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| - Ready to transport myself to a coffeehouse in Japan, my DH (he asked to be called this in my review, though I think that means designated hitter rather than dear husband) and I met Philip T. and Ayumi K. for a different type of Japanese meal.
I started off with the yuzu soda, and I was so pleasantly surprised at its deliciousness with real yuzu rind in the bottom of the glass. I also got the agedashi tofu for my appetizer. It was one perfect square of homemade tofu topped with grated ginger, scallion, and bonito flakes with almost a gelatinous dashi sauce beneath.
Philip and Ayumi shared their beef tongue stew appetizer, which was very tender and rich. My DH ordered the hayashi beef stew with rice - it said it came with vegetables but he only got a few onions, so it was a bit plain. He was a good sport since the menu mostly had fried or spicy food, even the specials, and that is not his forte.
I got the hamburg steak with daikon and shiso garnish. The flavor was decent but the daikon was surprisingly more pickle-y tasting than fresh tasting to me. The potatoes were simple and okay. I ate everything on my plate though! It was a unique meal for sure.
Philip had his staple the tororin omelette with fried rice and tomato sauce, and Ayumi got her favorite, mentaiko pasta. Ayumi ordered a beautiful pineapple ravioli encasing ice cream with fresh berries for dessert, which she graciously shared with us when we discovered how good it was!
Overall, it was a really neat experience and great atmosphere. We got to meet the chef and talk to him, and learned a lot about Japan from our dining companions. Between a weekend of meals at Blue Fin, Japan Creek, and Cafe de Japon plus the upcoming yelptern night at Nakamura-Ya, I think me and the DH are ready for our vacation to Japan this May!
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