A bold family member joined us, arriving just 10 minutes before our 6:00 PM reservation. As we waited on the first floor, more and more guests began to arrive. This is the famous Pencil Building in Kitano, Kobe, where the renowned "Kitanozaka Kinoshita" is located on the second floor, owned by Mr. Uemura. The last time my family visited was three years ago, and it seems there were no openings since then; they could only secure a reservation three years in advance. Quite impressive!Now, the dinner started promptly at 6:00 PM and ended at 9:00 PM. I must share the details of this showtime experience.The first dish featured an extravagant amount of caviar, smoked just before serving, releasing a delightful aroma.The second dish was a chilled corn soup, topped with corn on a spoon to enjoy before diving into the soup, which contained corn gelato. It was surprising to find such natural sweetness without added sugar, showcasing the high standards of Japanese agriculture.The third dish featured surf clams, with remarkably large clam meat paired with Japan's oldest seaweed, offering a delightful spiciness. It was a luxurious experience.The fourth dish was a clam soup, rich and thick, allowing us to savor the full flavor of the clams. Although it was called soup, it felt more like a refined bowl dish. However, I must insist on calling it soup due to its exquisite quality.The fifth dish was a cold capellini made with sea urchin that did not use any alum. The capellini absorbed the seafood broth beautifully, creating a perfect harmony with the sea urchin.The sixth dish was hairy crab, simply delicious. This was a massive 700-gram crab from Ishikawa Prefecture. It seems that the ones from Hokkaido have been getting smaller lately. Ishikawa's crabbing season is from July to September, so we just made it in time.The seventh dish was Zuppa di Pesce, a soup rich in crab and shrimp essence. Dipping bread into this soup was beyond words. I am grateful that neither I nor my parents have shellfish allergies.The eighth dish featured abalone, incredibly thick and tender. While it tasted like abalone steak, the sauce was a bit overpowering. However, squeezing the accompanying sudachi lime solved that issue perfectly. What a wonderful touch!The ninth dish was a soup made from the essence of nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), new onions, and tomatoes. The marriage of flavors was outstanding, making it the best dish of the day.The tenth dish was a pasta with hokki clams and fruit tomatoes. The portion of pasta was just right, and the generous amount of clams made it exquisite.The eleventh dish featured Chateaubriand from Hokkaido's black-haired Wagyu. The knife cut through effortlessly, with just the right amount of fat, making it the best I’ve had recently—no longer just Kobe beef.The twelfth dish was risotto made with Ryuu no Hitomi rice. The large grains allowed us to fully enjoy the risotto broth.Finally, we had two desserts, including a cheesecake that was cut with a knife heated over a flame. The inside melted beautifully, making it the perfect ending to an incredible meal.
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