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It's been more than 4 years since this gang met up, and now that borders have opened up, it was time to hang out with Cow, Chicken, and H-man. As usual we asked H-man to choose a restaurant, with the understanding that BYO is not an issue and the food doesn't break the bank.
Odajima (小田島) is a wine bar that serves Japanese
kappou (割烹)-style cuisine, and I was happy to check out a new place I haven't been to.
Bottarga with mochi (唐墨と餅) - this is always a good combination, especially when wrapped in a piece of
nori (海苔). But not for anyone who dislikes having things stick to their teeth...
Hosta and tofu with caviar (ウルイの白和え) - the
shiraae (白和え) was very creamy and interesting. Helped to balance out the salt in the caviar.
Monkfish liver (鮟肝) - steamed. Nice big chunk of liver. Pretty tasty.
Cold chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) - with sea urchin and
shijimi (しじみ) clams.
Cuttlefish, white Japanese babylon shells, strawberries (墨烏賊 白バイ貝 苺) - with fennel and a miso/yogurt that I wasn't a fan of.
Seabream chirashi sushi (鯛のちらし鮨) - with butterbur buds (蕗の薹).
Japanese horsehair crab shinjo (毛蟹の真丈) - very nice, with rich flavors, and perhaps made with some crab tomalley (蟹味噌).
Grilled Spanish mackerel (鰆) - with some burdock (牛蒡).
Charcoal grilled boar (イノシシの炭火焼き) - from Toyama (富山). Surprisingly disappointing as it was very under seasoned.
Inaniwa udon (稲庭うどん) - served cold with a nice
dashi (出汁) and
aonori (青海苔) on top.
Mikan (蜜柑) -
I thought we had brought enough wines tonight, but when I saw a bottle of Champagne that's not so easy to find, we agreed to pop it open, too...
2021 YUKIDOKE Shonai Chardonnay Barrel Aged, from half bottle - very fragrant, lots of tropical fruits here, definitely oaky, flinty, much sweeter on the nose.
2021 YUKIDOKE Shonai Chardonnay Unwooded, from half bottle - a little bit of flint. Much more soft and elegant.
2003 Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc de L'Orée - very oxidized and overripe, lots of acetone and pineapple notes.
2013 Chave Hermitage, en magnum - drank 30 minutes after opening. Really fucking beautiful, so floral with lots of sweetness. Still amazing some 2 hours after opening.
1998 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - drank nearly 2 hours after opening. Still very fragrant, a little sweet on the nose, with very nice leather notes.
Chavost Blanc de Chardonnay - very moussy nose, with some apple, a hint of minerals and iron like an apple that has been oxidized. The nose got more toasty with time.
1999 Guigal Condrieu Luminescence, en demi-bouteille - sharp alcoholic nose, with acetone, honey, and apricot notes. Later on kinda metallic like La France pear.
Soooooo good to catch up with this gang. We have a history of more than 25 years together, have shared many meals and bottles together. I hope we have a lot more memories to make together.
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