Jazzfoodie: To go back to Kaisan so soon after our last meal there was a spontaneous, self-indulgent but totally satisfying meal. We were initially dismayed when we heard that Chef Thomas was not in that night, but we decided that the craving for sushi was not to be ignored, so we plunged in, that 3rd time, putting our palates at the mercy of Chef Thomas’ skilled associates. We had a good time afterall, the cut and quality of sushi uncompromised by the absence of the head chef.
Sashimi Moriwase
J: We wanted the omakase, but I wanted more sushi than cooked food, so we made an arrangement with the wait staff who kindly conveyed our wishes to the chefs, and we started with this lovely sashimi platter boasting gorgeous slivers of fish and wonderfully marbled otoro.
V: This sashimi platter was excellent. It came with sweet scallops, Botan Ebi, Yellow Tail and Swordfish. The highlight of the platter has to be the well marbled Otoro, which simply melted when placed in the mouth.
Bamboo Clams in Mentaiko & Mayo Sauce
J: Ever since we had read about this special seasonal dish from other blogs, we were intrigued. We shared an order of bamboo clams at the last omakase we had, and were determined to have a plate each this time round. We were not disappointed; the sauce, creamy and slightly spicy, transformed the clams to delightful juicyness.
V: This a perrinial classic of Chef Thomas. It was wonderful as usual. The creamy mentaiko sauce complemented the juicy bite of the clams.
Seafood Stew
J: The stew was not too ‘heavy’, and the gravy was tasty enough, chock full of soft potato and daikon chunks alongside fresh prawns and slightly overcooked scallops.
V: This was something different and we had never tried this before. Alot of seafood was used in this “stew” although i believe they were fried teppan style before a sauce was poured over them. There were Salmon, fresh prawns, scallops, squid and many others. The sauce was rich and deep, enhancinh the freshness and flavours of the seafood.
Tai Sushi
J: The flesh was firm and slightly sweet, a wonderful start to the sushi that kept coming.
V: A simple white fish sushi that is so understated. It has a very light sweet taste that really open the palates for more sushi to come.
Sakae Sushi
J: Although we were a bit surprised at being served salmon, the slice was tender with a little fat along the grain, making it suprisingly good at first taste.
V: Somehow along the way in our culinary journey, Salmon has been severely downgraded as a sushi ingredient. It does not have the same level of respect we used to give it when we younger. For a moment, I had my doubts that the Salmon would taste any good. However, this was no ordinary salmon, it has a far richer taste and was in some ways, melt in your mouth kind of goodness.
Scallop Sushi
J: We were advised not to dip this sushi in soy, as it was served with a little salt and a drizzle of lemon juice, and we liked it that the chefs tried to give us something different from the usual. The scallops were huge and amazingly sweet, and I think this was my favourite sushi of the night.
V: Unconventional ways of serving sushi intrigues us. For this sushi, he specifically told us not to dip in the sushi. Without dipping it into the soy, the scallop’s sweetness and freshness is further enhanced by the salt and lemon he had added. I guess the role of the soy is taken by the the subtle grains of salt drizzled upon the scallops.
Anago Sushi
J:Following the scallops, we were served the Anago sushi with sweet sauce.
V: Again a very generous portion of the Anago is given. Almost an etire strip of Anago is used to wrap a tiny ball of rice, very unlike the usual nigri styled unagi sushi. Unlike it river bred counterparts, Anago has a lighter taste and it’s much leaner that unagi.
Uni Sushi
J: Next we had a wonderfully fluffy and sharp tasting Uni Sushi.
V: A key characteristic in Uni is that it sometimes has a metallic after taste. Here, the Uni served is reasonably fresh. There is little of that after taste but instead there’s a soft creamy and sweet freshness overwhelming the mouth.
Meikajiki Sushi with Black pepper
J: Next, we were given something unexpected: lightly seared Meikajiki with freshly cracked black pepper. It was really good, although it tasted more ‘western’ than japanese.
V: Again, something different. The meikajiki or swordfish, was served with black pepper. I have to agree that it does give it a more western taste to it. Nonetheless, the blackpepper does go well with the fatty swordfish.
Whiting Sushi with benitade
J: I liked how the pea shoots provided a bite that lifted the creamy-tasting fish. Unfortunately, the sushi was forgotten on the counter and served late, while we’re in the midst of the clam soup (below), and the rice fell apart as we picked it up.
V: What was really interesting about this sushi is the clump of benitade place ontop of it. This would have been another typical white fish sushi, but with the addition of the benitade, which has a spicy hint, it really lifted the flavours of the fish.
Clams in Dashi Broth
J: I like clams, and the light, clear broth helped to bring a fitting finish to the end of the savoury part of the meal.
V: Well, at least they did not serve us the regular miso soup. It has been once said, the quality of a sushi shop can be judged through the soup they serve. True enough, you can certainly expect a high quality meal with Chef Thomas and his team.
Black Sesame Ice-cream
J: While nicely chilled, the ice-cream was rather ‘normal’. A nice end to a truly lovely evening.
Green Tea Ice-Cream
V: I have always wondered why Japanese Restaurants don’t get creative on their desserts. It’s always macha ice-creams or fresh fruits. However, I have no complaints dining with Chef Thomas and his team. They have been a class act at Kaisan and I am sure they will continue to shine at Tomo, a place which I will blog about really soon.
