A Private Menu at Iketeru this November

A packed carpark, an even more packed Iketeru (so much for that hypothesis). So I will be sitting at the sushi bar. At least I get to see Chef Ricky in action behind the sushi bar. The saki bar (where the old entrance use to be is smallish but intimate. A good place to have a tip before moving to your table but the low lying table makes it a drinker's lounge more than a dining place.

The preface to this menu is that many of the ingredients were sourced from the Iwate prefecture in preparation for a visit here by the head of the prefecture. Thus, Chef Ricky was able to give me the chance to sample some local Japanese ingredient rarely exported outside their country.

Starter: Fresh Iwate Oyster, Wakame Seaweed marinated in Lemon, Spiced Burdock Root & Vinegared Sea Cucumber:
If you thought the Hiroshima Oyster was big. This one is easily twice the size of that and yet it slid down the gullet smoothly like you down a water slide. Three drops of lemon are all you need to dispel any of the raw aftertaste that oysters normally leave in your mouth. Definitely one to remember.




The Wakame Seaweed is the one farmed off the seabed by female divers, it has a silky texture and was given a tangy zing with some lemon/lime sauce. The spiced Burdock root (a.k.a gobo in Japanese) is crunchy yet has a mellow earthy flavour unlike its appearance. The vinegared Sea Cucumber was thin and bitey (Q!) like squid instead of the normal springy texture (Chef Ricky mentioned that the it was deliver fileted but frozen), an accidental surprise.



































Sashimi: Hagami, Yellowtail Sea Bream, Squid and Octopus sucker:
A crunchy Octopus sucker sliced in two is an excellent way to start this dish. Moving on, I like the firmness of the squid (taken from the part near the tentacles, so very muscular), hence a good deal of bitey-ness.
The yellowtail Sea Bream is up to standard, compared to past tastings so no worries but the Hagami is a lean, red, tasting supreme piece of meat (probably only outclassed by Toro).




Simmered: Radish Jewellery Box with Abalone, Prawn, Fish Milt & Angler Fish Liver in Simmer Radish:
Yay! I finally get my cod fish milt in the treasure box. The serving this time was much more firmer than the last one. And everything else was pretty much up to standard.























Grilled dish: Grilled Iwate Oyster
This arrived piping hot off the grill, I couldn't even pick up the shell (ooh! ouch! hot hot!). I was a bit sceptical at first when Chef Ricky presented this but it tasted very sweet and you don't even need much lemon juice, if not at all.









Pike meat fishballs, Burdock Root, cabbage and Tofu in Paper Bowl:
How very quaint, Whee!
the fishballs (made out of pike, miso paste, ginger and grated yam) were meaty but not springy like normal meatball, instead they disintegrate because the yam is overcooked. The Baduk root here is slightly bitter, but mellowy. The surprising part was the sourish dasheen stock (Chef Ricky apologizes for that)




















Mains: Spicy Soba Noodles
Served ramen style with carbsticks, wakanabe seaweed, cucumber and kimchi, I asked Chef Ricky if he has plagerise from the Koreans (he laughed it off), pointing out that Iwate if close to Korea and this local variant of the Iwate Soba noodles is best served cold in a soup. Given the coolness of the soup, you taste the heat but it doesn't burn. Goes very well with the wakame seawees and the noodles are opaque and bitey.




















Dessert: Black sesame pudding & Lime Sorbet
Back to the usual dessert and I am not complaining. The pudding is one of my favourites and the lime sorbet is much better given the new machine they are using.









Chef Ricky was always there explain every dish. I managed to dribble more information out of him. (Maybe I should sit in front of the sushi bar from now on). Yes, I did get Chef Ricky to pay for his punishment: a copy of the festival menu with his autograph in it when I visit him today.

Awaiting more feedback on my food reviews, Say it so in the comment section.