Seafood Heaven

One of the cuisines we really miss since moving to the UK is Japanese food - sushi, soba, tonkatsu, tempura, yakitori, sukiyaki, nabe... - you name it, we love it, want it and definitely miss it! While it is fairly possible to find Chinese, Thai and even Malaysian cuisine in Milton Keynes and nearby, there does not seem to be any decent Japanese restaurant outside London... in the case of Milton Keynes anyway. I remember when I made frens with a Japanese mum, that was one of the first questions I asked her - and she affirmed sadly that there is no Japanese restaurant or dedicated grocery shop here.

So, you can imagine our delight, when Shin and Wendy told us about a sushi chef they know who can do a sushi party in one's home for a per pax fee. And they both gave it high ratings from their previous experience - good quality ingredients, expert preparation and more-than-enough portions. We were sold immediately and with other like-minded frens, we agreed on a date for our sushi party.

I like raw shellfish, but must say I eat limited raw fish. Somehow, the few previous experiences I had with raw fish sashimi did not leave a pleasant impression. The memory I had was of fish pieces that were chunky and slimy and a queasy feeling all over, as I tried to quickly swallow the sushi. Yes, I know, I am the one who loves oysters au naturel... don't ask me why the disparity...

The sushi chef kindly offered a half sushi set option (albeit at the same price as the full set) and happily, I was not the only one to take the offer.  

The first course was the smoothest chawanmushi I have ever had in my life. It was a generous portion in a bigger-than-usual chawanmushi ceramic cup, which yet retained a sleek elegance that belied its abundance. And as my spoon broke into the chawanmushi, a little thrill went through me at the feeling of a silky rippling. The taste was exquisite - fragrant, rich in flavour and with a satisfying, wholesome depth that resonated all round the mouth and lingered as it slipped down the throat. And each spoonful uncovered more surprises - first, the usual slivers of shitake mushroom and pieces of chicken, then surprisingly salmon, and finally bits of prawn. So! That was where the depth of the taste came from! The chef revealed that the richness of the stock owed not just to the ingredients, but also to the addition of the shitake stock (from soaking the shitake mushrooms overnight). 

Next, we had grilled aubergine. There was a dollop of red miso paste smothering the chunky aubergine slice, but the taste suggested a harmonious blend of miso paste, some kind of nutty paste and perhaps other delicious ingredients. Again, the taste elicited a satisfied "Umph" from me and I confess that I never would have thought aubergine could taste this good! Secretly, I wished that there would be seconds...

For the half sets, the next dish was fried udon with teriyaki beef. Now, I am not a lover of udon, but I have to say I finished all of it. I think udon is nicer fried than cooked in soup, because it then absorbs the water and becomes spongy. The fried udon was of a more attractive chewy texture and the stir-frying method got the flavours of the condiments well into the udon. The beef was nicely thinly sliced, though I did find the teriyaki sauce a bit on the heavy side, making the beef far more salty than I would prefer. 

And at this point, my fellow diners on the full set had the sushi coming. The chef brought his display box with him and it was really nice seeing him prepare the sushi in front of us. There were the usual suspects - salmon, mackerel, tuna, yellowtail, eel as well as the specials - sea bream, turbot, scallop, sea urchin, prawn, salmon roe. I sneaked a bit off Daddy Low and have to say my lukewarm affection for raw fish sushi was transformed into a passionate admiration. I credit that to the freshness of the seafood and the expert way the chef sliced them.  I realised that I never warmed up to raw fish sushi in the past, because the ones I had were all thickly sliced and I felt myself gagging in trying to swallow it, while my brain tried to suppress my squeamishness.  One might have thought that if the fish was thinly sliced, the flavours would not be so noticeable, but this was hardly the case. The thin slices of fish on the sushi today shone - you could taste not just the freshness, but the very flavour of it and detect the differences in texture and flavour of the different fish. I was very impressed and quite converted. And lucky me to be seated beside a preggie fren, who was torn between her love for sushi and her cautiousness because of her pregnancy, for I benefitted on the few times her cautiousness won out - Thank you, WB! :)  

Indeed, the sushi was so out-of-this-world, that you start to understand why all the presenters in the Japan Hour programme always emit such orgasmic exclamations and facial expressions when they are trying the food. When your mouth is stuffed full with a just-right, substantial rice portion topped with a slice of the most delectable fish, that despite being thinly sliced, gives the sensation of plumping up and filling your whole mouth, and the flavours explode when you start to chew, how else can you react except to squeeze out a satisfied "Oishi" amidst "Umphs" with an expression of utter bliss? For the record, I would have to say the sea urchin (uni) is the most exquisite and spectacular item today - so smooth, creamy and full of flavours of the sea!

We finished with a bowl of hot, heartwarming miso soup. "Taste the difference!", our host Shin said teasingly to his wife. And as he said that, I indeed compared it to my own homemade version of miso soup. Oh, what a difference! Mine is nice, but not soooo nice! And now, I feel, it hardly tastes Japanese! When I told Daddy Low this later, the darling man told me that he prefers mine! Ohhhhh! :)

Host Wendy wrapped up the meal with a nice Japanese dessert and coffee. But need I say the obvious? - today, I died many times and went to seafood heaven. Oh yes, heaven can be had at a price! :)