On Tuesday night, we decided to go to Chef Morimoto's eponym restaurant as we really wanted Valentin to try some outstanding Japanese food. I suggested to him not to have sushi or sashimi because he would end up with probably some great seafood, but he would not experience what made Chef Morimoto famous.
I love that place: modern decor with a dining room overlooking the kitchen where you can see the Chefs preparing the scrumptious food.
We were ready for a feast, our chopsticks out for what would be another memorable dinner in this establishment.
We started off with some appetizers that we shared. First was the Yu-burrata, the Chef's version of burrata, served with heirloom tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, with a sauce made with wasabi and sherry vinegar.
The burrata itself was made with tofu skin. It was a fantastic dish: very fresh, the burrata was heavenly creamy and paired perfectly with the acidity of the tomatoes and cherry vinegar.
That was a succulent dish where the smooth texture of the foie gras complemented well the texture of the eel, rendering a nice version of surf & turf. It was served with some Asian pears for sweetness and sake Meyer lemon for acidity.
The third appetizer was the pork gyoza:
You would never think that it was pork gyoza there, but in fact, the six gyoza were under the crispy shell.
It was sitting on a bacon foam (I admit that I barely tasted the bacon), some tomatoes and the shell was nicely cooked and soft.
Then came the entrees. This time we did not share...Jodi ordered the Ishi Yaki Buri Bop, similar to a Korean Bibimbap, it was yellowtail on rice cooked in a stone bowl.
It came with a raw egg and the waiter mixed the ingredients together. Et voila!
The fish was very good, flavorful and moist. The rice sat and cooked against the very hot bowl until forming a delicious crust.
I suggested Valentin to try the surf & turf that I tried the last time we went.
The fish was Hamachi cut in ribbons, mixed with crushed citrus and avocado, prepared tableside.
The turf side was Wagyu beef, perfectly cooked medium rare, with a nice char on the outside:
The side was herbed potatoes:
On my side, I decided to order the seafood "toban yaki", a sort of fish stew made with lobster, king crab, mussels, clams and diver scallops. The broth was made of red miso, butter and lobster. It was served with rice.
It was a succulent dish, packed in flavors and perfect if you are a seafood lover. The best part was definitely the broth that was fantastic with a nice bold flavor.
Of course, we could not leave without dessert! We first picked the Warm chocolate cake:
It was served with a blood orange-sake sherbet and truffle honey, that was fantastic. The inside of the chocolate cake was deliciously runny and a bit addictive, perfectly paired with the orange sherbet.
The turf side was Wagyu beef, perfectly cooked medium rare, with a nice char on the outside:
The side was herbed potatoes:
On my side, I decided to order the seafood "toban yaki", a sort of fish stew made with lobster, king crab, mussels, clams and diver scallops. The broth was made of red miso, butter and lobster. It was served with rice.
It was a succulent dish, packed in flavors and perfect if you are a seafood lover. The best part was definitely the broth that was fantastic with a nice bold flavor.
Of course, we could not leave without dessert! We first picked the Warm chocolate cake:
It was served with a blood orange-sake sherbet and truffle honey, that was fantastic. The inside of the chocolate cake was deliciously runny and a bit addictive, perfectly paired with the orange sherbet.
The second dessert was the mori-monkey bread, Chef Morimoto's version of monkey bread:
This was a fantastic dinner and for me, Morimoto is by far the best Japanese fine dining restaurant, far beyond Nobu!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
