1st stop on the 2008 MIGF train

Okay, after that noisy(!!!) party last month, it is time for me to nip around KL Hilton to sample their MIGF menus. My first choice was my usual place: Iketeru.
The carpark was a bit empty, the restaurant was quiet. Coming early does have its perks (just that I won't be the first one to have the MIGF menu, there were already 20 orders before me and 4 more while I was there).


Starter: Homemade tofu & organic vegetables with Okinawa salt
The tofu(s) look familiar like the one last week, tasted almost the same, creamy and smooth on the tongue, except for the more generous helping of the shoyu sauce that accentuate the underlying sweetness of the tofu.

The vegetables were crunchy but it was hard to find a balance with the Okinawa salt dip. My tip: dip the wet end of the veggies into the salt, which will absorbed the right amount of salt (instead of coating it with salt crystal) to taste the veggies without it being too oversalty.



















Sushi:Yellow tail & octopus sushi with Himalayan pink salt
The sushi(s) were coated with salt and then flambe until scorched. Flavourwise, you sometimes unveiled the invisible salty taste that overwhelms the fish and octopus a bit yet merrily runs off into the background to feel the lemony harmony of the octopus or the robustness of the yellowtail.























Simmered:Steamed Matsuba crab, sea urchin, turnip & tonburi seed. Served with kikka sauce, Australian pink salt
Chef Ricky, I want more crabmeat with this!!!!!! (and look at that crab giving the finger)

I tasted more radish than crabmeat but the overall impression was better than last month, because the other garnishes added a lot of layers to the taste and texture, especially the tonburi seed, aka "land caviar", not salty but they do burst in your mouth.




















Fry:Light fried tempura of Conger eel, lobster & maitake mushroom. Served with original mixed salt, curry, matcha, pepper
Mix and match your salt. For me, the lobster and the asparagus goes best with the matcha salt; conger eel with pepper salt; mushroom with curry salt (Your opinions may differ, as Chef Ricky pointed out other people's preference)

Everything was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.




















Main Courses: Grilled Wagyu beef rib with rock salt
. Served with tomato fruit
The meat was good, the tomatoes were sweet, the broccoli was nice, but this was the first disappointment of the night.

Chef Ricky and the floor manager were wrangling over the charcoal burner, previously it was too smoky. Tonight, I received the other extreme: it was NOT HOT.

So I missed my chance to slowly grill the tender slices of the beef tataki to my liking. BOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! (I am so making Chef Ricky eat a Wasabi Maki). Although our conference afterward reveal that we both think alike that that grilled should be red hot before serving to eliminate the need for any smoky charcoal but he was worried about the diners, not the burnmarks on the carpet should someone drop it.
















Dessert: Persimmon sorbet & red bean jelly 
with chestnut, Hakata salt Japan
The persimmon sorbet goes very well with the red bean jelly that I sampled last month. Nothing too sweet (same as Chef Ricky), just deep mellowness all the same.
"Wonder if my sorbet serving is bigger than others?"

























Bonus: Futomaki & Rice paper rolls
Disappointment No.2: I want a Futomaki that cannot fit in the my mouth and this is what I get. >:(
That staff got sacked for a day.






Disappointment No.3: spicy! spicy? spicy....where's the chili padi? I ate 3 rolls without even asking for ice water.
The same staff got sacked for an extra day.


Yes, Chef Ricky, prepare to down that Wasabi Maki...




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