Mystery lady and I celebrated her birthday at Vintage Cave Club last night.
They only serve six for sushi.
We all agreed that Vintage Cave Cafe was the best in Hawaii, by far. Our Sushi Chef Hirafumi with o-toro:
First few courses with beer:
O-toro:
Chunks of chu-toro and a lower-fat piece:
At this point I added a glass of hot sake:
If you're wondering why I am not providing details, they explained everything and promised to provide a sheet at the end of what we ate. However, I forgot to pick it up. Clearly, the above new piece is chu-toro. The next looks like octopus and abalone:
Note to the left that the wasabi is grated from the fresh root. If you can find it, this root costs around $70/pound. What you get in that tube of wasabi is not wasabi root but horseradish and green dye. You can have horseradish root shipped to you for around $13/pound. To continue:
Note those goldish pieces to the right. It is takuan, which is fermented turnip, to which yellow dye is added. The one we got is specially aged, and tastier. I added a Lagavulan over rocks to the next course, which was a kind of consomme:
I mentioned that I had a crustacean allergy, but that that I could consume it if it was alive and utilized that day at the restaurant. They had the confidence to serve me three kinds, beginning with these prawns:
Continuing;
Above, tomato and a kind of Japanese lemon. Tomato sashimi? Nice touch, actually.
I will maintain some privacy here, but to my left was the State Comptroller and his wife, while to the right were Mystery Lady, a former Navy pilot and his son. The SC allowed me to taste his bottle of White Bordeaux:
Hirafumi explained the different kind of sea urchins (uni), and how different they taste depending on origin:
There was something better about this uni sushi. Continuing:
The above was a snapper chawan mushi (custard). Maguro sushi and miso soup:
The meal ended with dessert, candy, green tea and matcha (green tea powder):
While Vintage Cave Club has a half-price "sale" until the end of March, with drinks, this dinner tonight cost around $550. One is that they added on a 20% service charge (which was mandatory), which is blatantly contrary to what is promised to members. I mentioned this irritation to the manager, and he explained that this added cost is only during this 50% off period. If you bring your own bottle of wine or sake, and are not a member, the corkage charge is $75/bottle, $50 for members. However, considering the friendships made, excellence of cuisine and the moment, it was worth it all. Heck, a hotel room for one night these days can set you back that amount. That is Chef Hide Yamamoto, who worked the Presidential Inauguration for three U.S. presidents.
-
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น