Japanese Kaiseki at Kohaku
The weather is really warming up nicely, had a nice walk in 北の丸公園 (Kita-no-maru park) today.
*Update February 17th 2015: well well, 3 Michelin Stars now....
*Update June 9th 2015: well what do you know, this place has 2 Michelin Stars...
Anyway, I had a chance to try out the course dinner at Kohaku this weekend.
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| Kita-no-maru Park |
*Update February 17th 2015: well well, 3 Michelin Stars now....
*Update June 9th 2015: well what do you know, this place has 2 Michelin Stars...
Anyway, I had a chance to try out the course dinner at Kohaku this weekend.
Initially, we had wanted to book either Den (in Jimbocho) or Ishikawa (in Kagurazaka) but unfortunately, they were all fully booked.
Some searching later, we managed to get a booking at Kohaku, but only barely - they could only seat us a 9:00pm. (Lesson learned, reserve your dinners early folks!)
Located off the main street of Kagurazaka, the facade of Kohaku is simple and not difficult to find. The dining room is well lit and the atmosphere is subdued, but in a welcoming way. When we first entered, we were greeted by our waitress who proceeded to seat us after a short wait. The service was friendly and the staff were able to explain the dishes in English and Japanese with no problem.
Now, onto the food:
1. Sesame Tofu with Sea Urchin and wasabi flowers in dashi
I really liked this dish, the sesame and sea urchin balanced out really nicely and the dashi pulled everything together. The addition of the wasabi leaves and baby perilla added a nice shot of flavor as well.
2. Broad Beans and Hamaguri with Star Anise Salt
Beans and Hamaguri were lightly powdered then deep fried (Potato starch?) Served with a salt which has star anise ground in it. Since it is not traditionally used in Japanese cooking, I am glad that there was only a slight hint of star anise - which played well with the sweetness of the clams and beans.
3. Fugu with truffles, sticky rice and cream
This dish was okay for me, everything came together nicely and it could have been a spectacular dish, but it was missing that last "push". I felt it needed a bit more body from something like some white miso or yuzu kosho to add a touch more saltiness and body to the entire dish. Also, this tasted decidedly more "western" in comparison to the other dishes of the evening.
4. Conger eel cake with baby turnips in broth
This was nice to have after the creaminess of the last dish. The cake was light and springy, the radish picked early enough so it was sweet rather than peppery and the light seafood broth really help to clean the palate of any residual flavors. Lovely dish.
5. Torched red snapper with dashi jelly
Another delicious dish. The snapper skin was broiled with a blowtorch to impart a smokey char to the entire filet before it was sliced and topped with jelly scallions and myoga. Simple clean flavors which went down very nicely.
6. Kinki on a bed of brocolli rabe, myoga and seri
Grilled Kinki was served warm while the brocolli rab, myoga and seri wer poached in some broth and served cold. Since kinki has a firm, sweet white flesh, this simple preparation was more than enough. The vegetables were refreshing with no hints of bitterness.
7. Deep Fried Sea Bream with spring bamboo shoots, celery and grated radishes. (Not Pictured)
This dish was a good combination of textures and flavor. Not much else to say about it.
8. Abalone with a sauce of its innards, umeboshi and wasabi flowers.
I love abalone. Especially when it is steamed slowly then sliced like this. The sweetness and tenderness only needs to be accented by a touch of acidity to brighten the dish up, which was superbly done with the umeboshi and innards sauce. I honestly wish I had a trough full of this to snack on.
9. Rice that was made with roasted black rockfish, scallions and mitsuba. Seaweed and mushroom soup.
This was the closing dish to our meal before dessert and it did not disappoint. The rice was cooked with the roasted rockfish and a savory broth, imparting it with a wonderful aroma and flavor. Fresh scallions and mitsuba were scattered gernerously on top and mixed in at the last minute adding a wonderful grassy and fresh aroma to the entire dish. This was served with a side of Japanese pickles and a briny seaweed and mushroom soup.
The rice definitely was a wonderful closure to a stellar meal.
10.Soy Sauce ice cream with jelly and yuba chips, almonds and sherry sauce.
To be honest, I could have done without the ice cream, but that is purely for personal reasons.
The ice cream was nice, not overly sweet and had a nice variety of flavors and textures. Who knew soy and sherry would work out pretty well. It was small enough to be a nice cooling dessert after the meal.
The total came out to about 20,000 Yen per person including alcohol. Not only that, the rice that we couldn't finish was made into nice little rice balls for us to take home and snack on later. Overall a satisfying meal from a very friendly chef and waitstaff, definitely recommended for those who want some kaiseki in a relaxed atmosphere. After the waitress and chef came to the door to show us out, we proceeded to walk home satisfied and happy.
Here is the information for Kohaku for those interested:
虎白
東京都新宿区神楽坂3-4
Tel: 03-5225-0807
Kohaku
Kagurazaka 3-4
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo,
Japan
Tel: 03-5225-0807
*They accept seatings up to 10 pm and are open until midnight.
*Book ahead
*Credit Cards Accepted
*Not open Sundays or public holidays.
*Please note the menu changes very regularly
Now, onto the food:
 |
| Our dinner |
1. Sesame Tofu with Sea Urchin and wasabi flowers in dashi
I really liked this dish, the sesame and sea urchin balanced out really nicely and the dashi pulled everything together. The addition of the wasabi leaves and baby perilla added a nice shot of flavor as well.
2. Broad Beans and Hamaguri with Star Anise Salt
Beans and Hamaguri were lightly powdered then deep fried (Potato starch?) Served with a salt which has star anise ground in it. Since it is not traditionally used in Japanese cooking, I am glad that there was only a slight hint of star anise - which played well with the sweetness of the clams and beans.
3. Fugu with truffles, sticky rice and cream
This dish was okay for me, everything came together nicely and it could have been a spectacular dish, but it was missing that last "push". I felt it needed a bit more body from something like some white miso or yuzu kosho to add a touch more saltiness and body to the entire dish. Also, this tasted decidedly more "western" in comparison to the other dishes of the evening.
4. Conger eel cake with baby turnips in broth
This was nice to have after the creaminess of the last dish. The cake was light and springy, the radish picked early enough so it was sweet rather than peppery and the light seafood broth really help to clean the palate of any residual flavors. Lovely dish.
5. Torched red snapper with dashi jelly
Another delicious dish. The snapper skin was broiled with a blowtorch to impart a smokey char to the entire filet before it was sliced and topped with jelly scallions and myoga. Simple clean flavors which went down very nicely.
6. Kinki on a bed of brocolli rabe, myoga and seri
Grilled Kinki was served warm while the brocolli rab, myoga and seri wer poached in some broth and served cold. Since kinki has a firm, sweet white flesh, this simple preparation was more than enough. The vegetables were refreshing with no hints of bitterness.
7. Deep Fried Sea Bream with spring bamboo shoots, celery and grated radishes. (Not Pictured)
This dish was a good combination of textures and flavor. Not much else to say about it.
8. Abalone with a sauce of its innards, umeboshi and wasabi flowers.
I love abalone. Especially when it is steamed slowly then sliced like this. The sweetness and tenderness only needs to be accented by a touch of acidity to brighten the dish up, which was superbly done with the umeboshi and innards sauce. I honestly wish I had a trough full of this to snack on.
9. Rice that was made with roasted black rockfish, scallions and mitsuba. Seaweed and mushroom soup.
This was the closing dish to our meal before dessert and it did not disappoint. The rice was cooked with the roasted rockfish and a savory broth, imparting it with a wonderful aroma and flavor. Fresh scallions and mitsuba were scattered gernerously on top and mixed in at the last minute adding a wonderful grassy and fresh aroma to the entire dish. This was served with a side of Japanese pickles and a briny seaweed and mushroom soup.
The rice definitely was a wonderful closure to a stellar meal.
10.Soy Sauce ice cream with jelly and yuba chips, almonds and sherry sauce.
To be honest, I could have done without the ice cream, but that is purely for personal reasons.
The ice cream was nice, not overly sweet and had a nice variety of flavors and textures. Who knew soy and sherry would work out pretty well. It was small enough to be a nice cooling dessert after the meal.
The total came out to about 20,000 Yen per person including alcohol. Not only that, the rice that we couldn't finish was made into nice little rice balls for us to take home and snack on later. Overall a satisfying meal from a very friendly chef and waitstaff, definitely recommended for those who want some kaiseki in a relaxed atmosphere. After the waitress and chef came to the door to show us out, we proceeded to walk home satisfied and happy.
Here is the information for Kohaku for those interested:
虎白
東京都新宿区神楽坂3-4
Tel: 03-5225-0807
Kohaku
Kagurazaka 3-4
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo,
Japan
Tel: 03-5225-0807
*They accept seatings up to 10 pm and are open until midnight.
*Book ahead
*Credit Cards Accepted
*Not open Sundays or public holidays.
*Please note the menu changes very regularly
