ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Young chef Masato Hirai has acquired quite a following since opening Dal Matto in Nishi Azabu, and now he has just opened an equal-named branch in Ebisu. The procedure is the same: once comfortably seated with an aperitif, Mr. Hirai steps to the table and inquires about our preferences and possible incompatibilities. He then returns to the kitchen and creates a multi-course menu (¥5,250) with the day’s best and freshest ingredients. On our recent visit, the menu opened with a cold clam soup that was colored purple by kinjiso, and tempura of four different Japanese spring vegetables, accompanied with freshly baked focaccia and three different olive oils. Next saw a carpaccio of tachiuo (cutlassfish) on steamed moroheya greens, but Hirai has no qualms to grill the fish if someone is squeamish about raw fish. A delicate vegetable terrine with sweet bell-pepper purée, or alternatively house-cured ham with various green vegetables concluded the appetizers. Cold capellini with an okra, yam and tomato sauce was served as a surprise pasta dish, followed by grilled matsuzaka beef with a reduction of balsamico vinegar and Segafredo coffee beans! An alternative vegetarian main dish was a slice of grilled makomodake with an assortment of garden-fresh vegetables. Tomato-basil spaghetti rounded off the meal, although some of us had secretly hoped for Hirai-san’s signature pasta dish: the incomparable tripe-tomato penne. For coffee and cigarettes (and dolci) one moves upstairs, where a couple of coffee tables and comfortable chairs are placed, while old Italian movies are projected to the wall. Bottled wines are a bit steep (from ¥5,800), but an all-you-can-drink house wine is available for ¥1,500 a person (only in the main dining room).www.dal-matto.comkinjiso: is a traditional vegetable in Ishikawa prefecture with a deep purple color.tachiuo: cutlass fish, also called scabbard fish.makomodake: some kind of Japanese mushroom, but some people say it's not really a mushroom. No clarification from Google either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Thank goodness he is prepared to grill the fish. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.