桃源郷にいざなわれて… : Nikusumi Kawachuu

This time, I enjoyed a somewhat luxurious dinner course at Kitashinchi. Having an experience like this once in a while can be a great way to refresh your feelings. As stated in my profile, I don't generally give 5.0, so 4.5 is actually my perfect score. I give it a 4.0 quite often, but I've only given it a 4.5 once since I started posting Tabelog, so this is the second time I've given it a 4.5. The restaurant I visited was Nikutan Kaoru Waji, which is located just north of Avanza, but it's on the second floor up a narrow staircase, giving it a bit of a hideaway feel. I made a reservation for 6pm, so it was a busy time for ladies working, but as soon as I entered the restaurant, the hustle and bustle outside was suddenly enveloped in silence. The two of us had the luxury of having a semi-private room for six people, so it felt like we had wandered into a paradise. As the name of the restaurant suggests, the main dish I was looking for was beef, but the other course dishes were all very delicately prepared and exquisite, so I will review them in order of course. All 30 photos of the course dishes have been uploaded, so please enjoy them along with the explanations.・Sake A natural sake called ``Nidashi Zenshu.'' After researching later, I found out that it was brewed by a long-established brewery called Niida Honke in Fukushima Prefecture, which was founded in 1711. With the mission of ``becoming a sake brewery that protects Japan's rice fields,'' they are not satisfied with just using pesticide-free home-grown rice and brewed yeast, so they even make their own wooden barrels. Despite the unimaginably low rice polishing rate of 85%, I was surprised by the fruity and beautiful taste of apple juice, which is comparable to Ginjo sake with a high polishing rate.・Abalone with snow crab sauce Snow crab sauce was poured over the abalone that had been simmered in dashi stock. I had only known abalone as sashimi, enjoying the texture rather than the taste, but I realized once again that slow simmering until tender brings out the gentle texture and the natural flavor of the shellfish.・White miso zoni This is a standard zoni for New Year's in the Kansai region, but it was neither too strong nor too thin, with the perfect concentration and sweetness. I also liked the idea of using lotus root manju instead of mochi.・Yujime horse mackerel sashimi The sashimi was extremely fresh, having only been cooked for several hours. The yellowtail has a lot of fat, but the crunchy texture and sweetness were even better. - Mullet roe wrapped in mochi At first glance, it looks like a simple yakimochi, but inside was a slice of mullet roe wrapped in rice cake, and the scent of the ocean and chewy texture blended perfectly, making it a perfect match for sake.・Saikyo-yaki Yellowtail and Boiled Daikon Tempura I often eat Saikyo-yaki Spanish mackerel, but this was my first time trying yellowtail. The aroma of koji was not too strong, and the flavor of the fish was brought out well. As an accompaniment, a rare radish tempura was served, which apparently took the time to boil and then deep-fry, so it was extremely delicious.・Salted squid It was crunchy and had a classic deliciousness.・Macallan 12 Years Old As I moved on to the main Meat Dishes, I switched to whiskey as well. Just by swirling the glass a little, a sweet maple syrup-like aroma wafted through the air, and I realized that it was truly worthy of being called the Rolls Royce of whisky. Before I got drunk with alcohol, I was intoxicated by the scent.・Beef and sea urchin wrapped in seaweed A combination of beef and sea urchin that was made into yukhoe was placed on crispy grilled seaweed. It seems that this shop calls it Uniku. The seasoning was simple, salty, and neither one was overpowering, and the flavors of each were fused at a high level.・Fin A5 grade Yamagata beef. When I bit into it, it was cut very gently, and along with the slightly chewy texture of raw meat, the very elegant and sweet marbling gradually melted and spread in my mouth. Because it was rare, I was able to fully enjoy the flavor of the raw meat and the faint scent of blood in addition to the fat.・Ichibo A5 grade Yamagata beef. Compared to the fillet, it was a fatty part, and it was an exquisite dish where you could directly taste the flavor of the marbling rather than the raw meat. Personally, I had the impression that if the fillet was medium fatty, the ichibo was large fatty.・Kainomi A5 grade Yamagata cow. Unlike fillet or ichibo, it was slow-cooked, so it was a masterpiece with a firm, chewy texture. Personally, I like it rare, so this was the only dish I had the impression that it was a bit of a waste.・Taimeshi The sea bream rice was cooked with carefully selected ingredients, and was a masterpiece that took advantage of the saltiness of the salmon roe and the aroma of the shiso leaves. I refilled the rice, but what was left in the ohitsu was able to be used as Onigiri to take home. The miso soup had a refreshing scent of dashi and mitsuba leaves. The lightly pickled spices made for a nice ending.・Yamazaki Distillery Plum Wine After I finished my meal, I ordered plum wine as an after-dinner drink. It's less sweet and refreshing than regular plum wine, and since it's aged in Yamazaki Distillery's whiskey barrels, I also felt like it had a faint oak aroma.・Hojicha ice cream The sweetness is quite low, so you can enjoy the flavor and aroma of raw milk, making it a smooth ice cream. The hojicha powder was also made from ground tea leaves, and was a masterpiece with a subtle bitterness fused with sweetness. Although I only stayed for about 2 hours, I was able to spend a very relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle of the city, being transported to a paradise for a while. I don't go there often, but it's a great store that I highly recommend if you want to treat yourself to some emotional laundry.