Ryugin Tokyo

May 2014

Ryugin Tokyo  - 3 Michelin Stars

 

Amandine De Sousa played her part as Maitre ‘D/Server at this exceptional restaurant with consummate skill and an air of the ‘exotique’; her detailed knowledge of each dish as it was brought to the table held this Oriental  feast of delicacies together with a comfortable continuity, the provenence of key elements slipped off her tongue like silken words of delight and fanned the flames of my excitement as I knew I was enjoying the very best that this very different, interesting and ancient country had to offer. My menu this evening was entitled “Plating the Prodigality of Japanese Nature...” and was ceremoniously handed to me, duly signed by the Master himself at the end of the evening as I was ushered to my waiting car. A gracious and very civilised send off indeed and one to be remembered for a long time.

As with so many things in Japan, Nihon Ryori Ryugin Restaurant is small in size, seating a mere 24 people, yet offering so much space between tables. There was enough room to breathe, to converse and to not be distracted by the goings on at other tables. The balance seemed right, the acoustics well considered and the sense of style understated yet so quintessentially Japanese. When booking you are asked not to wear perfume or heavy scents during your visit so as not to overpower the tastes and smells of the meal.  In pursuit of perfection....

I knew this evening was going to be special, I expected it to be so; after all this is a Michelin 3 Star establishment with a reputation extending around the world and currently holding the position of No.33 in the World’s Top 50.  To my delight there were no noisy Westerners – certain nationalities are known to speak very loudly in quiet spaces and can ruin a good evening in a restaurant – and top establishments are often  overrun by our  friends from these places I’d have to advise....

Chef Seiji Yamamoto’s work is that of creative genius, the perfect place for those who worship at the altar of food to receive the communion of the hot and the cold, to embrace with enormous respect the tributes to animal, fish and plant that are so divinely represented in the 10 or so Courses offered for One’s approval each evening.

The 24 seats were all occupied on this Thursday evening in May, a mixture of Chinese Mainlanders, French, Japanese and Korean guests by my determination, all floating down a river of pure gastronomy, splashing lightly the gently placed portions with a sip of wine from the impressive wine list, here and there.

It all began, after the obligatory glass of Moet and Chandon 2004 and Japanese citrus,  with a variety of sensations...seasonality, aroma, temperature, texture and assemblage. The challenge, not at all difficult, was to love this food, these dishes, with the same depth of feeling as Mr Yamamoto himself; appreciate the seasonality of what was before you, inhale and joyously bask in the aromas, feel the temperatures(hot or cold), stop in wonderment at the variety of textures and truly marvel at the manner in which it had all been assembled. Assorted Summer vegetables with Shellfish and a sip of Clam Clear Soup, cold and hot sensations together and then in quick time Grilled Corn & Fresh Sea Urchins with 3 kinds of Leeks, a cold dish. The word “assembly” keeps springing to mind when I reflect on these dishes as this is a critical component of this chef’s modus operandi – the assembly of the dishes allows for individual flavours and textures to be drawn out and isolated at the time of enjoyment, the moment of eating! Suddenly, what seems on the plate to be a very small portion becomes so much larger than life, its length and scope so bold yet so delicate and understandable. You feel you are experiencing the essence of the ingredients, the best that the foods can offer you. The craftsmanship and passion of the chef honours the food and gives it its best chance to shine.

A glass or two of Grosset WaterVale Riesling 2011 from our friends in the Clare Valley, South Australia hit the spot nicely  at this stage of the evening. Light straw in colour, dashing in presence and vibrancy, proud, uplifting aromas, good fruit and enough balance to win on the night.

The second course was called “Philosophy on the Ichiban Dashi – Taste of the Wind that Captures a Moment”. This hot dish was a sumptuous, soft yet beautifully textured Kuruma Prawn Dumpling in Luxurious Presentation as described on the menu. Effulgent and organoleptic, the lavish, rounded, glowing, worthy  mass looked almost too beautiful to eat! Alas! The fate of all food, however pretty and perfectly placed is to last but a moment or two in time before disappearing forever. Perhaps this is one of the incurable fascinations some of us have with food – as an art form it is so completely ephemeral, you must get all you can from it before it has gone! A fleeting moment  to intensify your appreciation and absorb what magnificence is on offer! It’s not something you can do with all food.....

“A Message from the Coast of Japan – Richness of the Sea, Tidal Current”. Now doesn’t that excite you? It did me and yet so simple words. What a sensation! An array of 7 plates, Ocean’s Delicacy, Ryugin style. A much applauded, lauded and lusted-after offering, this journey around the coast was a precious indulgence, a sashimi inspired gift of Omega 3;  a collop of straw-smoked Bonito, a flounder, monkfish liver, mackerel with sesame sauce and wasabi, squid with salt & lime, shrimp and ginger soy sauce with fresh cucumber and finally abalone liver custard with hairy crab. Nine small green maple leaves  lounged in silence about the platter adding more to the decorative dimension of it all. Each piece of fish, sliced and placed, each garnish, each sauce carefully matched to bring out the best of taste and skilfully stop you from moving on to the next. It took an hour to make my way around the plate, savouring Ryugin’s combinations, letting these experiences of seafood and sauce melt away, one by one. Seafood presented in all its naturalness, so absolutely perfect.

On to the next course “Exquisiteness – Power of the Ingredients”. Fig with sesame dressing (cold)and foie gras and Firefly squid and young peas (hot). The juxtaposition of hot and cold is indeed a powerful opiate, you might say, as it plays a tune of curious vivacity in the mouth, the firefly squid seemingly dancing and prancing from cheek to cheek.....the fig and sesame, conversely, in soulful refrain.  What Stars these two were! The squid, whole and tentacular, precocious and impatient on the plate, its verdant pod accomplices inducing an almost frenzied, slavering desire in the beholder to consume this frivolous jezebel in haste in between gobbled mouthfuls of plump, squishy peas. The textures, oh the textures, so well played! Let’s not forget the fig and the sesame, a cool, flavoursome charge to fill the mouth, caress the tastebuds and tease the mind. More, more, more.......

Western Pacific Hot Cherry Salmon (Oncorhynchus masou, known as the Masu salmon)from Hokaido, a powerful scent of the charcoal grill – Binchotan, with Okara, fresh Basil and flavoured vegetables, green onion oil and cherry leaf, basking in the subdued restaurant lighting and in glorious accompaniment atop a plain earthenware dish that itself seemed to emit a warm, suffusive glow to complement the hot salmon fillet. The okara, for all its blandness and pallidity, offered up a soft, fibrous texture so willing and yielding to the vegetables so finely integrated within the roughly fashioned balls. The special taste and gentle fragrance of cooked salmon has always appealed to me and this soft aquatic slab of flesh served that image well, the forces within bursting forth at first bite, a fine, aromatic release of smooth, sensuous flavour and taste.

An apple and ginger palate cleanser arrived at this point, just over the half way mark!

For the rest of the evening the dishes were hot and a flick of the eyes to the menu at this point confirmed that my next course was one I would enjoy with the 2005 Napa Valley McKenzie-Mueller Cab Franc I had just ordered. Herbaceous yes, with hints of tobacco, dark spice and green peppers – I hoped the grass fed free range Akage Beef from Aso would pair well with this robust Californian and take me to a place of gustatory worship in the heavens  high above the Tokyo skyline...

Prepared in charcoal, Sukiyaki style with a crispy poached egg itself encased in a crusted orb and with a grilled spear of white asparagus on top, the medium-rare ambrosial fillet exuded the timeless charms of beautifully prepared fine quality beef, offering nothing less than the exquisite multi-dimensionality of traditional  taste,  perfect bovine texture and avante-garde presentation  to deliver a truly appreciated experience to this pleasure-seeking carnivore.

A pause to finish my glass of wine, then another. Amandine approached and asked if the pace of the evening was to my satisfaction; it was important, she suggested, that her guests were relaxed and comfortable and did not feel under any pressure to complete the meal in any predetermined time frame. “We will adapt to your requirements” she advised.

All in good time, and certainly to my complete satisfaction, the next course came contained within  three bowls and was described as. “The Land of Rice Plants  -  Pleasure of Eating of the Same Trencher, Niigata Rice”. A hot dish of simmered rice flavoured with Cherry Blossom tea  and, separately, Sakura Shrimp from Surugawan Bay. Thirdly, this course tempted the palate and teased the tongue with pickles and shrimp-based Red Miso soup. For me, however,  the least enjoyable of the dishes thus far, the bowl of deep fried shrimps overwhelming the other elements just too much for my liking.

Lusciousness came next! Cold & Hot together. One piece of strawberry, two pieces of strawberry and more complemented with a delectable dollop of Saki flavoured homemade ice cream and a Souffle flavoured with Saki! A  Yamamoto special that exploded in the mouth to leave one chortling with delight. To quote the S Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Guide, “Hot and cold play a key role, and is taken to a new level with RyuGin’s signature dessert. Candied fruit is frozen to -196° using liquid nitrogen and then filled with a hot liquid version of the same fruit.” A winning sensation, a memorable mouthful, a desirable combination to push the buttons of dining joy in no uncertain terms.

Matcha to finish.

Y40,000 per person including 4 wines by the glass.