Peter Verey

French food in the hands of Japanese chefs is one of my fav fine dining genres , however this leant a little more bistro than I anticipated.
Fact is there was nothing wrong with the meal whatsoever just a case of my expectations not being correct .

A grilled Spanish carabinero prawn was full of flavour and the sourdough bread helped greatly in mopping up the juices .

3 fine specimens of white asparagus were paired with a white miso espuma , a satisfying if not exciting dish .

Cuttlefish tartare were bound and formed into balls and deep fried with kataifi pastry . Perhaps this dish was a nod to HK street food. I must confess I prefer the local HK cuttlefish paste balls but did enjoy this dish regardless .

Last course was a solid puck of braised monkfish with a ragu of barley , chorizo , green olive and fish broth. This was perfect Provençal comfort food . Less

Came to Shanghai but had outstanding Cantonese food @102house_shanghai .

Originating from Foshan, the restaurant opened in Shanghai in 2021 and has allready obtained Michelin ⭐️ ⭐️ and a 40th ranking in Asia’s 50 best .

The only option is a seasonal set menu which last night ran to 21 dishes over 12 courses .

While most dishes were familiar to me and I have seen them on menus in HK or Macau , the quality of the execution was eye opening. In particular all the stir fry dishes were judged to the optimum level , with proteins and vegetables supremely tender , juicy and flavourful.

Photos attached represent some of my favourite courses .

Deep fried caul fat surrounded a jumble of oysters and mushrooms , the rough texture of the caul far wrapping gave terrific texture .

Pigeon and scallop was a stir fry combo that I haven’t encountered, the pigeon was juicy and slippery , the scallop supple and sweet .

Wok fried shrimp was served with Chinese onion and sweet peas , clean and fresh .

The Lobster with shrimp roe was one of the best examples of lobster cooking I have ever had , the meat just seperated from the shell and was juicy yet cooked thru .

Crispy chicken was deep fried but also deeply smoked for a great contrast .

Sweet and sour pork is the signature dish , the pork is pork belly and is crisp as glass, the fruit changes seasonally while it was pineapple on this occasion , other variations feature peach, ginger and strawberry.

A coral grouper was cooked with mild shrimp paste , ginger and tofu skin , fun dish to get messy with .

The final savoury course was were rice noodles in fish broth and geoduck , milky and cleansing .

Full menu in comments .. Less

A fun yakitori spot in Chinatown , Kono uses Amish chickens which are grown to up to 3kg resulting in large thighs and good amounts of fat , the chef here can break a chicken down into 52 unique skewers for yakitori. Seasoning is generally quite judicious and cooking is a little lighter than experienced in Osaka .

Favs were the chicken tail skewer which was vastly different to the previous fried tail “nuggets” and the soft kneebone where you bite through the cartilage but the surrounding flesh is ridiculously juicy .

Torigara with sudaichi and matsutake
Tofu and pumpkin custard with shiso and yuzu and oscetra caviar
Bonjiri/ fried chicken tail
Monaka with chicken liver pate and summer truffles

Bonjiri - chicken tail
Chicken heart
Kashiwa - inner chicken thigh
Soft kneebone
Manganji peppers
Harami - chicken belly
Chicken oyster wrapped in skin
Grilled fig with white miso
Kushikatsu with apple compote
Chicken thigh and duck breast Tsukune
Chicken wing
Chicken shoulder
Udon with fortified chicken broth
Black sugar creme brûlée Less

When you go to Shanghai and while having lunch you find out that the chef from said restaurant will be in Macau next week 🤦‍♂️. ( Go check out the 4 hand dinner at Imperial Court April 26-28 )

But no regrets as was a delicious lunch @meetthebund.2019 .

Specialising in Fujian cuisine , loved the clarity of flavour in all the dishes .

Small Fujian surf clams were flavour packed with a chilli vinegar dressing , could happily slurp up dozens.

Chilled tofu skin with Celtuce was a super refreshing starter .

Angus beef was cooked with dry spices and mixed with a tangle of chilli threads and dried tangerine peel . Sweet and spicy ..

Miniature grouper was served 2 ways , first in a porridge that was so velvety , it really gave New England chowder vibes and was delicious .
Secondly the grouper was briefly scalded with hot oil and served atop a bed of seaweed , quality ingredient led cooking .

Finally a “mystery “ green veg stir fried with red pepper and garlic , great fragrance and the vegetable was perfectly set . Less

I last had @elzer.olivier ‘s food at his previous restaurant concept Seasons ( now with a branch in Taiwan ) in 2015 . Fair to say that @lenvolhk is a completely different style of dining and the execution is first class .

Razor clams and caviar kick off the meal , a very pleasant mouthful and I particularly enjoyed the pressed caviar cream that serves as the base of the dish and really lengthens the flavours on the palate .

The signature dish is Hokkaido Uni with Sicilian gamberoni and crispy fennel , it is a worthy signature, if I had to have a quibble it is simply the power of the chive garnish , the allium essence does interfere a little with the other delicate flavours.

A morel and veal tarte tatin is next paired with a limousin veal sweetbread and yellow wine sauce . This is exactly as delicious as it reads on the menu and anytime I see sweetbread as an option I am beyond excited .

Sea bass is coated with a tomato sauce blended with Tel Aviv spice mix , a burrata sauce , eggplant puree and confit garlic . Very familiar Mediterranean flavours delivered with aplomb .

A duo of Australian F9 Wagyu oyster blade is the last savoury course , one half is charcoal grilled with a vadouvan sauce , but I particularly enjoyed the braised section with potato purée .

The cheese course supplement is a must , I chose all the strongest funkiest cheeses , and the Munster finished with a plum vinegar rind is a must order .

Pre dessert was a unique hibiscus and grapefruit combination.

Before a classic Sicilian Pistachio soufflé with La Gauloise liqueur ice cream , faultless . Less

Yakitori is always a fun time and enjoyed the slick and friendly vibe at Yakitori Ichimatsu in Osaka . The menu doesn’t dig too deep into the “stranger things “ and plays a pretty straight bar with the main cuts . Loved both versions of Tsukune , and the chicken wing tasted as spectacular as it looked .

Ricotta cheese with chicken soup
Chicken breast with wasabi
Chicken shoulder
Quail egg
Chicken prosciutto
Chicken wing
Shine muscat
Chicken pate sando
Smoked pumpkin soup
Tsukune with charcoal and 5 spice powder
Chicken neck
Chicken thigh and breast in ponzu
Chicken gizzard
Japanese omelette
Duck breast with sancho pepper sauce
Chicken heart
Tsukune
Chicken rice Less

Final meal in Tokyo was @aca_kyoto_tokyo , an addition to the itinerary due to a late invite from @jtfoodcation 🙏.
I was thrilled to obtain the opportunity to visit a legendary restaurant where bookings are close to impossible.

It was the best meal of the trip .

Spanish cuisine thru a Japanese lens and Japanese ingredients , only 2 ingredients are from Spain ( Serrano ham and saffron ) . Cooking largely over fire is precise , service is warm and Chef was happy to have a long chat at the conclusion of the meal .

Teleport me back !

Spanish mackerel with sherry vinegar and nasturtium - Sawara is perfectly opaque , glazed with sherry vinegar , the sharpness balances the fatty fish .

Kohada, tomato bread , oba leaf - signature dish , the Kohada is cured less than in Sushiyas , the tomato bread and oba bring the freshness .

Squid ink paella with aka uni - as mentioned am loving Aka uni season , this was a great contrast of creamy and sweet with earthy and saline .

Kinome leaf , leek , ayu , crepe - ayu “wraps” seem to be a thing , and I subscribe to that trend .

Fig , with almond and garlic sauce - this one blew me away , fig with a crema from white gazpacho ingredients, amazing marriage .

Garlic Prawn and shark fin - the traditional gambas fish has the addition of sharks fin which really took on the flavours of the sauce .

Serrano ham consommé with Yunnan matautake . Salty and balanced .

Beef fillet from shirame with togarashi peppers - choice of two beef options and we all chose both . I rarely order fillet but this was brilliant with the charcoal flavour .

Matsusaka Sirloin with sancho pepper - again perfect simplicity .

Kegani crab paella with sancho aioli - the sancho aioli was a crowd pleaser , signature dish for a reason .

Goat milk ice cream and olive oil - loved this , local olive oil that the ACA team picks and makes themselves with deeply creamy ice cream . Less

Have had a lot of fine dining meals in Japan now and still haven’t had Tempura !! . This was the closest available option on a public holiday Monday , a Kaiseki/ tempura hybrid. Armed with a Michelin ⭐️ Ginza Kitagawa is from the lineage of Ginza Shinohara but has a greater focus on Tempura .
I ended up enjoying the non-tempura courses more but did enjoy the creativity across the meal .

Hassun - consisted of preparations of shin ika , hamo , tubogai and akigai .
Kuruma ebi tempura
Kyoto eggplant tempura
Matsutake and Suppon soup
Kashiage with green onion
Katsuo with mayonnaise and alium sauce
Black pepper hida beef
Amadai tempura with dashi
Tenbara rice
Matsutake rice
Egg tempura rice
Tempura sweet potato with lemon sherbet ice Less

Kurosaki was my favourite meal of my February visit . I was too slow to grab a spot with @jtfoodcation this time around , but did swoop on a late cancellation for the 2nd counter/ private room . The ingredients used between the two appear largely the same ( did miss out on one premium uni due to limited supply ) , the main difference is simply missing out on the aura of chef Kazumi Kurosaki at the main counter .
Have absolutely zero regrets and only minimal FOMO and definitely recommend the 2nd counter with much enthusiasm.

Highlights of the meal was an incredibly crispy Unagi that gave me Suckling Pig feels .
Terrific and wildly different Murasaki and aka uni .
Kawahagi was both chewy and smooth
Kohada simply because it’s my fav every time
Kegani crab chawanmushi is a great mid course change of pace .
And the incredibly dense yet somehow tender Shin Ika

Murasaki uni
Braised hamo
Abalone with kimo sauce

Kawahagi
Tairagai
Unagi
Kohada
Kuruma ebi
Kegani crab chawanmushi
Ikura
Awaja Shima aka uni
Shin-ika
Otoro
Akami
Chutoro
Shin- Ika geso
Kuruma ebi head
Anago
Kanpyo roll
Tamago Less

Despite 2 Michelin stars and a high Tabelog rating I was somehow unprepared for how good Myoujyako would be .
An effortlessly minimalist space which does well to hone in on the concept of purity that transcends the menu. Water is a big feature with 2 courses relying purely on sea water as the flavour agent . Zero dashi is used .
We start off with the essence of Myoujyaku , sweet potato boiled in water and salt. The potato is firm yet very tender and the water has taken on a lot of its sweetness.
Gently cooked pike eel is paired with chrysanthemum petals , beautiful and satisfying .
Sashimi course is outstanding , octopus whose skin has been meticulously removed rendering it into a stunning albino colour . The protein has been very lightly cooked but still feels raw, it’s cut in a way to relax the tissues and give a satisfying melting bite , it tastes like raw lobster, an absolutely masterful dish.
Accompanied by two textures of sea bream , also excellent but it’s hard not to be fixated on the Octopus.
Today’s soup is sea water with whelk , clam and winter melon . The additional ingredients reign in the salinity .
Beautifully grilled Amberjack is served with perilla and green onion , love the piquancy of the relish .
Haven’t been a big fan of Turtle in the past but this may start to convert me , texture and flavour reminded me of fish maw and was set with a ginkgo nut cream which also elevated another ingredient that I am not that fond of .
The signature dish is the ayu hand roll , first the head and bones are placed on a super thin egg white crepe , the ayu is then grilled and placed onto the crepe hissing as it releases its steam, you then wrap up the crepe like an envelope . Awesome !
A palate cleanser of sorts follows , multiple marinated chilled fruit ( grapes, fig, peach,persimmon,Asian pear, walnut ) .
Fried dish is again a creative success , edamame paste encasing Bottarga , vegetal and salty .

Continued in comments .. Less