Cocktails
I ordered one that had fig balsamic, gin, and orgeat. Very sippable.
Quartet Cocktail
Delicious, and served very cold, as it should be. I cannot remember the ingredients, but it had a bunch of Matthias's favorite things, like bitters, and the new-to-us ingredient was Cappelletti, which turns out to be something like Campari.
Pommes Soufflees
A potato puff with caramelised onions inside.
Lobster Palois
We were told that it was a take on a lobster roll. It was a cylinder, with an open bottom, with the lobster meat inside.
Tartlet
Delightful! I'd love to know how they make the 'tart' shells. It looked like it was akin to a thin pancake batter, baked in the shape of a rectangular tart case until crisp, and then topped with pumpkin and shredded cheese.
Vegetable Roll
I remember tasting bright basil, but that is it.
Millefeuille
Thin layers of rye puff pastry sandwiched with ikura.
Madai - Consomme, Shiso
I mostly remember they spraying the top of the bowl with a shiso spray.
Razor Clam - Pineapple, Basil
Interesting. I expected this to be hot, but it was actually cold. The clams in the dashi were perfectly done, tender and sweet, and it was topped with little basil seeds too.
Sunchoke - Dry Aged Beef, Tarragon
Starchy and satisfying. If I remember correctly, the beef was actually just beef fat.Uni - Chickpea, Hozon
I never particularly like uni, but this is definitely my favorite uni dish ever. The slightly salty creaminess of the chickpea puree enhanced the flavor of the uni for me.
Mackerel Sawarazushi - Wasabi, Dashi Ponzu
Amazing. I always love aburi sushi when done well, and this definitely ranks as one of the best things I have ever put into my mouth. This one alone would have been worth staying up until 1am for a few nights to get a reservation at Ko.
Mackerel Dashi - King Oyster, Asian Pear
A nice touch to make the broth with the same mackerel bones. The Asian pear provided just the right amounts of sweetness and crunch.
Soft Scramble - Potato, Caviar, Herbs
So full of potato flavor, and so so good. I cannot say the egg portion of the dish was very memorable, but the potato puree at the bottom of the bowl and the crunchy bits of potato on the top? Very, very good. The accent of sweet potato vinegar was just right.
Bread and Butter
They offered bread with the Soft Scramble. Too white for Matthias, but otherwise pretty good. It came with some radish butter that I did not like.
Orecchiette - Octopus, Olive
It was served as 'Octopus Bolognese'. It came across more as a chilli paste with underpinnings of tomato. I think it would have been better served over hot rice than with pasta.
Branzino - Artichoke, Yogurt, Sumac
The fish was perfectly done, but it could have used more punch from the sumac.
Pork - Kimchi, Onion
I liked the kimchi topping, though it could have been spicier, but the meat itself was too fatty for me.
Foie Gras - Lychee, Pine Nut, Riesling Jelly
I do not usually appreciate foie gras, but it was more akin to a shaved ice in presentation and form, or a melting shaved cheese that is slightly funky. Eat each bite with all three components, and you have something that is not quite a dessert, and not quite a savory either.
Clementine - Campari
At this point in the degustation, this was the perfect refresher course -- indeed, we were told that this was the pre-dessert. It was served very very cold, and the Campari was just enough to cleanse the palate.
Chocolate - Mint
One soft and one crisp chocolate cookie-like base, topped with a quenelle of Fernet Branca pudding (or ice cream, I cannot remember which). It is quite light for a chocolate dessert, and pretty good.
Mignardises
It was one macaron with a fermented-something (I cannot remember what it is) filling that was rather savory, and a dulce de leche shortbread cookie. The macaron is definitely better.
Overall:
Fantastic, in a word. Worth every penny.
We can often rate a degustation by how many dishes I ate a few bites, and then handed to Matthias. This was 2 out of 17, and one of them was primarily because I asked for extra bread and was worried that if I finished the pasta too, I would not be able to eat any of the later courses.
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