1st stop on the MIGF train

Now that the party has just been launched, time to hop around KL to see what these chefs have got out on their platter. My first stop would be my usual haunt: Ikteteru.

Just as I trundled in yet another empty carpark, I strode in to another packed Iketeru (again!). I am so coming to this place when the carpark is loaded just to see if this will empty Iketeru. The new entrance from the Boardwalk is much more serene but lacks the punch because illumination is too dim. I even caught sight of people dining in almost darkness in a canopied hut near the entrance on my way out. The old entrance will be renovated to make way for a sake bar (Hic!)

Starter dish: Matsuba-Crab Seaweed Roll, served with Yuzu Pepper Mayonnaise & Fresh Hiroshima Oyster with Lemon Jelly
Served on a plate wrapped in plastic on top of a Hoba leaf, it looks like a present from the heavens when presented. Starting with my first bite into the seaweed roll, this tasted much more meatier than most crabmeat I have encountered on my palate. Each piece has a mellow mintiness to it before one gets hit with a peppery afterblast (just where did Chef Ricky hide the pepper? I can't see it in the sauce)

Two beautiful pieces of Hiroshima Oyster were adorned with lemon jelly and lotsa garnishing,. The lemon jelly actually accentuated the tanginess of the Oyster very well with no overpowering mineral-y aftertaste one expects from Oysters. Thumbs up!





















Sashimi: Salmon Mango, Scallop Tomato & Bonito Asparagus served with three different sauces
Like something out of the most fine dining platter. Decorative splotches of sauces, artful direction and placement of the selected pieces. Guess Chef Ricky is really trying to break out of the normal Kaiseki mold.

Starting with the Salmon Mango and Avocado sauce, it went something like this: mango instantly overpowers salmon permanently overpowers avocado sauce mask salmon oiliness mask mango aftertaste (Yeah, I know it sounds complicated); Moving on to the Scallop Tomato with Black Pepper Onion chutney, the chutney aftertaste was probably the only lingering sensation on my tongue but I did get the full hit of the Scallop with a slight hint of the tomato along the ride; Bonito Asparagus with Spicy Miso sauce, now this was a good climax, for those who have tasted bonito before, I can proudly proclaim that the meat and the sauce have mellowed together very nicely to take away the usual bonito-aftertaste that sometimes reeks in your mouth.






Simmered dish: Radish Jewellery Box with Abalone, Prawn, Fish Milt & Angler Fish Liver in Simmer Radish
Boy, is Chef Ricky going overboard with this. In the middle of the bowl sits a carved box of Radish stuffed with all the goodies sitting in a pool sauce full of Chrysanthemum flower petals with Gold Leaf garnishing to complete the finishing touch.

The thin slices of abalone had very good consistency, which gives you bite for your bite. The steamed gingko nuts was pretty mild considering I had the grilled version for the past two months. I suspected (but couldn't confirm with Chef Ricky's help) that the two pale cubes were slices of the Angler Fish Liver rolled into sausages since I have tasted it before, they didn't taste as heavy as the raw one but had the juicy oily flavour still present. Still wondering what the mushroom was supposed to substitute for but they were okay on this dish.








Oh, and I got a pair of knife and fork to carve the radish box, which I never used thanks to my handy dicey chopsticks. (Yeah, that is the pair of cutlery that I got, not that I have used it at all)






Main Courses: Grilled Wagyu Sirloin Marinated In Soya Bean Paste, Grilled Yellowtail with Herb Cheese and Tomato, Japanese Yam with Sea Urchin, Garlic Pumpkin, Foie Gras Sushi & Assorted vegetables (chestnut & lotus root crisps)
It feels like you go around the world with this dish.
Starting with the Yellowtail, the herb cheese and tomato was overpowering the meat which finally penetrates your tongue at the end. You get the overall impression of have a lasagne, very very Italian.

On to the Yam with Sea Urchin, I find myself at another zen-ith because of the sea urchin. wish there was more of the salty sea urchin to flood your sense or have it spread more evenly over the yam. I did managed to get a golden pi bite and it was very good because the mushy yam and mushy sea urchin did blend very well with the mildness of the yam providing a very good canvass for one to savour a different side to the taste of the sea urchin. Yet this one came across as a jacket potato, how very homey.

Moving on to the next piece, the Wagyu. As one would expect, you have no better beef than the Wagyu and Chef Ricky equalled his effort last year. This year, expect thicker cubes of Wagyu, which were softened by Miso and imbued with their flavour and garnished with floss (I am not kidding). Every slice was moist sweetness with the dry floss provides good counter-texture to the meat. One chunk of meat with a floss rolling across your tongue for that delightful enjoyment.

The penultimate dish before the much anticipated Foie Gras sushi, the garlic pumpkin. I have to admit that the garlic was still oily, so each pumpkin slice tasted a bit unbalanced depending on how much garlic is on the slice. It didn't help much that there was a heavy aftertaste of oil in your mouth. Needed a lot of tea to wash down 1 or 2 slices.

At least this made up for the slip up of the garlic pumpkin, my first foie gras sushi. The rice tasted gluty and was very compacted (I really need to grill Chef Ricky on this combination after Googling it on the Internet). With the foie gras fat dribbling over the side and coating the rice, this thing comes in one big package and you need a very very big mouth to eat in one shot (I took two, so me no big mouth). In one bite, you get the melting fat of the foie gras steaming on your tongue while chunks of rice soak up any excess fat so you don't get any heaviness but a good taste of the foie gras. my most distinct impression was that of a decadent chinese rice dumpling.

As for the sides of chestnut (a bomb of sweetness in a tiny package) and lotus root crisp (to die for, death by a million crisp), they were quite good in taking the edge of some of the oiliness of the mains, which you somethings taste as the dish go from light to heavy.

Dessert: Maccha Tiramisu & Grape Fruit Sorbet
The green tea tiramisu was probably the best dessert I have had so far in my history with Iketeru. The bittersweet chocolate roll goes well with the green tea base of the tiramisu (actually it resembles a cheesecake more than a tiramisu). Maybe Secret Recipe can make one for me on my birthday. As for the grape fruit sorbet, it has a very noticeable grape fruit bitter aftertaste but did lighten up my palate after the heavy mains.


Chef Ricky already went back by the time I finished dessert, so no after dinner interrogation about the festival menu. Nevertheless, Chef Ricky opted for less is more and I agreed with him this time. I am so making Chef Ricky pay and his punishment will be a copy of the festival menu with his autograph in it when I visit him later this month.
Awaiting more feedback on my food reviews, Say it so in the comment section.