After years of religiously watching the original Iron Chef Japan on SBS each weekend and marvelling at the rushed creations of Michiba, Sakai and Chen, it was natural that my instinct was to find their restaurants in Tokyo. Sakai has La Rochelle but French isn't my favourite. Chen's dishes interested me with the chilli and heat but I thought Michiba was the most invincible (other than the German chef who beat him in the peppers battle) and his food being modern Japanese would be the most memorable.
On the 8th floor of this building in Ginza, the two of us were the only non-Japanese people in the restaurant. They did have an English menu translation and so I'm sure there have been tourist Iron Chef fans before us to make that worth their while.
Although Michiba wasn't there himself, the meal was spectacular. Tradition mixed with modern, in combinations well before their time in the world of fusion. The flavours were strong and typically Japanese with a little something extra.
One of my favourite meals of all time.
Hors d'oeuvre platter
- Deep fried scallop & yam ball coated with broad bean bits;
- Konbu seaweed infused seabream sushi wrapped in cherry leaf;
- Grilled cheese aged in miso & sake lees;
- Boiled tiger prawn with vinegared taro potatoe in saffron jelly cube;
- Tender simmered sweet-soy flavoured baby turbo shell;
- Blanched nobiru chives served with a vinegared miso;
- Fragrant new season's bamboo shoot sprinkled with bonito flakes.
Soup
- Soft-shelled turtle ball rolled in tapioca, served in a delicate bonito broth, sprinkled with chopped leek & ginger juice.
Sashimi
- Bonito, sea bream, squid.
Grilled Dish
- Grilled hairtail, octopus, tripe & steamed vegetable salad, served with a truffled dressing, garnished with salmon roe. This dish was truly remarkable in flavour.
Simmered Dish
- Sharkfin in a thickened golden bonito broth, served on a savoury egg custard with soybean-milk-skin & nameko mushroom.
Refresher
- Green leaf pickle sushi.
Main Course
- Fresh fish of the day simmered with burdock in a sweet flavoured soy sauce;
- Japanese lobster served simmered in a sweet miso sauce.
Rice & Noodle Dish (served with pickles)
- Mackerel aged 3 years in rice bran (nuka-saba) on rice with a light dashi broth;
- Michiba style "curry udon" (thick wheat noodles served in a curried broth).
Dessert
- Seasonal fruits, apple sorbet, sampokan citrus jelly served in its own cup.