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We're meeting up with Geruhage for dinner in Roppongi, so I thought Foursheets and I could get there a little early and take in the Christmas lights at
Roppongi Hills. The tree lights along Keyakizaka-dori (けやき坂通り) have always been pretty, and since Foursheets keeps reminding me that we don't take enough photos together, this would seem to be a good time to do it. We started with the lights on the podium level, but the gusts of wind were so strong and so cold that we had to run for safety. It got a little better when we moved to Keyakizaka, but by then the damage had already been done.
There were lots of people at the Christmas Market, but seeing that we had a nice dinner coming up, there didn't seem to be any point in lining up for food or drink here. Maybe next time I can plan things a little better...
The walk from Roppongi Hills to Ark Hills seemed extra long on this windy night, and we felt as if we had landed in another world and about to be greeted by Elsa and Anna any minute. After arriving at our destination, we definitely needed to defrost a little with the indoor heating while waiting for the second seating at
Sushi Saito (鮨さいとう). Thankfully we weren't stuck outside very long.
Tonight was my fifth visit here, and while I sometimes wish I would have to chance to visit other high-end
sushiyas to try out the craft of other masters, I quickly realized that this was most definitely a "first world problem". How does ANYONE get tired of dining at a place like Sushi Saito?! Besides, it would only be Foursheets' second chance to sit in front of Saito-san...
Female Japanese snow crab (香箱蟹) - so, so happy to have this while it was in season. The tomalley (蟹味噌), ovaries (内子), and eggs (外子) have been well-mixed with crab meat simmered in
sake for this presentation.
Baby tuna (メジマグロ) - soooo tender, soooo fluffy that I immediately thought of the Japanese expression フワフワ which, of course, originally came from the English word "fluff". The taste of soy sauce was stronger than I had expected, but this was just sooo tasty regardless.
Mantis shrimp (蝦蛄) - I do love it when I see this at a
sushiya. And it came with Saito-san's signature sauce I love so much that I always end up lifting the plate to drink it. So wonderfully sweet and savory, with a rounded, viscous texture.
This 子持ち蝦蛄 came with some roe (かつぶし) inside.
OF COURSE there was a dish with fish cum during this season, so I happily passed it over to Geruhage for him to slurp it down...
Conger eel shirayaki (穴子志ら焼) - the conger eel came from Tsushima (対馬) in Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県). Served with some wasabi, umeboshi (梅干し)...
...and a soy sauce with chili that reminds me of what Cantonese use for blanched shrimp.
This was still raw in the middle and so crunchy.
Then we reached the nigiri portion of our meal:
Righteye flounder (鰈) - the
shari (シャリ) was very warm but the vinegar was not as strong as what we had yesterday. The
neta (ネタ) came thick-cut and crunchy.
Yellowtail (鰤) - the
neta was nice and fatty, which was well-balanced by the higher acidity I tasted in the warm
shari.
Gizzard shad (小肌) - this was very tender, with a good balance between the vinegar and soy sauce.
Marinated lean tuna (赤身漬け) – very tender and melted in the mouth, as always.
Medium fatty tuna (中トロ) – very soft and cotton-like. This was a new batch of
shari so the temperature was higher. Very nice.
Fatty tuna (大トロ) – the
jabara (蛇腹) was so fatty...
Squid (墨烏賊) – this was thick and so crunchy, but of course still tender at the same time. Always wonderful.
Japanese tiger prawn (車海老) – the prawn was so sweet, as usual, but somehow I could taste the wasabi in this one. Those in the know would understand why, at this point of the evening, the
shari started to fall apart a little and not stay as firm together...
Barracuda bozushi (梭子魚棒鮨) - the barracuda was nice and smoky. The roll was made with perilla leaves and sesame seeds to give it a nice aromatic profile. On the palate we've got a good balance between the vinegar and soy sauce.
Salmon roe (イクラ) - with a shaving of yuzu zest, as usual, for that lovely fragrance. Some of the
nori (海苔) of the
gunkanmaki (軍艦巻き) were not sticking together...
Purple sea urchin (紫雲丹) - sourced from Hadate Suisan (羽立水産). This was really sweet and really creamy.
Conger eel (穴子) - gotta say that it was unusual to taste the wasabi for this piece, especially when there's plenty of
tsume (ツメ) that's been brushed on top...
IYKYK
At this time Saito-san started to make a
maki (巻き) but only for a couple of special customers. While it looks like a regular
kanpyo maki (干瓢巻き) with the rehydrated dried calabash inside, there was an extra-thick layer of fresh-ground wasabi in there... Saito-san called it
"wasabi challenge", and I could see from the facial expressions of Saito-san himself that it would have cleared the sinuses of at least 5 people... I think one of the other customers tried very hard not to choke... That's one of the few times when I was glad that, in the eyes of Saito-san, I wasn't special enough to be given a piece to try.
Tonight the final piece was made not by Saito-san, but by an apprentice who was serving his parents dining at the counter for the very first time. They were actually seated right next to me, and I could see how proud they were watching their son preparing this for them, under the watchful eyes of the master standing nearby. Although Saito-san jokingly yelled at the nervous youngster for being too slow - and he probably was, given his nerves - it was all in good humor and we applauded the apprentice's efforts.
Futomaki (太巻き) - with the usual combination of
kanpyo, conger eel, prawn, cucumber, sesame seeds, and egg custard.
Tamagoyaki (卵焼き)
Saito-san introduced us to Jason, one of the apprentices who comes from Hong Kong and has worked at Sushi Saito's branch our city. The boss seemed to like Jason very much, so we were very happy to see someone from Hong Kong who could one day rise up the ranks here...
As I have done so on every single visit, I brought Champagne to share with Saito-san... and allowed a tiny bit to be poured for the always-thirsty Geruhage.
Jacques Selosse Version Originale, dégorgée 28 Octobre 2008 - the nose was wonderful, so fragrant, with a little toasty brioche. The wine was now mature and elegant, with good acidity on the palate but not sharp at all. Drinking so beautifully right now. Later on the nose was showing a little savory notes like Chinese salted plum, with a hint of minerals. Gotta give this at least 98 points or more as this wine was just so alluring.
1995 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra, bouteille n° 6253/9393, dégorgée en Octobre 2006 - this was soooo savory on the nose with the same Chinese salted plum, along with some aged tangerine peel. Definitely a shorter finish, and milder on the palate than expected. Still a very nice wine, but pales in comparison to the Selosse. About 90 minutes in the acidity on the palate was getting higher. Still very fresh and lively.
As always, a meal at Sushi Saito was a very happy affair, even though I had to put up with Geruhage asking continuously for more pours of Champagne. Obviously Saito-san was also happy sipping on the Champagnes I brought, as well as other drinks throughout the night. And the other guests including the proud parents were all happy campers. As the new year is coming up, Saito-san gave us boxes of
nori as gifts, and we were very grateful to receive these kind
omiyage (お土産). Very much looking forward to more visits - with more Champagne, of course!
We needed a nightcap or two, so our friends took us to
Bar Leaf. No girly fruity cocktails here, but there was a menu that one could order from. So I took a
Japanese negroni which, in addition to the usual constituents, also came with Japanese whisky,
umeshu, and Cynar.
This was a pretty good day, and as I won't be seeing Tomo-chan tomorrow, we said our goodbyes and hope to see her very soon.
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