Food Tasting sessions: Ito Kacho
Labels:
food tasting,
HGW,
japanese,
orchard,
restaurants
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It's been a grand day so far. Early morning jogs, long afternoon naps under fuzzy blankets and a steamboat spread like no other. Stories like the one I'm about to tell you belongs to grand days like this.
So let's start shall we...
Dinner at Ito Kacho one day with the HGW team. Don't mind my rudimentary practises as I bombard you with photos from the dinner.
What I fancied about Ito Kacho was it's ultra chic settings, the black pressed uniforms of the service crew speaking volumes about the work ethics of the restaurant. After a short introduction to the establishment, I was charmed by its' efforts to import its stash of wagyu beef into Singapore fresh, not frozen as the former ruins the extensive marbling in the meat. Not too sure to what extent this is true since most wagyu is packaged and transported frozen and vacuumed sealed... but I suppose they hold the benefit of the doubt.
We began the meal with a tornado of beautiful dishes, the Kimchi Moriawase was a delight with the salty shrimp flavors complimenting the fermented product perfectly. The Dashimaki tamago (pictured above) was subpar, not as smooth as I would have liked with an absolute dire need for seasoning. The Namuru Moriawase dealt much better with the cinnamon fern there, moreish stuff. My heart sings a praise or two for the Jikasei Potato Salad ; definitely not humble in terms of appearance; a volcano like impression of creamy potato salad with crisp bacon strips as lava flowing down the cracks and crevices.
Moving on to the stars of the show. We feasted on platters of beautifully marbled meats. The Wagyu Kainomi being my absolute favourite. Not a big fan of the Jo-Karubi hailing from US due to it's strangely acquired gamey flavor and springy texture when bitten into. Fast forwarding the entire experience, I was at awe mostly by the resounding technology in the barbecue systems installed, there wasn't an once of smokey residue left on my clothes or hair. Truly impressive!
Taking a break from the beefy affair, we shifted our attention to the Kaisen Moriwase, following the polite change of our grill plates. Assorted seafood in the form of a luxurious spread of king crab, giant tiger prawn, Hokkaido scallop and squid. The scallop and squid dish, meant to be steamed recommended 7mins over the grill (too long in my opinion) left me both intrigued and smitten. Consumed with the accompanying sauce derived from yuzu sauce and a mysterious salty concoction; I lapped at the sauce like a happy puppy.
The other showstopper of the night was the Tsubo-Zuke Kurobuta- Pork Collar. Served up in a deep urn like dish, the large strips of unsuspecting pork cooked like magic on the grill. Curling deeply along it's fat fault lines. These were like a magic show in the mouth, melting unceremoniously in the warmth.
Just like any traditional Chinese wedding dinner would end, out comes the carb heavy dish. Ishiyaki Bibimbap, rice, minced meat, Namurus topped with shredded dry seaweed and sesame seeds served in a sizzling hot stone bowl Despite my discomfort at this point of the meal, I must comment in all honesty that this was a pretty good version of the dish and I happily gobbled down my bowl with gusto. Moist all around with adequate ingredients and fair amount of seasoning made this a delightul dish.
If you're feeling full at this point from the picture overdose, think on my part. Dessert was a hit and miss for some. My choice of the less trodden Kurogoma Ice Cream Chestnut ice cream was annoyingly disappointing; the large chunks of icicles and a general lack of chestnut flavor made it a dubious affair. The Kuri Icecream was the best choice out of the lot, the black sesame notes much more prominent in this one. Sweet azuki beans providing a sweet woody accent to the composition.
Ito Kacho Yakiniku may be quite a stretch on the wallet for most, but if you're yearning for a luxurious affair of delicious wagyu combined with an addictive smoky flavor then this will be a definite recommendation from me.
333A Orchard Road
#04-08/09 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: 6836 0111
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2 comments:
Phone number only shows 7 numbers. You might want to change that.
thank you anonymous for informing me. I've made the necessary changes.
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