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.