We heard so much about Ryugin when planning our second Tokyo trip. We wanted to ensure we had at least another special Omakase night. It felt naturally right, to end the trip this way - so I called 2 months in advanced and made the reservation.
2 Months later, here we are, toasting to the holiday and to friendships and travelling companions.
Ryugin - means singing dragon in Japanese. The place was not difficult to find. Tucked within a small road, off the main road in Ropponggi. Our waiter was a pleasant smartly dressed Japanese named Arimasa, speaking good English as he described our menu for the evening. It's absolute thanks to him that I got the food descriptions correct tonight.
After our bubblies, we started with the first of 4 appetizers. A combination of abalone, steamed for 6 hours with the abalone liver sauce and seasoned potato from Kyoto in a rice ginger sauce.
The abalone was juicy sweet and the potato lightly pan fried provided a lovely contrasting texture.
The abalone was juicy sweet and the potato lightly pan fried provided a lovely contrasting texture.
Next was an Uni Chawamushi. Plump creamy uni from Hokkaido with a jelly sauce made from shrimp and crab roe sprinkled generously with mountain potato. The result, mouthfuls of creamy sweetness with occasional crunchy bits and refreshing jelly.
The 3rd appetizer was a monk fish liver with pinenuts, fresh seasonal vegetables, and squid in a white miso sauce. The flavour was peppered with mustard and vinegar. An interesting course, but not my favourite since I never am a fan of vegetables.
And that's our crab's name tag - proof that he has been served to us. Now on to the mains.
First main course was sushi. The plating is fantastic. The symmetry and the neatness in presentation was perfect. The fish, needless to say, was absolutely divine. The lobster was crunchy fresh, the Hiramae and Flounder had no fishy taste, the tuna melted in my mouth and the Ika was super fresh.
Next was a dish served with 2 kinds of clams. I would say it's 3 kinds of clams since it came in a bowl shaped like one! :0)
Then, came my personal favourite for the evening. Sea Perch with a skin done so crispy and light it resembled rice bubbles. It was paired with chestnut, potato chips and a small cube of persimmon. I don't understand the pairing but it worked. The different textures just came together and the sweet fruit gave it a sublime and delightful completion.
By the 3rd Main, I was almost done. But the sight of red juicy wagyu beef, sets me on auto-pilot to pick up my cutlery and dig in. The wagyu was from a Kushu grill on charcoal with a simmered turnip in miso sauce. The tomato and water jelly with yogurt and tea was to help wash the heaviness all down, but I didn't really fancy it.
Finally, the mains ended with a miso soup and pickles and a small portion of rice with sardines and yuzu. The miso soup was probably the best I have ever tasted. None of that instant soup crap, this tasted like true quality.
Then comes Arimasa, "More Space?" he asked? We looked at each other and shrugged, why not?! So he gave us a small portion of homemade soba with yuzu. Pleasant.
And so, the night goes on and it's time for dessert. We started with a Japanese mandarin sorbet to cleanse the palette. Very tangy and sweet.
And the piece d resistance. Soft pillowly cakes that were as light as air could ever be. So soft that we had to use 2 spoons to eat! one to scoop and the other to roll each morsel onto the spoon. The combination of green tea, soybean and coconut was interesting. But of course I liked the coconut one best.
Next were chestnut cakes filled with cream and yellow sweet potato and lemon. Quite light and yummy. A nice way to end off the evening.
And finally, a nice warm matcha froth. To wash down the entire meal, to recharge us before we march out into the rainy cold and to leave us with a warm fuzzy feeling in the stomach and in our hearts.
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