk fish liver topped with a rice cracker. Loved the intense boozy flavor upon chewing into it. The cracker was super crunchy and a good contrast to the creamy liver.
The next item was grilled eel on glutinous rice. The glutinous rice surprised me when I bit into it as I expected the usual sushi rice. It was also cleverly presented, wrapped in a bamboo leaf. A leaf most commonly associated with making zhongzi. That was when it dawned on me. This was the chef's take on the Chinese zhongzi. Complete with glutinous rice. The rice could have been more stickier and less wet but then the glutinous rice used in Japanese sakuramochi is generally more wet in texture.
After this, I was presented with a maki roll topped with spicy tuna mixed with crunchy flakes. Loved the soft tuna texture with the crunchy flakes found throughout.
Dinner ended with dessert. This was sugar toast with matcha ice cream. Crispy and sweet. Simple with a bit of ice cream, it was good end to a playful evening.
The evening also ended with a sparkling grape drink. Refreshing and sweet.
Definitely an interesting evening of creativity. Though the menu stated omakase, I felt it should be labeled kaiseki as omakase is often created on the spot, determined by the chef with ingredients that he deems as what is seasonal and fresh of that day. Why I felt it was more of a kaiseki as it was more of a set of dishes, presented beautifully before me. Dishes that were thought out and created before hand. Now, you must think kaiseki is more formal and traditional and not playful and creative such as this place should look up Jimboucho Den in Tokyo who does a very excellent modern creative kaieski experience. The chef entertaining and engaging. Would recommend to anyone wanting something different than the usual Japanese dining experience.
张贴
