tokyo food file

Tennen buri — freshly caught yellowtail

Tennen buri (wild yellowtail). Landed this morning; sliced minutes ago.

It's what's for dinner tonight.

 

#fishmarket #couldntbefresher #dinnertonight  #天然鰤 #魚市場 #夕食

Chef Dan Kluger brings the flavours of ABC Kitchen to the Tokyo Park Hyatt

Today is the first day of Chef Dan Kluger's four-day residency at the New York Grill, at the apex of the Park Tower in Shinjuku. I was among a select few who were invited in for a sneak preview — and, more importantly, a pre-tasting — of what he's serving.

Spoiler alert: it's really good!

Better yet, we were able to watch and learn as he put several of his signature dishes together in front of us.

 

There was already a platter of kabocha squash toast laid out for us to munch on as we observed Kluger in action. This was a great snack: it's rich and savoury, with the natural sweetness of the kabocha balanced by a light acidity from freshly made ricotta. It's served on slices of bread that are lightly pan-fried in olive oil to give an extra layer of crunch. On top it was given a light sprinkle of shredded mint leaf and chili piquancy.

This will not be on the lunch or dinner menu — instead it will be served as a special snack offered for the next few days at the New York Bar. It's so good they should keep it on full time!

 

 

The appetizer plate is smoked hamachi yellowtail, with a tasty dressing of sudachi, horseradish and wasabi. It was paired with lightly salted cucumbers — kind of like an asazuke pickle — and tiny cucumbers with their flowers.

 

There was a generous amount of smoke in the flavour mix, but the balance with the dressing worked well.

 

We then watched as Kluger put together two main dishes. First up was a complex salad of oven-roasted broccoli, served on an amazing thick "vinaigrette" made from beautiful green Sicilian pistachios. Coarsely blended with lots of herb oil, it had a texture more reminiscent of lentils, and a powerful aromatic perfume.

 

On top of this he scattered cubes of lightly caramelized sweet potato, which added colour and an extra dimension of texture.

To finish it off he gave it a drizzle of chili oil, and then grated on plenty of lemon zest. Very impressive. And substantial.

Next we watched as Kluger put together a dish of pan-seared amadai snapper. First he prepared a light appetizing puree of Japanese turnip. Around this he poured a dressing of shallots, diced turnip and diced red chili, which were cooked in a liquor made from Reisling and Niagra grapes mixed with yonezu vinegar. He also adds halves of muscat grapes, to gave an extra little pop in the mouth.

 

After putting the pan-fried fillet on top, he sprinkled on some artisan crystal salt from Maine (he brought this over with him). Beautiful. And again, very satisfying. These are definitely Big Apple-sized servings.

 

This was an abbreviated version of the feast that Kluger is serving at the New York Grill (both lunch and dinner), which also includes a meat course, plus dessert — apple pie, of course.

Add to this the view from the top of the Park Tower and it all adds up to a very satisfying taste of New York.

 

New Yorkers will need no further introduction to Chef Dan Kluger. Besides making a name for himself as the head chef of ABC Kitchen, he has also won significant awards including new York Magazine's Best new Chef and Time Out's Chef of the Year (both 2011).

Even more laudable is his strong focus on using local, organic and/or sustainable products. He introduced a number of those items to us: an organic olive oil from a small-scale ranch in California; a champagne vinegar, also from California; and the aforementioned sea salt, which is made by hand by a husband-and-wife team in Maine.

Den meets Florilège: an anniversary collaboration to remember

At the beginning of last month [February 2, 2013], chef Zaiyu Hasegawa celebrated the fifth anniversary of opening Jimbocho Den with a remarkable commemorative banquet. 

It was a collaboration, together with his good friend Hiroyasu Kawate, held over two evenings at Kawate's brilliant little modern-French restaurant, Florilège in Aoyama. Both chefs have an inventive, irreverent approach to their respective cuisines. This meal was a chance for them to pool their creativity. 

The evening actually started before we got inside: a box of dirt (below right) and much the same sign as you see outside Den (left below), except this one says: "Florilège is also cultivating moss. Attention!"

    

Our table was set with special anniversary tenugui towels.

 

 

Nobody knew quite what to expect — was it going to be Japanese or French or what? Basically it turned out to be like a longer, crazier version of a meal at Den — but in the plush, luxury of Florilège's bijou dining room it felt very different... 

 

While we waited, there was a packet of snacks — grilled yuba, tatami iwashi and vegetable chips in trademark whimsical style — to nibble on...

…while we perused the menu. Not that it was giving much away...  

 

And then the action started. Beginning with...

1. "Degustation"

Two glasses of hot broth: one white, the other red. A fragrant katsuo dashi; and a rich bouillon. Den meets Florilège.

 

2. "冷たい奴だな" (tsumetai yatsu dana) = A cold guy

Throughout, the menu was all basically word-play. Because what Hasegawa-san and Kawate-san like doing is food play. Dishes are not what they seem; traditional favorites are deconstructed or given a totally new twist.

In this case, the name is a riff on the kanji characters for hiya-yakko. And sure enough, instead of a standard tofu seasoned with shoyu, we were served a "tofu" made with ricotta; and the smoky-flavored sauce in the little fish dispenser was made from a "burnt" olive oil base.

 

 

3. "他人のそらに" (ta-nin no sorani) = An accidental resemblance 

A cube resembling goma-dofu but made with sora-mame broad beans rather than sesame, then deep-fried firm on the outside, soft and creamy (and pale green) inside, with a tapenade-like sprinkle as the only seasoning... 

 

4. "I'm only sleeping"

The customary colourful Den salad. But this one with a couple of very special extra features…

 

Such as the dirt sauce underneath — though there was as much truffle in it as earth, and the "soil" was mostly composted coffee grounds.

And what's that, sleeping in this floral bed of vegetables? An inago grasshopper, cooked down in sweetened shoyu, in tsukudani style — the way it's done traditionally up in the mountains. Savoury... crunchy!

 

And then there was a long, pink worm — thankfully, it too was sleeping... Which turned out to be a very realistic-looking pasta contribution from Kawate-san.

 

?.  "Who are you? (bonus trick)"

One of the highlights of the evening, and it wasn't even given its own number... Two spoons of pâté — one made from iwashi sardine; the other from woodcock. Both with a similar texture, but totally different provenance. Especially, since we were invited to eat them blindfolded (the bonus trick)...

 

…and also a mini "burger" of the same iwashi, served on a patty of sushi rice. 

 

5. "肝に銘じる" (kimo ni meijite) = Take to heart / deeply impressed

The word-play here, of course, is that kimo means liver. A tea ceremony sweet, served with a bowl of sencha green tea...

 

The composition of the outer layer, like the bird shape, was entirely traditional, made from lightly sweetened mochi rice flour...

 

But inside, instead of red-bean an... a generous block of foie gras.

 

Another traditional snack came with it: isobe-yaki. Normally this is grilled mochi, served warm and soft, slathered with sweetened soy sauce and wrapped in a sheet of nori. Except normally it does not contain a core of rich foie. Superb!

 

6. "ひさしぶり" (hisashiburi) = It's been a while

A play on the word "buri" — one of the names for yellowtail/amberjack. It was a deep, rich miso broth, featuring a slice of kan-buri (winter yellowtail).

 

And plenty of other good stuff besides: abalone, shirako milt, and shimeji mushrooms.

 

On the side was another fine contribution from Kawate-san: handmade ribbon pasta topped with grated parmesan...

 

All that umami! We tipped it into the broth and slurped it up, like some kind of decadent crossover ramen.

 

7. "猪突妄進" (chototsu moushin??) = Reckless (??)

Someone will have to help me with the reading of that kanji phrase — and with the exact meaning (though it's something to do with recklessness). But it's all about the first character, which means "wild boar" or "hog". Cue a wonderful dish of grilled pork...

 

...which was accompanied by "Peking duck" style pork crackling. Outstanding. 

 

8. "No rice No life"

Time for the rice course. We were offered a choice here: that good old home-cooking staple, omu-raisu (omelette wrapped around seasoned rice)...

 

… or chazuke, with fine-chopped pickled nozawa-na vegetables — served in those distinctive gold Florilège bowls.

 

9. "姉さんおつかれ!" (nēsan otsukare) = Thanks for the hard work, sister!

The first of several dessert courses, which (as always) were prepared by Den's talented sous-chef, Rei Mochizuki — the "sister" referred to in the name. This first bowl extended the "earth" theme: a tiramisu-style sesame cream sprinkled with coffee "dirt". 

  

 

10. "Coke 2"

A new take on the classic Den "moss" dessert — and served (as always) on a trowel with a layer of that same "dirt". Sitting on a sheet of Japan Times newsprint (how did she know?). The moss on top was fine-ground pistachio, and the mascarpone inside was tinted the same colour.

And the name? It's nothing to do with cola. It's actually a variant way of spelling koke, which is the standard romanization of 苔, meaning moss. And it was the Mark II version of that dessert.

Around the same time we were also served a wooden masu (sake measure) containing parched soybeans — an allusion to the upcoming setsubun festival. No faces on these beans, though...

 

11. "Good luck"

As the final parting shot, a tray filled with mugi-chocolate (chocolate-covered puffed wheat). Straight out of the packet, nothing special there. Until we picked one of those strings...

 

...and found out if our final sweet was white or dark chocolate. Whichever it was, we were in luck.

 

What a feast it was. And didn't we have a great time! Almost as much fun as the two chefs.

 

Congratulations, Hasegawa-san! And big thanks, Kawate-san!

 

EDIT: For another epic Den-Florilege collaboration (this time at Jimbocho Den), there's another post here…

 

the anatomy of a teishoku

Give us an F...  The main dish: buri (yellowtail) teriyaki.

 

Give us an L…  The side dish: renkon (lotus root) kinpira.

 

Give us an S...  Miso-shiru, with wakame and slivers of abura-age tofu.

 

Give us an R...  Gohan (with a sprinkle of toasted black sesame seeds).

 

What's that spell?  Lunch.

 

What's that spell?  A very typical teishoku — as served at one of my places of work.

The teishoku:

Despite prevailing perceptions abroad, sushi is not eaten daily in Japan. Nor are tempura, sukiyaki or marbled wagyu steaks. Instead, for most people, the standard lunch (and often dinner) is the teishoku.

A simple meal on a tray, it comprises a main course -- maybe sashimi, grilled fish or something deep-fried -- always with rice, miso soup, pickles and green tea (and maybe a small dessert) on the side.

The teishoku is basic fare in homes, school lunch counters and company canteens, as well as at countless down-home eateries and restaurants. 

There's just one element missing on my tray there: the pickles on offer looked such a lurid shade of green I left them on the counter. 

 

And for all those who weren't around in the 1960s [and those who were and don't remember…], a tip of the hat to Country Joe McDonald.

hiramasa: a rare yellowtail

We see plenty of yellowtail (seriola) species at our local fish market. There is usually buri or hamachi (amberjack); ready supplies of kampachi (almaco jack), and almost always some cultured shima-aji (striped jack).

But far more unusual is hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack), especially caught from the open seas. We snapped up a quarter-fillet. It's a firm-fleshed fish that makes excellent sashimi.

And here it is on the plate. A rare treat.