After a summer full of refreshing awesome surprises at Omakase@Stevens, I'm back at Omakase@Stevens to experience the new surprises Chef Kazuki Arimoto created for this autumn. And yes, this autumn is better than ever, where the beautiful, complex flavours of autumn is expressed uniquely through harmonious juxtapose of earthy, deep, uplighting, mellow and vegetal flavours. I'm amazed that this autumn dishes can showcase totally different yet still distinctive tastes.
Maitake with Prosciutto and Hollandaise amazes me on how good maitake can taste. The earthy goodness of the mushroom is lifted up to taste slightly refreshing by a touch of creamy tart yet mellow taste. This dish speaks of autumn with the soft cool breeze. The pine nuts adds the extra texture and earthy taste to make it better.
Bonito and Fourme d'Ambert, a kind of French Blue Cheese, sandwiched within Monaka, a kind of Japanese rice wafer, makes me widen my eyes in amazement at first bite. There is this amazing creamy umami resulted from the nutty, milky pungency of the French blue cheese balancing the warmness of the bonito taste. I never know bonito can taste this good, where this Japanese ingredient can actually taste French. This snack is like the best blue cheese dish I ever have.
Wagyu with Black Garlic features a lovely warm soft sweetness that lingers on the palates, with the depth added from buttery pastry taste of the shell. Fig adds a splash of refreshing element to lift up the taste. Oh so good.
Sweet Prawn with Caviar and Eggplant tastes surprisingly refreshing yet grounded at the same time. The finely chopped green apples adds a nice crunchiness to highlight the creamy sweetness from the combination of ama ebi, caviar and eggplant. An earthy umami from the ama ebi developed when contrasting with the touch of zest packed within. Absolutely love this.
Hotate, Tonburi, Horseradish, Chive, Kombu, Ayu sauce that takes a year to make and basil sauce come together to surprise me on how good and different scallop can taste. The extra vegetal, almost herbal pungency of the vegetables transforms the mild briny sweetness of the scallop into unique sweetness that I love so much. The scallop is perfectly seared to introduce the earthy taste through the seared surface. Even the cute deep fried potato balls make a difference to the taste.
Amadai topped with Dry Shiitake, Sudachi skin, chrysanthemum, myoga tastes surprisingly earthy despite being light on palates, completed with a touch of briny sweetness from the fish. Ginko Nuts do the heavy lifting here to add an unique element that make the taste more complex and amazing. This dish tastes warm and comforting at the same time. The juxtapose of crispy deep fried scales and succulent flesh is awesome, as always.
Wagyu from Osaka is super, super juicy and buttery that makes me go, “Wow!” It has the luxurious meaty sweetness, made complex and exciting by the Madeira and Red Miso.
The lovely herbal smell of parsley immediately fills the air the moment clay pot with donabe is opened. This adds a hint of freshness to the starchy, fluffy rice, briny sweet ikura and salmon, making the donabe such a hearty yet indulgent treat.
Chestnut, grated, with White Bean and Wasanbon is powdery in texture and earthy in taste. This is such an amazing and unique combination, and it totally works.
Japanese Ringo paired with Sweet Potato and Calvados yields an Apple dessert that tastes so warm, earthy and delicious.
The petite fours in form of Yananashi pear and Persimmon that tastes so sweet, refreshing and are full of floral aroma. The plum wine gummy and dark chocolate are winner as usual.
Thoughts: Mellow Deep Beautiful Flavours
30 Stevens Road #01-03
