People here actually say that. When I first learned it, I thought it was kind of rude-ish. But now I realize that you have to use it if you want to stop the sorcerer’s apprentice of sushi- or tempura-makers from setting little plates of yummy stuff gently yet purposefully in front of you for hours on end. OMG. ”Onaka Ippai!”
Tonight we had dinner here in Kanazawa at a very special tempura restaurant— Koizumi — which was recommended by a Japanese friend in Santa Fe who said he travels from Tokyo to Kanazawa just to eat here (about three hours by bullet train) My first ever Michelin star restaurant, I think. Maybe. We had to make the reservation (or Junko did) six weeks in advance because the place — which is down a narrow alley in a residential area — only seats 9 people.
I am taking time out from other topics to share the meal we just had with you if you have the courage and stamina to hang in for it. I hope you haven’t eaten in days. Actually, since you drink sake between every dish, I forgot to take pictures of most of them so this won’t take long at all.
We weren’t supposed to take photos of the chef, but I did it before she told me that, so here he is. Very jovial, friendly fellow.
Dinner began with a little “amuse bouche” ...a cold pickled spinach and mushroom offering. Deceptively tiny. Then we waited a while and drank sake while he served the people at the other end of the counter. Then some kind of sashimi fish showed up decorated with purple and yellow cysanthemum. Very good. But not tempura. More sake.
We watched as he poured egg and water into a bowl, then dusted something....a mushroom or whatever..with flour, dipped it into the egg mixture and then placed it deftly into the boiling oil...a kind of oil we’d never heard of that is most likely not available in the U.S. and looked more like champagne than oil but with big bubbles. Small squares of Nori (seaweed) went in. When they came out, the sous chef ever-so-carefully topped each square with 1.)sea urchin and wasabi and 2.) raw fish and caviar.
He directed us to eat the fish/caviar combo with lemon and the other with just a touch of salt.
Here is a video of the sous chef making real (not powdered) wasabi.
I’ve lost track of the order of things but this ”butterfish” (in batter, thus battered butterfish) came along soon after. Junko’s favorite, it melts in your mouth... like butter. It was followed by some kind of white fish with a tail on it to eat with lemon and grated daikon or just a pinch of salt. Need I say ..more sake?
These are shrimp heads. And legs. And feelers, I guess. Very crunchy.
This was our “salad” course. There were two tomatoes and two pea pods but they were eaten before I remembered to take a photo. The little white things are pickled onion sprouts. Very good and sweet.
There was a huge fried oyster which I gave Doug. (Not enough sake, I guess.) Several more kinds of fish, including Anago, a “long fish” which is really an eel. Some fried gluten. Several fried shrimp...missing their heads because we already ate them. Two skewers, one with fried ginko and the other with tiny fried slimy potatoes. (That’s what they’re called.) Some Maitake mushrooms and some matsutake mushrooms, which Junko said can cost $100 each and grow under pine trees. But I‘m not sure she said that because I was on my fourth or fifth cup of sake by then.
The meal ended with rice — your choice of “tendon” (which has edamame and shrimp tempura mixed in) or fried rice with shrimp and mushrooms or rice in a dashi broth. And a small cup of miso soup. And then fruit for dessert. (Those enormous $20/bunch green grapes and Asian pear). And green tea ice cream. Onaka Ippai! (Like several plates ago.)
(That’s crunch sesame seeds on top of the ice cream.)
And of course, tea. And no more sake for you!