Rainy Day - Part I: Morimoto
Gingerale. It’s a light and refreshing beverage. You can usually find it stored in green cans named after our friendly neighbors up North.
The milky liquid in the shot glass pictured below bears the same name, but it has nothing to do with the beverage I enjoyed(?) last Thursday.
Homemade Gingerale
One sip of this spicy concoction is enough to set your palette on fire. It’s exotic, fun, and unexpected, just like everything else you get at Morimoto.
I was here in December 2008 with Eric - it was my very first fine dining experience, and it inspired me to explore the world of cooking just a bit further. The piece of salmon I had there, beautifully seared medium rare with a seductive mustard dressing, was my first real bite of heaven. When I ate it, it melted, and so did I.
It’s become a bit of an important place to me, important enough to send my parents there for my dad’s birthday. The food isn’t the best in the world, per se, but there are just some things that Morimoto provides customers that no other restaurant can.
One of them is a bathroom that can make your jaw drop.
The view behind the ridiculously sophisticated toilet with 6 settings (pulsating massage, for example) and a heated seat
All right, time to get to the meal itself. I had the wonderful pleasure of taking a brand new photographer, Jenny, to dinner last Thursday. It was great to be back - I felt strangely at home. And they treated us like we were at home as well - I spilled my drink and got a free replacement, and they worked scallops (my favorite food) into our meal by request at no extra charge.
We didn’t take pictures of them, but Jenny ordered a White Lily cocktail, a sweet and sour combination of yuzu, lychee, and soju. I got a standard gin and tonic. (I’ve always been a fan of girly drinks, but I’m not allowed to order them in public.)
After doing the omakase at a restaurant, there’s no real turning back. It’s an opportunity to get to know the chef through his food, to see what whimsical creations he has in mind.
Photo credits go to Jenny - they were part of a preexisting agreement.
Morimoto’s signature tuna tartare - served with caviar, rice crisps, avocado puree, chives, black bean paste, creme fraiche, and freshly grated wasabi.
Carpaccio - scallion yuzu dressing
Smoked salmon with cured apple slices and a dill foam
Teriyaki glazed oyster, foie gras, and sea urchin
The sushi course, including the scallops that they worked in just for us
Steamed sea scallops
Surf and Turf
Passionfruit chocolate torte
Rainy Day Part II: Kyotofu
So nine courses wasn’t enough. Kyotofu’s been in my blog multiple times at this point, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in again. For once, I actually have good pictures (thanks to someone other than myself…). This is the three course kaiseki dessert menu.
I: Signature sweet tofu
II: Green tea creme brulee, miso chocolate cake with salted caramel, fruit sorbet with agar gelatins
Green tea white soy chocolates
I had trouble walking for a while. If I’m not mistaken, though, Jenny (who’s half my size) stomached all of this fairly comfortably. I need to go back to nurturing the black hole that should be every guy’s stomach.
Two posts, two days. I’m making up for last month’s inactivity!
Next up, Restaurant Week Part III: Nougatine at Trump Towers.
