"Ao"I am truly in awe of Chef Minemura, a genius who is passionate about pursuing the ultimate deliciousness by insisting on the finest ingredients, embracing change, and allowing no compromises! I have nothing but respect for him. This is my second visit to Chef Minemura's world this year, at his current base in Nishiazabu, "Ao." I can't help but drool at the thought of what new sensations and delights await me this time...This year, I visited Ao after a little detour! Of course, in between, I enjoyed the Petit Dessert Course at Tearoom by Ao three times. Thankfully, I didn't face any issues like last time when I had a back injury, and I arrived at "Ao" with plenty of time after a leisurely walk from Hiroo Station. Just as I arrived, Chef Minemura came out to greet me!Now, I am excited to fully savor Chef Minemura's world at "Ao" along with a wonderful special wine pairing.◆ Tonight's Table at Ao Vol. 2201 ~Cutting-edge craftsmanship from the Yamagata Yoshitaka Knife Shop~⭐︎ Henriot Cuvee Emma 2013 Vintage ◉ From Ehime, a 2.0 kg Hamo (pike eel) prepared with a clear consomme → As I awaited the first dish with a refreshing bubbly, I was treated to a luxurious consomme made from the bones and head of the wonderful Hamo delivered by Mr. Fujimoto. The Hamo was cut into rice grain-sized pieces with a finely honed knife and gently simmered in a low-temperature broth to extract all the essence from the 2.0 kg Hamo. The aroma was far superior to that of regular grilled Hamo, and when I tasted it, the beautifully rich flavor of the Hamo spread throughout my mouth, filling me with happiness. I am overwhelmed with joy to be back in Chef Minemura's world!◉ From Fukui, a cold Fettuccine with Akaundon (red sea urchin) → The Fettuccine, soaked in the broth of Choshi's clam, is topped with the special seasonal ingredient, Akaundon from Obama. I am truly grateful for Chef Minemura's generosity in generously topping the Fettuccine with the Akaundon, which starts with a clear and beautiful flavor, followed by an overwhelming umami. No one else but Chef Minemura could provide such a luxurious experience with Akaundon! This evening's Akaundon was the best I've ever had at Ao! It was truly a divine Fettuccine!⭐︎ Loire Chenin Blanc Domaine de Berivière Caligram 2023 ◉ From Hokkaido, a grilled Sakuramasu (cherry salmon) with a rice and Chinese sweet sake vinaigrette sauce, served with wasabi from Shimane → Tonight, the wonderful Sakuramasu from Hokkaido is accompanied by Chef Minemura's rice and Chinese sweet sake vinaigrette sauce. The Sakuramasu is smoked with lemongrass and then grilled, creating a beautiful collaboration of flavors with the vinaigrette and wasabi. It was simply delicious!⭐︎ Domaine Sigalas Santorini Cavalieros 2022 ◉ From Sado, grilled black abalone with homemade butter, served with white asparagus from Korobokkuru Village → The black abalone, steamed at low temperature for 10 hours and then sautéed in homemade butter, is served with white asparagus from Korobokkuru Village. The abalone has an incredible texture that belies its long steaming time! The combination of flavors with the white asparagus is outstanding!⭐︎ Pinot Noir Limited Edition 2021 215/300 ◉ From Nagai, a bisque with grilled red shrimp, served with freshly baked brioche → First, the gigantic red shrimp! Grilled over charcoal, this size is astonishing! The bisque, extracted slowly over six hours from the heads and shells of the red shrimp, is truly a top-notch specialty that symbolizes "Ao." No matter how many times I taste it, I want to enjoy this exquisite dish again!⭐︎ Jura Meilis-Bernard Zeroine 2021 ◉ From Kanazawa, a risotto with 1.6 kg of hairy crab, served with Kanto seaweed → The star of tonight's risotto is the hairy crab! However, at "Ao," the rice is not the main ingredient; the main ingredient is the star! With 1.6 kg of hairy crab added to one go of rice, the rice is already more crab-like than the crab itself! When wrapped with the finest Kanto seaweed, the flavor of the seaweed perfectly complements the risotto. It’s simply wonderful!⭐︎ Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 2011 ◉ From Mishima, a soup of Gold Rush corn with fruit tomato jelly → The appetizer before the king of Pinot is a soup of Gold Rush corn. I love that Chef Minemura's corn soup allows you to enjoy not just the kernels but also the flavor of the cob! The acidity of the floating fruit tomato jelly adds a gentle accent. It’s superb!◉ From Inatori Namikiya, a 2.0 kg Kinmedai (golden eye snapper) prepared as Aqua Pazza, served with snap peas from Tō Farm → The main dish tonight is a 2.0 kg Kinmedai prepared as Aqua Pazza! This fish has not only grown larger with age but has also been well-fed, resulting in rich fat and flavor! The skin's flavor is indescribable! The Aqua Pazza sauce, rich in Kinmedai flavor, is beautifully complemented by the snap peas and tomatoes. It’s simply wonderful!◉ Granité of Oishi Wase → The granité of Oishi Wase is my favorite among the granités before the Tajima beef. The acidity of this early plum is different from that of citrus fruits, and I love it!⭐︎ Domaine Robert Groffier Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2014 Vintage ◉ From Ueda, charcoal-grilled "Special Tajima Beef" from a cow raised for 41 months, served with charcoal-grilled Kamo eggplant → The main dish tonight is the "Special Tajima Beef," accompanied by a sauce made with plenty of Shimane wasabi and Tajima beef. The beef was cooked to perfection, bursting with flavor while remaining tender and light! It’s truly the best steak in my opinion! The Kamo eggplant, despite being charred black, remained intact and melted in my mouth. As an eggplant lover, this dish was irresistible!⭐︎ Château d'Yquem 2008 ◉ From Shizuoka, Hamamatsu, Angel Sound Mask Melon → The Angel Sound Mask Melon, known as the best melon in Japan, is served as is! This way, you can enjoy the aroma and sweetness of the melon directly!◉ Domestic Miyazaki cacao ganache and jelly → A luxurious ganache and jelly made with precious domestic cacao! The jelly offers a light acidity that reminds you that cacao is a fruit, while the ganache provides a rich yet light sweetness of pure cacao chocolate. It’s a supreme chocolate dessert!◉ Grass-fed Jersey milk ice cream → The freshly made ice cream from grass-fed Jersey milk at Ao is just like milk itself! The rich creaminess and smoothness are a delightful combination!◉ Homemade shortcake with Sun Egg → Today, I was fortunate to receive a piece of the Sun Egg shortcake as part of a birthday celebration for my companion. I have enjoyed the shortcake at Ao many times, but this was my first time with mango! As expected from Chef Minemura, he generously soaked the sponge cake with plenty of mango juice, creating an incredible mango flavor and a delightful experience!◉ Homemade freshly baked cream puffs and canelés ⭐︎ Espresso → The final small sweets are the freshly baked cream puffs and canelés that I always look forward to! Even though I wanted to take them home and enjoy them slowly, I couldn't resist indulging in them right there, especially since the cream puffs are at their best right now!Thus, the exquisite world created by Chef Minemura came to an end. I am grateful to Chef Minemura for consistently providing me with even more delightful experiences than before!The world where the flavors of the ingredients are drawn out with such high freshness and purity is truly one of a kind! I love it! I am already looking forward to my next visit!It was a great meal! I was so happy!
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