Thank you to all those who attended our Kaiseki Dining Experience featuring our head chef Koji Kobayashi. Koji and sake sommeliers at Sake Gami, That’s Life Gourmet, and tea experts at Matsu Kaze Tea aimed to showcase what a traditional kaiseki dinner looks like by sourcing exclusive sake, premium tea, and local Japanese ingredients.
The dinner started off with Sakizuke (small appetizer) featured mountain potato as the winter ingredient paired with Hokkaido Uni and Yuzu Miso. Osuimono (soup course) used PEI oysters done as a Shinjo (fishcake) all in a dashi broth. Mukozuke (sashimi course) used Japanese catch Golden Eye Snapper (aburi on skin side) and Striped Jack (paired with yuzu jure). Takimono (steamed course) used lotus root (done as a mandu) with shrimp and squid, then steamed and fried. Yakimono (grilled course) used braised yellow tail and daikon with soybeans to symbolize Setsubun (the day before the beginning of Japan), where soybeans are thrown at demons, then eaten for good luck. Shizakana (a substantial dish) used duck breast paired with a soy sweet glaze and Japanese mustard. Sushi (course with rice) used maplewood smoked Abalone and rice mixed with oba. Lastly, Mizumono (dessert) used matcha cheese cake, paired with red bean and vanilla ice cream.
The amount of thought that Koji has put into his courses, from the meaning of traditional ingredients married with the different cooking techniques in a kaiseki, to the plating nuances which symbolize the different seasons, are all thought out to represent the simplicity of a Japanese winter. We hope to see you at our next Omakase Sushi Night or Seasonal Kaiseki Dinner, they are truly a experience that you cannot find elsewhere. If you want to join our mailing list, please fill out our newsletter form in the ‘contact us’ section or send us your email at info@sukiyakihouse.com/, or you can follow us on Instagram @sukiyakihouseyyc (you can direct message us there).
*ps: we also always have fresh Japanese catch arriving weekly on Wednesday
**ps: huge shout out to Dong for taking such amazing photos for us, and Carmen for featuring us on her social media. Check out their Instagram @therealbuntcake and @foodkarmablog
