Two secrets (not my own) that I don't want to forget

1. You can speed up the maillard reaction when caramelizing onions by adding a pinch of baking soda.

2. When you want to "puree" garlic while you are chopping on your cutting board, add some salt so that the grains help to mash the garlic.

Nitakiya Kinsai, omakase heaven

S & I were lucky enough to experience one of the best meals of our LIVES in Tokyo, in a neighborhoody yet elegant izakaya named Nitakiya Kinsai, in Naka-Meguro.  We were accompanied by (and really could not have done without) our now-fluent Japanese speaking friend, T, under the recommendation of another good friend, L, who unfortunately could not join us in Japan this time.

But onto the food.  Friends, everything was as delicious as it looked.  Because I don't speak Japanese (though I definitely want to learn), I can't tell you as much as I'd like to about the food, but I will tell you how much I enjoyed it!

We put ourselves in the Kinsai chefs' hands, and requested an omakase dinner.  This meant that each lovely course would be a surprise, and would no doubt consist of fresh, seasonal, and creative dishes.

So delicious.

Course one started off with a light, lemony broth, garnished with roasted sesame seeds and finely sliced chive-like herbs.

I would eat this everyday.

Course two was a kind of tofu unlike any other I have ever had.  It was soft and smooth, and had a sesame flavor reminiscent of tahini.  It sat beautifully on a shiso leaf, and was accompanied with freshly grated wasabi and delicious rock salt.  Perfect.

Almost too beautiful to eat

Course three - my first sushi (well, to be specific, sashimi) in Japan experience.  And it didn't disappoint.  There might not be an English word for the fish on the left, but delicious will have to suffice.  In the middle was a sustainable skipjack tuna, and on the right, two silvery shiny slices of delectable mackerel.  I am a surprisingly conservative raw fish eater, and normally avoid mackerel because I find it, well, too fishy!  This was amazing, because it was so fresh.  Fresh fish is just a different animal. 

You know you want to dip your spoon in...

Course four, and I could cross one thing off of my must-try list.  Sea urchin.  I've always avoided it because of my conservative fish tastes, and rightly so.  To quote T, un-fresh sea urchin tastes like toilet water.  Not so with fresh sea urchin, which is smooth and mild and salty and lovely.  It sat upon a silky egg custard, which complemented the smooth texture of the urchin quite nicely.

Nicer than a Christmas present

This wonderfully fragrant package was filled with grill-steamed mushrooms, including shitake, matsutake, and enoki mushrooms.  The matsutakes were especially out of this world, and perfectly garnished with lime juice and sea salt.  Five courses, and still more to go!

MMMMMMM.

This dish was a wonderful contrast in flavors and textures.  The ball looking thing was made from chopped shrimp and coated in finer-than-angel-hair fried pasta.  It was accompanied by a pepper, eggplant, and smooth pile of shaved daikon, and sat in a lovely mild salty dashi broth garnished with some type of mild yet fresh herb.  I could eat this one everyday too.  By course six, I was getting really full.

No more words.

And what do you eat when you are starting get full?  Meat, of course.  Though I had eaten very little meat all summer, it wasn't hard to get right back into it with all of the delicious pork in practically every dish in Japan.  However, this was amongst the best, again accompanied by sea salt, some type of sweet miso, and a very hot pepper paste in addition to juicy grilled vegetables.  Course seven, even more full.

See the pumpkin hiding in the back?

Course eight was probably my least favorite, but it was still really delicious.  Another ball in broth, this time a chicken meatball with taro, Japanese pumpkin, and summer squash.  I really enjoyed the pumpkin though, and I wish that I could buy this in Ithaca.  We'll have to try to find it on our next pilgrimage to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, NJ.

Like a painting, isn't it?

Somehow I managed to make room for the last meal course, two beautiful pieces of sushi.  Not sure what the one on the right was, but the one on the left was a delicate, delicious piece of anago (sea eel). 

There's always room for dessert!

Though you are full, there is always, always room for dessert, isn't there?  By what magic does your stomach mysteriously make room?  A lovely bean gelatin with matcha ice cream and a dark syrupy soy based glaze, with nutty soy powder to top it.  A beautiful light finish to a robust yet delicate meal.  I will remember it forever.