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| - I went to Baku with a local Charlotte friend who knew I was a foodie and thought I would appreciate this Japanese inspired restaurant. Upon reaching the front door it was opened for us by a waitress who welcomed us with a smile. We were seated in the main dining area (there is a lounge-y space upstairs). It was a Tuesday night around 8:30 pm and the space was surprisingly full. Subdued in its decorations, perfectly lighted so that you could clearly see what you ordered, the restaurant could easily exist in New York City or any other major metropolitan area.
Service was impeccable - our main waitress was attentive and genuinely enthusiastic. A bevy of support folks attended our table as well. It was evident that the owners were rigorous in their expectations for the front of the house and that staff were willing to execute in order to make those expectations happen.
My friend and I decided on a small plates for our meal. I must say that I was somewhat put off by the voluminous menu; it had to have been 10 pages (including 3 pages of sake and other drinks) as well as 2 additional separate menus of "specials." So there were 3 menus in all! I felt like I needed to have studied and prepared prior to arrival. It was a little overwhelming. In the end, I questioned our waitress for recommendations which she was more than happy to do.
Along with cold sake (1/2 price bottles that evening YAY!), we had 8 small plates; each presented with a rigorous attention to detail. You could tell these were chef conceived items and that he ran a tight ship. From the sake bottle resting in an ice filled wooden box onward, every element of the food and its presentation is the vision of the chef.
We had first a plate of homemade kimchi, the cabbage tart and vinegary. It was followed by a Hamachi dish - two thinly sliced pieces of delectably fresh fish atop a pickled mound of crunchy veg. I would have liked a larger piece of fish as it was dwarfed by the pickled mound and kind of lost. Charred baby octopus followed, plated in a long white ceramic runway. Tasty and delicious, it offered a wonderful bite. A tuna tartare was next, to be scooped up with homemade taro chips. The chips were an unexpected item, a nice touch - the tartare; weak of seasoning fell flat as merely mushy. We then had tempura shrimp. When it came out, I was at first disappointed by the size of the shrimp - smallish and popcorn - like. But after popping one in my mouth, I was amazed at how they remained so succulent and juicy after being deep-fried. But they were. And the tempura batter, thin and crisp, did not overpower. A really delicious dish. Next came pork belly with sous vide egg. The pork belly was prepared nicely, fatty and flavorful. I was very disappointed in the egg though as it was cold. I told my waitress to let the chef know as I was sure he did not intend the warmth of the fatty delicious pork belly to be paired and eaten with a refrigerator-cold egg yolk. I looked at my friend and said just you wait - a chef this meticulous would send us another so that we could enjoy as he intended. He didn't - oh well. Last we had scallops with foie gras. It contained two big meaty succulent sea scallops adorned with slivers of foie gras, some sea salt and pickled plum on the side. This was a winner; a choreographed ending to the savory portion of the meal.
Lastly, but not least - I had to have a dessert. I ordered the chocolate ganache cake with homemade coconut ice cream. Need I say more? A brilliant pairing - the cake's center was warm and gooey and the ice cream cold and coconutty - combined the two were unified into a wonderful yummy finale to the meal.
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