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<\/a>before the event began, Nick was able to get some photos of the layout and the table settings – sushi chefs (all female) preparing sushi (for the dining room, not for the event)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>there were six-top tables and four-top tables, we sat at a four-top with one other guest who was a long-time Cast Member at WDW currently in the PhotoPass department<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>another view of the lovely sushi chefs (we weren’t served a sushi dish this year, we did get chirashi and scallops in a sashimi sort of dish)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>… while Nick was inside the dining area taking photos and talking to Garin, I was surprised to notice sound barriers in place – hopefully, they’ll muffle the sounds (cacophony) from the waiting area<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>our table, the place setting was a bit different this year, instead of multiple sake glasses, we have one stemmed glass and a water glass on the table<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>each place setting had an origami crane (these have become symbols of good luck)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>menus at each place setting – very nice that we are given the menu in English and in Japanese (even though we don’t read Japanese)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Tasting notes sheet for the sakes were at each place setting<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>beautiful menu – as always<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>nearly everyone is seated<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Garin introduces our hostesses and our servers (Naoko was our personal server)<\/p><\/div>\n
We really enjoy this event, we attended in 2010<\/a>, 2011<\/a>, and 2012<\/a> and are happy that we went again this year. Each year there are changes to the theming or intent of the meal. This year we were served Kaiseki style (here<\/a>) meaning that there were several (15-20 courses traditionally, but we didn’t have that many!) very small portions that make up the meal, Garin said that these meals usually cost 20,000 to 30,000 yen.<\/p>\n we began the meal with frozen beer Ichiban Shibori (we had this last year)…<\/p><\/div>\n … and edamamae… very traditional way to begin a night out (start with beer)<\/p><\/div>\n “glamor shot” … I’m not kidding anyone \ud83d\ude42 … these were nice together and are supposedly a traditional combination, I typically like my edamame warmer and saltier<\/p><\/div>\n Our first course is a “seafood lover’s dream”…<\/p>\n Seafood Lover’s Dream… lots of tastes<\/p><\/div>\n our first sake… Ko’s Hana Sake “Flower” served in a “horse riding glass” (apparently nobles wanted to be able to drink their sake while on horseback)<\/p><\/div>\n this is a Tokubetsu Junmai, SMV -5, ABV 15%, Kura Takeuchi Shuzo… sweet, delicate, very good, fruity, quite pure and unadulterated<\/p><\/div>\n the larger plate contained (start at top and go around clockwise)… scallops with yuzu, eel and minced fish roll, rare tempura tuna<\/p><\/div>\n the rare tuna was good, firm and meaty, quite nice but nothing outstanding or very different for us<\/p><\/div>\n eel and minced fish roll, not much to look at but very tasty, I really liked the texture and richness of the eel<\/p><\/div>\n scallops and yuzu… exquisite, very good flavor combination – fruity, citrusy, yet creamy and rich from the scallops<\/p><\/div>\n crab and salmon in an orange bowl<\/p><\/div>\n I thought it was just okay (we eat quite a bit of salmon salad and this seemed very tame)<\/p><\/div>\n Nick liked this but didn’t like the pairing with the sake<\/p><\/div>\n empty orange cup<\/p><\/div>\n The second pairing included a dassai sake served warm, blended with hibicus and mint tea, and poached duck breast…<\/p>\n second sake – Dassai 50 “Otter Festival” Junmai Daiginjyo, SMV +3, ABV 15%, Kura Asahi-Shuzo<\/p><\/div>\n this sake was intriguing because it was so different, I liked it a bit because it was slightly reminiscent of hisui (red yeast sake)<\/p><\/div>\n poached duck breast served with snow peas, almonds, potato crisps, and starch of dogtooth violet<\/p><\/div>\n beautiful presentation<\/p><\/div>\n I really enjoyed this course, the duck breast “rocked”<\/p><\/div>\n Nick was impressed with two things – how lean it was and how tasty the little rim of fat was (very similar to a southern cured pork in saltiness and taste)<\/p><\/div>\n the sake paired nicely with the duck, nothing OMG SPECTACULAR, but it wasn’t a fail<\/p>\n the little owls are back from 2011, hopefully they don’t contain chilled lobster consume<\/p><\/div>\n dogtooth violet starch… I don’t have any notes on this, color us unimpressed… one day, those little owls are going to contain something we like a lot \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n Third pairing… waygu beef and Nuratotai sake (from a can! the can<\/a> preserves the freshness, it looks like an oil can from our childhoods)<\/p>\n each sake was served in a different vessel, and contrary to previous years, they weren’t all on the table waiting when we were seated<\/p><\/div>\n Narutotai “Naruto’s Sea Bream” Ginjo Nama Genshu, SMV +5, ABV 19%, Kura Yamanaka Shuzo… rich and creamy flavors<\/p><\/div>\n This is considered to be a celebration sake (fish are synonymous with celebrations in Japanese culture). Nick noted more alcohol on the tongue without food – there was a lot of flavor picked up by the sides of our tongues, we decided this was too bright without food. It mellowed nicely as it warms and it was paired with a food that had LOTS of umami and that balanced nicely.<\/p>\n our third course presentation<\/p><\/div>\n waygu beef (small, thin steak and ground beef) plus deconstructed stuffed green pepper<\/p><\/div>\n red lotus root underneath the beef, the starch component<\/p><\/div>\n the beef “steak” was quite tasty, we even liked the stuffed green pepper (although it didn’t like us very much)<\/p><\/div>\n the real standout was the ground beef, could have eaten a lot of this, the bottom of the bowl contains a small cooked slice of turnip (pretty much bland)<\/p><\/div>\n the other bowl contained a noodle soup with fish cake<\/p><\/div>\n you can barely see the color of the noodles… they’re pink<\/p><\/div>\n the pink noodles… I thought there was gari (pickled ginger) in them<\/p><\/div>\n the final touch, a dessert cocktail of sake and yuzu<\/p>\n very light and refreshing, almost cleansing (but it didn’t taste like cleaner!)<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0At the end, Garin and Chef Shuichi Tanida came around and we were able to ask a couple of questions…<\/p>\n Garin introducing Chef Shuichi Tanida<\/p><\/div>\n Garin came over, he remembered us from last year<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>