Nadaman Hakubai Kaiseki

[SG]

Dropped by Nadaman this past Monday to celebrate my wife’s birthday. I had called ahead a couple of weeks ago and the host recommended the kirin kaiseki ($120/person) so we didn’t spend anytime looking at the menu when we got there:

1st Course - Started off with a selection of 5 appetizers
- teriyaki duck breast
- shitake caps stuffed with some sort of tofu stuffing and fried tempura style
- cooked garden snail presented in it’s shell; the waitress described it as a whelk
- omelet topped with sea urchin and freshly grated wasabi
- lastly what looked like baby moray eels and shreds of wakame seaweed in yuzu broth.
The most interesting for me was the baby eels, there were about 10-15 of them in the bowl whole probably about 3-4” long and .25 - .5” wide each almost resembling noodles, texture was firm noodle like but slippery very interesting. I liken them to angulas

2nd course - Sea bass cut ala bone cutting anago style, in clear bonito broth topped with thinly sliced scallions and red pepper

3rd course – Sashimi, tuna, kanpachi, huge amaebi, red snapper. All very good but I especially enjoyed the oily kanpachi and the humongous amaebi which was butterflied and partially cooked.

4th course – cruchy bamboo shoots and wakame in a bonito broth.

5th course – Steak cooked on hot stone. Rib eye steak cut into cubes and lightly seasoned with black pepper and salt. Simple yet tasty

6th course – chawan mushi, with chicken shrimp, gingko nuts, shitake and topped with a fan of shark’s fin. Wonderful soft, silky custard texture.

7th course – Rice cooked with bamboo shoots in traditional cast iron pot and served with miso soup and pickles.

Dessert – coffee jelly topped with custard; and green tea ice cream

Given that this was my first kaiseki dinner, overall I felt that the meal was very good, not spectacular but very good and different from anything I’ve ever had at a Japanese restaurant. The only complain I had is that the later courses could have been more creative / exotic.

Next on my list is a trip to Sugiyama…

[ltjbukem]

hi, is each room a private tatami room? how is it set up? room for prob. only 40 people or so?

thanks
kenny

[SG]

Just found the name of the eels I described, from Japan times

"..Noresore are undeveloped anago (conger eel). They are 4-6 cm in length, transparent, flat and have no bones. Anago can grow to as big as 1 meter, but after the larval stage, they float around near the surface of the ocean for up to two years before beginning to look like true eels. Available in the late spring, fresh noresore are simple to prepare. Just toss in a vinegary sauce or wrap with nori and serve over sushi rice, and you have a unique dish that can also be a conversation piece.

When you buy noresore, make sure that they are still clear -- cloudiness indicates freshness has been lost. Rinse them in cool water and store in the refrigerator until serving, preferably the same day..."