Vanbrosia: Octopus Garden

September 19, 2014

Kagoshima wagyu - 2+

J's comment > buttery wagyu, rich w the perfect marbling that I love in my beef

Tamago - 2+

J's comment > Sada-san's signature tamago - the perfect Japanese style omelette; undefeated in my books

Bluefin tuna Chu-toro - 2+

J's comment > well marbled fish, my equivalent fav to the beef wagyu (although strictly & technically speaking the O-toro would be the direct equivalent)

Spicy Tuna Z: Spicy tuna, tempura bits, mayo & avocado on top - 2+

J's comment > tuna fresh and not too spicy actually, the spice was definitely not to hide any flaws in the tuna, but rather, to enhance its freshness and flavor, along w the mayo and avocado that lent the creaminess to support the mild spice of the tuna

Waru (butterfish) - 2+

J's comment > slightly 'aburi-ed', waru 'creamy' but not rich, it's actually quite light in flavor

Bluefin tuna O-toro - 2+

Foie Gras (Quebec foie gras & mango) - 2+

J's comment > so goood... but soooo rich... and heavy and filling;

O-toro, the fattiest and richest part of the Bluefin tuna is ironically not my fav piece of the fish (Chu-toro is), as I find the fattiness a tad too much (yes, apparently there are rich foods in existence that J shies away from);

the foie gras @ Octopus Garden is always good, but today our portion was insanely larger than usual and even creamier than we remembered

Hamachi (yellowtail) - 2

J's comment > not bad; firm and fresh; really, this should be ranked higher, but the competition was just too tough tonight

Bluefin Tuna Akami - 2

J's comment > not bad; firm and fresh just like the hamachi above, but honestly couldn't tell the diff between the Bluefin Tuna Akami and the Ahi Tuna Akami

Ahi Tuna Akami - 2

J's comment > not bad; same comment as above

Avocado Maki - 2

J's comment > not bad; the perfect palate cleanser in between some of the richer flavored items, eg. the foie gras and wagyu; creamy and ripe avocado

Ika (squid) - 2

J's comment > not bad; squid not tough at all but still firm and crisp; loved the lightly torched look

Kani (dungeness crab) - 2

J's comment > not bad; fresh, real crab w good texture, flavor of crab good too, but could be a tad stronger; mayo and tobiko added flavor to the crab, but would prefer more crab flavor instead

Carrot Soup - 2

J's comment > not bad; very creamy and thick, perfect harvest dish for cold nights to come; carrot flavor absolutely present

Tororo shooter - 2

J's comment > tororo is the slippery substance from grated yam; it works best w noodles, but I eyed one of the chefs using this to make the uni shooter and just had to ask for some; FYI, this is off the menu

Uni (sea urchin) & quail egg - 1

J's comment > I am not a fan of uni, hence the low rating; to be fair though, the uni was fresh and wasn't fishy at all, I just don't like it; the quail egg (I think?) was just wrong... it made the uni even worse than it was already, making this nigiri stinky once you pop it in your mouth

Matcha Tiramisu w Hoji-cha ice cream - 2+

J's comment > very creamy tiramisu w the right balance of cream and light-as-air sponge cake; ice cream had strong hoji-cha flavor; thank goodness this version of the tiramisu is back