Vanbrosia: Zakkushi on Main

October 27, 2014

P-toro: Crunchy & juicy pork - 3

Momo: Chicken thigh (sea salt) - 2

J's comment > excellent flavor and texture to the P-toro (pork belly I believe), very crisp and juicy, exactly as advertised; chicken was flavorful, but almost dry, the sea salt flavor well dressed, not too salty

Mochikin: Sticky rice wrapped in tofu skin (original) - 3

J's comment > ooey gooey yummy melty mochi wrapped w a soft yet durable tofu skin; excellent mild yet flavorful dashi jus

Age Mochi: Deep fried sticky rice w sweet soy sauce - 3

J's comment > the perfect balance between crisp and the signature soft texture that makes the mochi; could have used just a touch more sweet soy sauce, but insanely delish already as is

Unagi: Eel w sansho pepper - 2+

J's comment > well grilled, not fishy at all; tad too much unagi sauce, but would have been perfect if paired w a grilled onigiri; note to self, get this pair next time

Yamaimo Ohitashi: Cold mountain yam in dashi soup - 2+

J's comment > crisp like a pear, but w a slightly sticky slippery texture; FYI, this is what tororo comes from when the Yamaimo is grated; much MUCH better than Ajisai's julienned yamaimo; not quite visible in the picture, but this version of yamaimo was translucent and the dashi just sealed the deal

Cheese Mochi Maki: Sticky rice wrapped w pork & melted cheese - 2+

Tsukune: Chicken meat ball (sea salt) - 2

J's comment > cheese and mochi... created the sticky stretchy texture that I just love about mochi, w the cheese offering the cheesy flavor; really can't go wrong w this, could have used a tad more pork, but quite happy w it as is;

tsukune almost borderline dry (as always), not too salty but not my shtick

Negima: Chicken thigh w Japanese leek (teriyaki sauce) - 2

Momo: Chicken thigh (teriyaki sauce) - 2

Umeshiso Yaki: Chicken thigh w sour plum & Japanese basil (shiso) - 2

J's comment > tad too much teriyaki sauce on the chicken, making these versions a tad saltier than the ones w just sea salt; although the description of all three read 'chicken thigh', I think the negima had the juiciest cut; umeshiso was exactly that, ume flavor (tad too much though) w shiso

Gyoza: Pan fried dumpling w chicken, prawn, egg & vegetable - 2

J's comment > decent gyoza but these paled in comparison to everything above

Shishamo: Shishamo fish w spicy mayo - 2

J's comment > not as fishy as expected but still slightly fishy; not much meat on this bugger but flavor OK

Dorayaki Matcha ice cream: Matcha ice cream and red bean in Japanese pancake - 2+

J's comment > very soft 'pancake', tad too much actually, in terms of ratio comparison to the amt of ice cream and red bean, but the fillings provided were quite tasty

Yuzu cheese cake: Japanese yuzu citrus flavored cheese cake - 2

J's comment > soft and moist cheese cake, although flavor of cheese cake could be stronger still; yuzu was sadly just the pat of jam on top; cookie spoon was firm