【2025.06 Men's Date♪】After heading right from the Tokyo Midtown intersection towards Tokyo Midtown, you’ll find a fusion Cantonese restaurant in the basement of a building at the corner of a slightly curved intersection. I was invited here about two years ago and quickly became a fan, so I did everything I could to secure a reservation and found friends to share the cost for a guys' date! (← Is it a half-hearted date?)The chef sends explanations of the menu, which allows me to focus on savoring the dishes without taking notes, and I truly appreciate that! --- Below are the chef's explanations and my impressions ---**May and June 2026 Menu** For the early summer menu in May and June, the focus is on creating a balance of flavors throughout the course using aromas. The emphasis is on the various umami flavors of the ingredients, particularly the sweetness that directly connects to taste.**Water used in the course:** 1. Shizuoka Kannon Hot Spring Water 2. Kagoshima Tarumizu Hot Spring Water 3. Pai Water 4. Fukushima Aizuwakamatsu Natural Carbonated Water 5. Contrex (hard water) 6. Fuji Natural Water **Such attention to detail even in the water!** ★ **Jet Black** An arrangement of Hong Kong's Ham Sui Gok, a deep-fried dumpling. The outer dough is made from glutinous rice mixed with roasted bamboo charcoal, making it pitch black. The filling includes Hokkaido sea urchin, chicken thigh, and shrimp, with Akita's Iburi Gakko added for texture. The dough is intentionally sweetened to soften the palate with sweetness first, while the filling is slightly saltier. The ingredients are cut differently to keep the texture interesting despite their small size.☆ **Champagne HENRIOT Cuvée Hemera 2013** ★ **Fragrant** Extra-large botan shrimp from Hokkaido marinated in Shaoxing wine, aged for 12 years. The aroma includes not only Shaoxing wine but also lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and lime for an oriental scent. - The aroma when the dish arrives at the table - The aroma when holding the shrimp - The aroma when it enters the mouth - The aroma that wafts through the nose when chewing and swallowing - The refreshing scent of mint and lime from the finger bowl after finishing the dish "Fragrant" is a dish meant to evoke the sensation of drifting aromas.☆ **Shaoxing Wine Guo Yue Long Shan** **You won't believe the size of these botan shrimp!** ★ **Layers of Sweetness** This dish layers sweetness, not just adding it but also incorporating elements that draw out the flavors. The star of this dish is the onion, with its transparent sweetness enhanced by various elements layered within. The strong sweetness of Awaji Island's fruit new onions mousse is layered with the sweetness of strip loin. Finally, to enhance the saltiness and aroma, two types of Polish caviar are lightly smoked and blended. The layered flavors are defined with homemade chili oil.☆ **FAMILLE HUGEL ALSACE RIESLING 2014** **The sweetness of the onion harmonizes perfectly with the saltiness of the caviar, while the chili oil ties it all together in a distinctly Chinese way!** ★ **Richness** Hammerhead shark fin from the tail. It takes 10 days to rehydrate from its dried state, increasing the thickness and elasticity of the fibers. It is roasted to a fragrant finish and topped with a rich collagen sauce made from parent birds that no longer lay eggs, chicks, and duck feet. The sauce is simmered down from 12 liters of liquid to less than 3 liters for richness. Carrot paste is added for sweetness, and foie gras is included to enhance depth and richness. To finish, an aluminum pot is used instead of a traditional Chinese wok to prevent burning due to the sauce's thickness. A touch of Hong Kong black vinegar is added to finish the flavor. After serving, Niigata's "Kogane Mochi" (glutinous rice) is added to create a collagen risotto.☆ **Domaine Thenard Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2020** **One of the specialties, this rich sauce finishes the risotto, making it a flavor-packed delight!** ★ **High Heat** A specialty dish. Simple stir-fried vegetables seasoned with salt. No meat or seafood is added to allow the natural sweetness of the vegetables to shine. (The previous dish provided enough umami, so continuing with umami would lead to palate fatigue.) Seven types of vegetables are cut using five different knives, with the cutting time calculated to maximize the vegetables' moisture retention. Each vegetable has its own character, so the temperature, time, and order of cooking are all adjusted accordingly. Seasoned only with salt, pepper, sesame oil, and water-dissolved potato starch.☆ **Domaine Félines Jourdan 2023 PICPOUL DE PINET** ★ **Thunder** Inrai, meaning thunder. The crispness of the monaka (wafer) skin represents the first thunder. The filling is inspired by Hong Kong's roasted duck, marinated in plum jam, and foie gras marinated in Shaoxing wine, made into a terrine for richness. When you eat it, you experience another thunder. The popping sensation comes from Spanish candy that reacts with the moisture in your mouth, creating a thunder-like sound. Just as Japanese people dip sashimi in soy sauce, in Hong Kong, roasted duck is enjoyed with plum jam. The plum jam is made from Kishu plums, maltose, pineapple, ginger (the kind served at sushi restaurants), and a hint of chili pepper. The duck used is Iwate's silver duck.☆ **Yves Cuilleron La Roussillière Doux 2016 Chavanay** ★ **Undulation** A palate cleanser. Kombu-cured red melon with mint water jelly. The melon is stripped of its sweetness to extend only the aftertaste. Pink grapefruit adds acidity and a light aroma. The role of this palate cleanser is not to cool the mouth but to prepare it for the next dish's aromas.★ **Depth of 18 Years** Traditional Hong Kong dish "Soy Sauce Chicken" (Si Yau Gai) - Chicken simmered with spices - Using Miyazaki free-range chicken, raised with specific feeding days. Normally, the chicken is cooked and cut upon ordering, but for these eight guests, the cooking time is calculated to serve it at the peak of flavor. The chef has been adding to a special sauce for 18 years, infusing it with aroma and sweetness during cooking.☆ **Alvaro Palacios Quinon de Valmira 2021** ★ **Chewing Aftertaste** Natural black abalone from Izu, Shizuoka, sourced from a diver the chef knows. Instead of shipping it immediately after catching, it is kept overnight in a coastal tank and fed plankton to prevent weight loss during transport. The abalone is cooked at a low temperature of 75°C with Hokkaido kombu, Japanese sake, and oyster sauce for two hours, then slowly brought back to room temperature. It is lightly simmered with fragrant vegetables like wild garlic, fresh ginger, and Kujo green onions.☆ **Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill** ★ **Main Dish (Choice)** - **Shang Tang Noodles** A simple soup noodle made with Shang Tang broth and Hong Kong thin noodles. The broth is made without seasonings, using only parent birds, lean pork, and Jinhua ham. The broth is prepared based on the humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure on the day of extraction, ensuring a strong yet clear flavor. For the first bite, the noodles should not be stirred too much to enjoy the broth. Since the noodles are made from wheat, the first bite should be before the wheat dissolves, allowing you to enjoy the clear broth.- **Egg Fried Rice** Using jasmine rice for its fragrant aroma when fried. The eggs are a mix of "Wano Kiwami" brown rice-fed eggs, "white eggs" with strong yolks, and "super golden" eggs, chosen from about ten types of eggs tested to create ten different fried rice dishes. The green onions are from Saitama's Senju green onions, cut in two different ways. First, finely chopped green onions are added for aroma, followed by coarsely chopped green onions for a toasted flavor and textural difference, served with homemade XO sauce.- **Basil and Tomato Genovese Pasta** Using fresh shiso leaves instead of basil to highlight their aroma. Served with sweet and sour fruit tomatoes lightly marinated in a tangy sauce.- **Tanin Don** A combination of beef and chicken. The beef is tenderized with spices and Chinese miso, then made into an egg dish.★ **Culinary Delight** - **Almond Tofu** Real almond tofu made from apricot seeds (southern and northern almonds). The water used is from Fuji, milk from Kochi, cream from Hokkaido at 47%, and sugar sourced from Osaka. The gelatin's softness is derived from testing various amounts between 0.5% and 1.5% based on moisture content. The seeds are soaked overnight in Fuji water, steamed the next day until soft, then blended and strained through a fine cloth. (To avoid stressing the seeds with heat from the blender, the blender is cooled in the refrigerator before use.) All dishes for preparation and serving are made of glass to retain aroma. (Stainless steel would lose the aroma.) The sauce is a fresh mango sauce made from Hong Kong dessert "Yangzhi Ganlu" (mango coconut milk). The mango used is "Akano Shizuku" from Miyazaki, known for its pleasant sweetness and exceptional aroma, blended into a luxurious fresh mango puree.- **Chocolate Gyoza** The dough is made from glutinous rice flour used for making "raw mooncakes." Various chocolates were sourced and tested for their blend, cocoa percentage, and aroma. Two types of chocolate are blended, infused with the aroma of 12-year-old Shaoxing wine, creating a chocolate that looks like gyoza when pan-fried.☆ **Total Bill: JPY 80,000 per person** I was thoroughly satisfied with Chef Hayato's innovative course! It's definitely worth the trip from Nagoya to Tokyo for this Chinese cuisine, and I will keep coming back! (*≧∀≦*)