July 2015

Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Bulgari Ginza Tower, Ginza, Tokyo

For our past few visits to Tokyo we have been wanting to have a meal at Il Ristorante Luca Fantin. This restaurant is part of the ever diversifying Bulgari brand, and is located on the 9^th floor of the Bulgari Ginza Tower. We have previously enjoyed champagne and chocolate in the bar and can finally say we have eaten at Bulgari.

This year, on a miserably wet day, we managed to have lunch at Il Ristorante. There are three options for lunch, each with a set number of courses (3, 5 or 7) all with an amuse bouche (or three) first and for dinner, two meus with either 5 or 7 courses plus amuse bouche.

After ascending to the 9^th floor you are greeted and taken through to the dining room. Floor to ceiling windows line three sides of the room, giving views of Ginza. Tables are all substantial wood, covered with a delightful golden coloured tablecloth. Our seasonal flower on the table was a magnificent purple hydrangea. Silverware was all Bulgari designed and made.

First to the table was an amazing selection of breads and rolls. Accompanied by some sensational Italian extra virgin olive oil and Hawaiian black salt and sea salt flakes. They are really generous with the bread as they refilled another two times.

Our first amuse was two types of “crackers”. Corn chip with an aioli, and fish skin cracker with a piquant sauce.

Our second amuse bouche was finely sliced snow pea topped with salmon roe.

And our final amuse was corn crisp with smoke mascarpone cheese and corn chowder.

smoked mascarpone with corn chowder and corn crisps

Insalata di verdure cotte e crude con crema di parmigiano (Raw and cooked vegetables with parmesan cream). This dish consisted of 20 types of vegetables either cooked or raw served with a very tasty parmesan cream sauce. This was an absolutely tasty and delicious dish. Some of the vegetables used were baby crrots, asparagus, baby turnips, 8 types of lettuce, flowers and more.

Spaghetti di Gragnano con gamberi rossi e lattuga (Gragnano spaghetti with red shrimp and lettuce). Thick spaghetti from Gragnano near Naples, served with red prawns and a creamy shellfish sauce with iceberg lettuce tossed through it. A nice big piece of dried lettuce was used for the garnish.

Baba’ bagnato al rhum con flan di pompelmo (Baba’ marinated with rum and grapefruit flan). I live a Rum baba and feel they are under rated as a dessert. This was a wedge of baba sitting atop grapefruit flan (like creme brulee), pistachio crumbles, pink grapefruit segment, vanilla ice cream and a sugar wafer ontop. So pretty it looked like a landscape in a terrarium.

We thought we were finished but no. A box of sweet “jewels” was bought out for us, along with some chocolate and coffee lollipops.

I have to say lunch was well worth the wait, and we will definitely be dining at Il Ristorante Luca Fantin when we next return to Tokyo.

Bulgari Ginza Tower

2-7-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

http://www.bulgarihotels.com

http://www.bulgarihotels.com/en-us/tokyo-osaka-restaurants/tokyo/il-ristorante

27/07/2015 0

Bench Wine Bar and Celestial Chinese Restaurant

After getting the all clear from the dental surgeon that there was no problem, Mr. CA4G was in the mood for going out. With no real destination in mind, we headed in to Newtown for a walk. Our feet however knew where to head and we found ourselves at Bench Wine Bar.

We haven’t been for some time and were pleasantly surprised with the few changes that Robyn has made. The most welcome change was the addition of an eco fire. Feeling the winter chill we got the closest table to the heat.

We couldn’t really make up our minds as to what we felt like drinking so trusted Robyn to make a selection for us. I think she knows we like our Californian wines and suggested we try the Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel from the 2012 vintage. Zinfandel is not a wine we have had a lot of experience with, but as the evening progressed the flavours and aromas really opened up.

The menu is still tapas style so we decided to start with four items and then see if we felt like more. Sadly we only took a photo of two of the dishes we ordered, arancini balls and prawn dumplings. All items ordered were fantastic as usual.

If you are in need of a beverage and something to eat while escaping the winter chill, head in to Bench Winebar in Newtown.

To round the weekend out we headed into the city for a bit of window shopping and catch up with some of our favourite boutique managers. One we have known for many years is Simon at Paspaley Pearls. It is always good to have a chat with someone you have known for some time, is passionate about their job and are willing to help you learn something new.

Our experience and knowledge of pearls is increasing thanks to Simon and the team at Paspaley Pearls in Martin Place. While looking and learning we also got to see (touch and try on) some fabulous pearls. The highlight was a strand of humungous pearls named ‘The Vivienne’ and worth over $1,400,000. This strand took many years to assemble. I never realized how heavy a strand of this size would be, probably 400gr or more.

We also held what is considered one of the most perfect pearls in the world. It has also been exhibited at The Smithsonian Institution along with other famous pearls. 20.4mm of pearly goodness.

Of course there is a culinary relationship with pearls as the Pinctada Maxima oysters are also used for pearl meat. The shells are also used for mother of pearl items including caviar spoons. Mother of pearl is the best for eating caviar as metal tends to react with caviar altering the flavour.

So after a wonderous afternoon of looking at pearls it was time for dinner. Our choice, Celestial Chinese Restaurant in Bligh Street in the city. You enter down a flight of stairs to a room with a very large Koi pond, bridge and pavilion. Tables are well spaced and the room a bit dated with an ‘80’s vibe.

Celestial is popular with the business brigade at lunch time and in the evenings some bus groups and locals in the know. The menu consists of Cantonese cuisine and the wine list has some very good vintage Australian wines.

We are creatures of habit when we dine at Celestial and always order the same things. Steamed scallops with black bean sauce, king prawns with house special chilli sauce, Mongolian lamb andfried rice with prawns and Chinese sausage. Sadly only one photo as we were distracted by the koi, scallops in black bean.

We also sit in the same spot everytime, in the pavilion overlooking the koi as they swim by and occasionally get excited and make a splash. A very relaxing way to enjoy dinner.

Thanks for dropping by!

http://benchwinebar.com.au/

http://www.paspaley.com/

27/07/2015 0

Kazahana, Conrad Hotel, Shiodome, Tokyo

While we were staying at the Conrad Hotel, we made a return visit to Kazahana for lunch. This year we were a little earlier in the summer season which meant there should be a something different on the menu.

We decided to have the lunch course “MAI”, one of the 6 set course options available for lunch. Lunch set “MAI” consists of: Appetizer, Soup, Seasonal Delicacies, Main Dish, Rice, Miso soup and Japanese pickles, Dessert. I love the mystery aspect of the sets and the fact they ask if you have intolerances or things you don’t like. And while I am not a big fan of cooked fish I will eat it when it is part of a set meal.

After an unfortunate incident last year, we have tended to avoid uni (sea urchin) this trip, the appetizer had uni but they were happy to swap it out and it was replaced with abalone (my first time to try it). Braised white Taro stems with abalone was our appetizer. Love the plates!!

Second course was soup with tofu, a very interesting seaweed and fish cake. The seaweed was a new one to us and very slippery. It reminded me of the stamens in a lily but with a gelatinous bubble around the ‘stamen’ part.

Our third course was the seasonal delicacies. A selection of cold and hot dishes. Left to right tempura conger eel with braised eggplant, braised octopus and daikon radish, sashimi of squid and seabass, chilled soba noodles with accompanying sauce.

For mains we were able to choose which meal we wanted Mr. CA4G had grilled scallops and salmon which was accompanied by roasted vegetables with a Japanese pepper sauce. The sauce was quite mild but went really well with the seafood. The scallop was huuuge!

I opted for the pork stew dish which included a softly poached egg topped with truffles, rice with perilla seasoning, Japanese pickles and Miso soup.

For dessert Mr. CA4G had the brown sugar cake with caramelized banana served with ice cream.

I tried a delicious pumpkin pudding with ice cream and a white cherry. Not a cakey pudding, this was more of a custard style. Quite dense yet creamy.

Got to love a view while you are dining and in our case the view for lunch was Hama-rikyu Onshi Teien and Tokyo Bay.

Thanks for dropping by!

Kazahana

Level 28

Conrad Hotel Tokyo

105-7337, Tokyo, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku

http://conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/hotels/japan/conrad-tokyo-TYOCICI/amenities/restaurants-kazahana.html

23/07/2015 0

Hanasanshou, Park Hotel, Shiodome, Tokyo

Over the past couple of visits to Tokyo we have eaten in the Tateru Yoshino run restaurant at the Park Hotel and the casual Atrium dining area, but had not tried Hanasanshou, the Japanese restaurant.

We did not realise how popular Hanasanshou is. Several of the days we were there it was fully booked and not just with hotel guests. Thankfully, as we were going out one morning, we managed to make a reservation.

Located on the east facing side of the hotel, the room has a main dining area along the window and then to each side of the bar, a curtained area for a more private dining experience. Lots of dark woods are utilized throughout the room with trendy lighting around the bar.

Hanasanshou offered a menu for house guests so we chose to have that. A Kaiseki menu of 8 courses for around A$50. The other menus were also Kaiseki style with the difference between each being the number of courses and price.

First course out was a bowl of boiled taro stem from Kyoto served simply with a bonito and soy sauce. Very light and refreshing.

The appetizer was a plate of seasonal specialties. Fresh thin wheat noodles, sushi of conger eel, Chinese lantern fruit, fruit fed sweet fish salted and dried overnight with boiled octopus, young corn, grilled eggplant with sweet miso sauce.

A clear soup with a steamed pike conger eel dumpling was our third course. Very tasty, even though I am not in to cooked fish that much. Those little bits floating in the soup are seaweed that we have not encountered before.

Clear soup with pike conger eel dumpling

Tuna sashimi was next, it was meant to be yellowtail but they had run out so they gave us tuna. Any kind of sashimi is alright by me. The wasabi was super fresh and grated just before serving, a taste revelation! The tuna was also super fresh, which isn’t surprising as Tsukiji Market is less than 5 minute drive away.

Next up was our grilled dish of black cod baked in magnolia leaf, accompanied by edamame and ginger shoot. Again super fresh fish, highlighted with the zingy ginger stem. The magnolia leaf was mostly protection during cooking and a garnish as it didn’t flavour the fish in any way.

A simmered pork belly with a thick, almost gelatinous sauce, potato and beans was next. This was delicious and the pork melted in your mouth and was not too fatty. A little dot of Japanese style mustard really went well with the pork.

Second last dish was rice cooked with barracuda and burdock along with miso soup. One of the best miso soups I have had.

Finally seasonal fruit and green tea. Simple but refreshing end to a very flavoursome meal. Bright green Maple leaves seemed to be the garnish of the season. I remember when I went to Tsukiji Market in autumn 2013 that they were selling punnets of maple leaves ranging from red to orange. Seasonal garnishing at its best.

Refreshin grockmelon to finish — Refreshing rockmelon to finish

We have now sampled all the food offerings available at the Park Hotel and they are all fantastic. Sometimes hotel dining can be a bit ho hum, but we have enjoyed each meal we have had during our stays at The Park Hotel.

http://en.parkhoteltokyo.com/

http://en.parkhoteltokyo.com/dining/hanasanshou/

21/07/2015 1

Sydney Sojourn, Day Three, La Rosa

Day three of our stay at the Hilton, we headed out into the rain for some more window shopping. Lunch was to be at La Rosa in The Strand Arcade for some of the best pizzas in Sydney.

La Rossa is the sister restaurant to Pendolino and is also on the second floor but at the Pitt Street end of The Strand.

We arrived just after 12 and the restaurant was fairly quiet, but that changed by 1230 when the suit brigade and the ladies who lunch started arriving.

Mr. CA4G has been to La Rosa several times before, so he knew what the best pizzas were to order. He selected the Funghi and the Calabrese. The Funghi has porcini puree, Portobello mushrooms and mozzarella. The Calabrese was topped with tomato, mozzarella, roasted Capsicum, spicy Nduja, La Rosa Salame.

Calabrese on the left, Funghi on the right

My goodness!! So tasty, but we really could have split these three ways. A doggy bag might have been a good idea too. Beats Domino’s and Pizza Hut any day.

http://larosathestrand.com.au/

03/07/2015 0

ARIA And The Celestial Dance

After a quick shopping expedition in the city we decided to have dinner at ARIA. The evening was crisp and clear, with a stunning full moon lighting the night. We were also lucky to look up and see Venus and Jupiter doing their dance and appearing close together even though they are hundreds of millions of miles apart. At first Mr. CA4G thought one was a plane until I remembered it was the celestial rarity that I had read about on FaceBook. A rarity because most of the conjunctions between the two planets happen during daylight hours.

Enough of the stars, and on to dinner. We decided to have the pre-theatre menu, which offers great value. But first things first, we had to choose a wine. After perusing the wine list we decided to try a 2009 Rhizotomi Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. We like our Napa Valley Cabernets and this did not disappoint. Great flavour without being too heavy and a fabulous aroma which opened more during the evening.

Linnaea Rhizotomi Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

A concise menu of 5 items per course, plus an entree extra, made choosing easy. After ordering, an amuse bouche of house made lavosh, with broad bean and ricotta purée topped with a little dot of lemon curd was presented to us. Along with amuse we both selected a sourdough roll (From Iggy’s Bread) which was accompanied by salted butter and a black garlic and porcini butter (both from Pepe Saya).

I ordered the Yamba Prawns with smoked eggplant, pickled radish and finger lime (the entree extra).The prawns had been roasted with the little bubbles of finger lime and then stacked on the smoked eggplant which had been pureed. Slices of pickled radish were sparingly placed around the stack.

Mr. CA4G ordered Southern calamari with iberico jamon, dashi custard, and shiitake mushroom tea. The dish was topped with an intriguing squid ink and tapioca crisp.

For mains, I chose the lamb rump with globe artichoke barigoule, green olives. Beautifully cooked medium rare, with the small amount of fat on top salted just the way I like it. An eggplant and capsicum ajvar sauce was a nice mellow compliment to the lamb. Nice combination of flavours. We also ordered our favourite side truffle mash, (mash potato finished with truffle oil) so creamy and delicious.

Lamb rump, Artichoke barigoule, Truffle mash

Mr. CA4G ordered the Cervena venison loin and sausage, farro, parsnip and rosemary. The parsnip came as a puree and a delicious finely shaved crisp. This was our first experience with farro on a menu and it is an ingredient we look forward to having again. The venison was served with jus for the sauce.

We were only going to have two courses, but decided to go for broke and order dessert. Possibly not a good judgement call as we realised later, when waddled out the door. An interesting sounding tart caught my eye and Mr. CA4G chose the cheese selection.

The tart was caramel and cep accompanied with mandarin wedges and espresso ice cream. The tart had a nice depth (about 2cm of luscious filling) and was quite light. The flavour of the cep mushrooms was delicate but was not overpowered by the caramel. The mandarin gave a refreshing burst, and the espresso ice cream was enhanced with the addition of ground coffee, which gave it a bit of grittiness. Cracked hazelnut kernels and hazelnut ‘soil’ finished the plate.

The cheese selection consisted of Munster and St Agur from France, La Luna from Holy Goat in Victoria and Manchego from Spain. The cheese was accompanied by crackers and fresh grapes.

A plate of varied petit fours was delivered to the table which we enjoyed immensely.

We practically rolled out the door, into the chill night air and headed home under the bright moon and the celestial dance.

02/07/2015 0

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Cooking Across 4 Generations

Using recipes collected from 4 generations of one family

Month

Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Bulgari Ginza Tower, Ginza, Tokyo

Bench Wine Bar and Celestial Chinese Restaurant

Kazahana, Conrad Hotel, Shiodome, Tokyo

Hanasanshou, Park Hotel, Shiodome, Tokyo

Sydney Sojourn, Day Three, La Rosa

ARIA And The Celestial Dance

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