Exploring RyuGin with Chef Yamamoto

 Seaperch grilled on Kishubincoutan charcoal with roaster rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchins (uni) soy sauce. — Photo by Triwik Kurniasari

Seaperch grilled on Kishubincoutan charcoal with roaster rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchins (uni) soy sauce. — Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
 One of Japan’s most celebrated chefs, Seiji Yamamoto, flew in to indulge Jakarta’s food lovers with an exquisite menu from his restaurant, RyuGin.

A white 20-by-15 centimeter menu was placed on each table at Orient8, a Pan-Asian and French restaurant at the Hotel Mulia in Senayan, South Jakarta.

The front of the card read “RyuGin by Chef Seiji Yamamoto”. The Japanese chef is renowned for fusing traditional with modern styles using astonishing gastronomy techniques.

RyuGin, derived from Japanese word ryu (dragon), opened in Tokyo’s upscale Roppongi district in 2003.

The restaurant received a rating of two Michelin stars for four consecutive years and was recently named one of the world’s 50 best restaurants by San Pellegrino.

Decorative black-and-white glass mats featuring Chinese dragon motifs strengthen the feel of the chef’s famous RyuGin style. It is believed the dragon prevents evil and heralds good fortune.

That evening, only a few guests were lucky enough to experience a culinary event well prepared by the chef himself.

Staff from RyuGin restaurant explained to guests the 10-course menu, revealing a deep knowledge.

The first course was the Chateau Ryugin 1970 Cuvée Hamaguri. The servers brought out a shot glass of oysters and seaweed topped with jelly and vegetables before presenting a wine-like bottle.

The server opened the bottle of Chateau Ryugin and explained that it was hot clam soup before carefully pouring it into glasses.
Monkfi sh Liver with akagai shell.— Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
Next up was Chef Yamamoto’s specialty — monkfish liver with akagai shell. Similar to French foie gras, the liver from Hokkaido was smooth like tofu and served with a special white miso and apple vinegar sauce and vegetables.

Next was kuruma ebi shrimp ball with soft simmered abalone cooked for 10 hours in a special shellfish soup. The soup consisted of five different broths: crab, dried bonito, scallop, shrimp and seaweed. The crab had a strong taste as the chef used crab broth as the main ingredient.

A Japanese culinary experience would not be complete without the famous sashimi. Chef Yamamoto prepared a combination of sashimi and came up with blue lobster and grouper in Kobujime style.

He combined Bretagne blue lobster with grouper from Maluku dressed in  Sudachi soy jelly and chilled vegetables. The lobster and fish were wonderfully juicy yet smooth, matching the freshness and sourness of sudachi (Japanese lime).

The fifth dish on the list was grilled Japanese sweet corn cold egg custard with zuwaigani crab meat and beluga caviar in a refined style.
The dish was a modern take on Japanese cawan mushi and presented in a sophisticated manner. The mashed sweet corn was mixed with egg custard, topped with succulent crab meat and salty caviar. Servers later explained that the best way to enjoy the dish was mix all parts of the dish to lower the salty taste.

Halfway through, it became interesting to find out what Yamamoto’s next creation would be.

Not long after the egg custard was served, servers brought out kishubincoutan charcoal to the tables, briefly explaining that the rock-hard charcoal, usually made from Japanese oak, produced high temperatures and was good for grilling fish and wagyu beef.

Then we got our chance to taste sea perch grilled on kishubincoutan with roasted rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchin soy sauce. The texture of the perch was soft, contrasting with the crunchy roasted rice.

Next up was kuroge wagyu beef fillet with hot beef Achilles tendon collagen sauce and fragrance of vegetables. The beef, also charcoal broiled, was tender and tasted even better with the sauce.
Next was premium blue fin tuna donburi style with pine nuts and mitsuba shrimp broth, completed with red miso soup served in a small cup — best simply drunk like tea.

The dish was a combination of Japanese steamed rice from Niigata, tuna from Miyazaki and rich shrimp broth.

Even feeling full after the eighth course, we could never turn down the two desserts, served on the table in a stunning and beautiful presentation.
 
-196 degrees Celcius candy apple and hot apple jam. Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
It started with a RyuGin specialty: a candy apple frozen to -196 degrees Celcius and hot apple jam.

The candy apple was cracked open with spoons to reveal a cold apple powder inside that tasted cool and light before melting in the mouth. The apple powder combined well with the sweet and sour taste of the warm jam.

The second dessert was grilled Ehime mandarin soufflé in RyuGin style with mango yogurt ice cream. The sweetness of the soufflé matched the coolness and sourness of the yogurt. Squeezing the fresh sliced orange onto the soufflé resulted in a fresher and stronger orange flavor.