On our first night in Kanazawa, Lauren had arranged for us to enjoy a traditional Kaiseki meal at a local restaurant in old town Kanazawa. It actually turned out to be just a few steps away from our ryokan.
Kaiseki is a muti-course Japanese meal that is almost an art form in itself. It only uses fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients and is presented in such a way as to accentuate the taste and appearance of each dish. Texture and color are also considered so as to provide the diner the best possible experience.
Our meal started with pumpkin-sesame tofu and a steamed peapod, with a steamed flower, and fish noodles (essentially sashimi) with salmon roe.
Next we had broth with simmered whitefish, a daikon radish, and a matsutaki mushroom along with a deep fried fishbone.
Our third course was fried seaweed and whitefish sashimi and raw shrimp (means never frozen) with the Japanese version of a tomatillo (orange and tart!) and crab. This was served with vinegar made from shiso leaf and a handmade soy sauce.
Our fourth corse was black-throat perch which was creamy and delicious. This fish is local to Kanazawa and is in season right now.
Fifth was lotus tempura with a cooked gingko nut (which are a revelation and reminiscent of chestnuts), along with steamed salmon with a miso sauce, and a grape and grape gelee dish to cleanse the palate.
Course number six was a piece of wagyu beef served with pieces of sweet river fish and a shiso leaf reduction.
Our seventh and final savory course was rice cooked in fish broth, a delicious miso soup, and pickled vegetables.
Then lastly we had our dessert course which was sweet bean curd, brown sugar jelly with a fresh fig sprinkled with dried ground roasted soybean powder, and served with macha.
Our server, who was so sweet and patient with us asking 400 billion questions.
What a fabulous dinner and a special thank you to Lauren for arranging it for us.
