It is safe to say that I’m a pretty poor romantic. I’ve failed time and time again on occasions where it really counts (my proposal was so bad, we’re embarrassed to talk about it). It is thus no surprise that I have never really been able to take Keiko out for a fantastic meal. This Christmas I made it happen!
On a recommendation from @shinpuren, we made a reservation at Chef’s V, a restaurant on the 5th floor of Yokohama’s Landmark Tower. @shinpuren told us that the service was excellent, and that really is a deal-breaker for me. I frequently choose restaurants that look fancy but rarely do I come across one in which the staff actually make a memorable impression.
We were taken with a nice sounding course menu, but the next morning we received a call from the restaurant: on Christmas Day they would only be serving a ¥12,500 meal (£80). Keiko said that was okay and accepted the time and cost before telling me about it. Expensive or not, we were both a bit excited about what we would be eating.
It started with champagne with Christmas music in the background. Everyone’s reservation started from 18:20 and like one big party we were all served together. At around 18:30, just before the first course, the blinds opened to reveal Minato Mirai in all its light-up glory. It was a nice view and the invariably young couples on the side-by-side, snug window seats must have had a spectular time looking out.
The first course was foie gras flan. Foie gras, for those who aren’t aware, is the fatty liver of an extremely fat goose or duck. The flan, which I assume also contained cream and butter, had an extremely creamy, buttery taste and texture, but with a mild spicy after-taste. In small doses, on top of a bruschetta perhaps, I imagine I could have liked it; however, in this case, a single bruschetta was dipped into the flan making it more than a little like eating butter with a spoon.
Next up was the appetiser: creamed cauliflour, drenched in orange sauce, held up a bundle of crab meat topped with caviar, while at the back of the bowl sat a lobster-filled spring roll. The crab meat was delicious as was the crispy lobster spring roll, however, the orange sauce was difficult for me to stomach: its taste was overwhelming. Regrettably, because of this perhaps, I was unable to taste the caviar.
The third course was seafood: a very soft and palatable sea bream that melted in your mouth, in creamy risotto. This was outstandingly good. My only regret is that, like all the other courses, the serving was so small that I cleaned off my plate in only a few spoonfuls.
The final main course was meat, more specifically wa-gyu, Japanese beef. This was my first time to try the excessively expensive beef from famously pampered cows. It really didn’t disappoint. The marbled fat made it soft and creamy, completely unlike any other meat I had ever tried. On top were real slices of truffles. When we booked the meal, I had no idea that chocolate truffles were only named so because of their appearance. Having tasted the real thing, I can guarantee that real chocolate truffles would be disgusting. Truffles have a corky, woody taste that is impossible for me to like. This course, like the starters, was also slightly spoilt by the overpoweringly fruity sauce. Also, Keiko got double the amount of truffles I had (which I can let slide) and much more beef (lots of which she slipped onto my plate, what a wife!).
Last up was the dessert which consisted of a fantastic cheesecake and a pistachio-flavoured truffito-style ice cream. It was a nice end to a really great meal. We had a thoroughly great time, and even if I didn’t like every course, it was an culinary experience for both of us.
The only downside, as I mentioned above, was the lack of balance in the food. The foie gras had the purest taste, I imagine, and the fish course was perfect, but the meat course and appetiser needed a little more work in my opinion. From my days watching Hell’s Kitchen, I am reminded of Gordon Ramsey berating chefs for using too much sauce to cover their poor food. I have no doubt that the food at Chef’s V was excellent, I just wish that the staff would have allowed that excellence to shine through a little more.
On a final note, the service was wonderful. From taking pictures of the guests (with extreme patience), to quick turnovers on bread, water and courses (although on the latter point, a little more time would have been welcome).
All in all, an excellent meal worth its price, and a start to a thoroughly good Christmas. Thanks Chef’s V, you can be sure we’ll drop by for a regular course sometime this year.
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