食べムロ
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Innovative Fusion at [Nagahashi Minori], Hiroo
Visited the renowned Innovative Fusion restaurant, [Nagahashi Minori], located in Hiroo, Japan. This place is extremely hard to get a reservation at, and it's named after the chef. The first floor has four private rooms, and the chef's table offers a view of the open kitchen, adding to the special atmosphere. After trying the food, I couldn't quite place it in any specific genre - is it Italian, French, or Japanese? It incorporates a variety of culinary elements in each dish, resulting in an exceptional dining experience. It's a unique genre of its own, courtesy of Nagahashi Minori.
1. Chawanmushi: Made with eggs from Fukaya and garnished with Gifu's ginkgo nuts. Topped with Tanba's Matsuba crab and served with a rich chicken broth sauce. The umami-rich chicken broth sauce enhances the flavors of each ingredient.
2. Kinmedai Fish: Grilled Kinmedai fish from Odawara with marinated herbs from Hokkaido and eggplants from Fukushima. Accompanied by 25-year-aged balsamic vinegar, Caesar sauce, and tapenade sauce (made with olives, capers, pickles, and lemon juice). This dish expertly balances umami, sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, and acidity, all in one plate, showcasing the chef's skill.
3. Premium Matsusaka Beef and Fugu Shirako: Aged for 40 months, this Matsusaka beef is exceptionally high-grade. It's prepared by grilling the meat at a low temperature and serving it with Himeji lotus root tempura, which is mixed with white miso and mustard. The Fugu Shirako is quickly blanched in white dashi and then served tempura style. The sauce consists of ponzu and dashi, creating a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
4. Shirako Pasta: A specialty during the autumn and winter at Nagahashi Minori. It combines the flavors of blanched anglerfish sperm sac and clam broth, with a sauce featuring yuzu pepper and sudachi. Hokkaido shirako is cooked at a low temperature (59.5°C) and flavored with white dashi. The creamy texture of the shirako is unlike any other, and the richness of the anglerfish and clam broth complements the cold pasta perfectly.
5. Kue (Kahawai): The Kue is cooked at a low temperature and then grilled over charcoal. The sauce is made from the broth of Kue and water. It's served with a side dish of Kue cooked in broth. The Kue fish has a vibrant appearance and is generously portioned.
6. Pork and Oyster: Kumamoto black pork (Mizumoto Sangenton) loin and belly are grilled over charcoal and served with black and white sesame sauce. Hokkaido's Kakiemon oyster is steamed in sake and then marinated in bonito and kelp dashi before being seared over straw. The unique aroma of straw grilling and the sesame sauce combine with the oyster's flavor to create a remarkable dish.
7. Risotto with Ikura and Shrimp Tempura: Fukui's Ichihomare rice is cooked in clam broth and infused with ginger. Three types of miso are blended, and Hokkaido salmon roe is marinated in dashi to create homemade ikura. The risotto is topped with ikura, and to my pleasant surprise, they served a natural shrimp tempura later on! Although I had already finished the risotto, this unexpected treat brought even more delight. It's topped with tartar sauce and high-quality Beluga caviar!