I'm back at Omakase@Stevens for another season! Actually, there are some really awesome restaurants that I always want to go back, if I have the time, and for Omakase@Stevens, this place is one of the exceptional restaurants that I make time to come here every season. Every visit here is full of delightful, rare surprises that showcase the flavours of each season. And this time, a meal here feels like a beautiful trip through Japan during Autumn.
The flavours and looks featured in this menu speaks of the mellow autumn with earthy tones of red and brown. What is amazing is that while the mellow tones are primarily featured in the dishes, they are all very unique and different from each other in the taste profile, making this an exciting journey. Every dish is a standout on its own.
Jose and his team are such wonderful hosts. Their service is absolutely top notch.
First of the Hassun Trio is minced Maguro perching on top of Rice Cracker and topped with Caviar and Oyster Flower. This is like the sweetest blue fin tuna I had ever tried. It has three different layers of briny sweetness stacked on top of the rice cracker with an hint of mild nutty taste. And the texture of the cracker contrasts so well with that of the maguro, making for an excellent feel on the palates.
I’m so excited, for the first time, to try Gougère, a kind of choux pastry whose dough is mixed with cheese, Nire Cheese in this case. I totally love it. The pastry looks simple at first glance, but the taste is like the beautiful intricate pattern of the cracker on top: complex and intriguing. The core of the gougère is bursting with this nutty sweetness of cheese, tempered with the savoury, earthy depth of miso.
Wagyu Egg is like a signature dish at this restaurant because of this deep intense warm sweetness of different kinds that immediately wows over my senses at first mouthful. To make it even more amazing is that some ingredients will change between seasons to ensure a surprise every time.
This time, crunchy juicy peanuts are added for the earthy sweetness, complementing the beef’s savoury sweetness and the light whipped cream’s milky sweetness. It’s magical. And parsley powder sprinkled for the extra kick.
Goose Liver soaked in Shitake Mushroom consommé and topped with Chrysanthemum is the best Foie gras. The juicy, bouncy foie gras has the texture tending more towards that of gelatin than paste, and I absolutely love it. The clear earthy sweetness of mushroom perfectly balances the heavy taste of foie gras to yield the taste of earthy unami.
Ikura and Hokkaido pumpkin balls meticulously laid on top of smooth Egg Custard looks so beautiful. And the taste is just as beautiful. It is definitely the most briny sweet chawamushi with the most multifaceted texture. And the taste actually gets better with subsequent bites. The amaebi hidden at the bottom is such an awesome surprise, giving the extra oomph milkiness to the briny sweetness and the bounciness to the texture. The pumpkin also adds so much to the dish, imparting that soft buttery earthy tone to the dish and a firm juicy creamy texture.
Amadai, which is Tilefish, tastes absolutely amazing when paired with Yuzu Kosho and Daiginjo sauce. The specially deep fried crispy skin highlights the incredibly succulent juicy texture and light sweetness of amadai. And the cute radish pillars and ginko nuts are more than decorations. The radish adds a refreshing element while ginko nut adds a bitter earthiness and slightly chewy texture to the dish. The chive oil, with its vegetal pungency, makes it even better and more memorable.
The Beef, which is from Kagoshima this time, is prepared into Cutlet form so that the super fine, crispy deep fried exterior highlights the super juiciness of the beef. The beef is so unbelievably juicy and meaty that, when dabbed with a bit of Madeira sauce, I feel a moment of "ahh, pure gastronomic enjoyment!" at eating it. The pepper and truffle adds lovely complexity and earthy intensity to this dish.
Sigature Donabe is so briny sweet and tastes surprisingly earthy with Japanese Oysters added. The rice tastes so starchy, smooth, completed with a good bite. It is so satisfying and such a joy to savour this.
Waguri dessert is really like that signature dessert of Autumn, with the earthy goodness of Japanese Chestnut, tempered with bitterness of Hojicha and the light airiness of Wasanbon. Usually, chestnut tastes earthy and usually very grounded. So it really surprises me by being earthy and yet heavenly airy light at the same time. This will please any palates.
Budou dessert features a grape feast of Shine Muscat, Red Muscat and Kyoho injected with a blend spices like cinnamon. This is like three different desserts on one plate.
Shine Muscat has this intense floral wine-like aroma, making it the best grape variety. But due to its own strong characteristics, it is actually not easy to pair it with other ingredients to be made into desserts. But the chef did it, letting this grape’s taste shine with an added texture and light feel of snow.
The Japanese Persimmon here is the sweetest persimmon with the best texture due to the slightly gelatinous feel.
Raspberry macaron features a good balance of sweetness and tamgy taste.
Gummy made from home made Ume juice is so good too.
Thoughts: At here, I just realised that Autumn is such a lovely season!
30 Stevens Road #01-03
