I've always thought of uni as foie gras of the sea, not only because they share a certain unctuousness, but because like foie, uni commands respect, respect for the ingredient. And oftentimes, the best way to enjoy such incredible ingredients is in their most pristine and simple form. The least handled, the least cooked, the better. Give me a piece of foie straight up, simply seared. And I thought uni was the same. I'd rather have uni sashimi or sushi, because I didn't want anything to overwhelm or fight with the lovely taste of uni. But that was me before Soto. Now, I shall never look at another piece of naked uni without wishing it was dressed in one of chef Sotohiro's creations.
Ironically enough, my friend and I chose to go to Soto not for it's uni dishes, but for it's lobster sashimi. Having both grown up in Australia eating lobster sashimi so fresh the eyes still wiggled on the plate (and you'd know b/c they'll serve the still moving head on the platter), we were craving lobster sashimi. J called a day before just to make sure they had live lobster and we turned up at 8 on Wed night for our treat. We ordered several items, with the planned highlight being lobster sashimi, but instead we were completely bowled over by our uni dishes. Had chef Soto strategically planned the two most awesomest dishes to be served at the start and end of the night? Possibly. What I do know is that they totally obliterated the other 4 dishes, and all I could remember was how fabulous his uni dishes were.
J and I ordered:
1) Uni ika sugomori zukuri (sea urchin wrapped in thinly sliced squid with nori, served with quail egg and tosa soy reduction). I can't decide whether this was better or the uni lobster... Let's call it a draw, they're equally pass-out good. The copious amount of sea urchin was highlighted and lifted to new heights by sweet squid and egg. I think the squid added some bite to the dish (and it's oddly sticky, but in a good way), while the quail egg enhanced the uni's creaminess. And the tosa soy reduction just tied everything together. The sauce was sooo refined, a little sweet, not too salty... Hm, where can I get some tosa soy?! J and I literally cleaned the plate. Not even a drop of sauce was left once we were done. Oh btw, the menu said the uni and squid was wrapped in shiso, but ours was wrapped in seaweed. I hope they keep the nori.
2) Geoduck clam salad (ginger marinated giant clam, japanese cucumber, daikon and shiso, spicy radish sprouts). I generally do not like salads. Didn't grow up on it, don't like to eat it. But, I would gladly eat this salad for the rest of my life. Everything just worked, and it was so refreshing. It tasted of spring.
3) Maine amaebi sashimi (sweet shrimp sashimi, served with ginger soy sauce). Fresh and sweet but rather forgettable b/c the flavor profile was too singular after such explosive and exciting dishes as the two we've just had. I didn't like the ginger soy sauce, it was too intense for the shrimp's subtle sweetness. But paper thin slices of lime provided just the right amount of acidity and flavor.
4) Live lobster sashimi (live maine lobster sashimi with ginger soy sauce and caviar, yuzu kimizu sauce). *Sigh... this was a dissapointment. And we were so looking forward to this dish too! There was too much ginger involved and the lobster was too salty. Raw lobster meat should be sweet, much sweeter than shrimp, unfortunately when you use too much ginger and/or salt, you completely mask that sweetness. FYI: The menu said this dish was meant to be "lightly poached lobster with ginger truffle soy sauce", but I think b/c we called ahead and asked for raw lobster, Soto took away the truffle (rightfully so since it would have totally overwhelmed the raw meat). Otherwise, this dishe might have worked really well.
5) Cyu toro tartare (chopped fatty tuna with avocado coulis, garnished with caviar, chive, served in sesame ponzu sauce). I thought that chopping toro wasn't the best treatment of such a nice cut of fish. And, avocado really didn't add anything... The dish was ok when you had a bit of toro, avocado, chive and caviar in each bite, but only alright.
6) Steamed lobster with uni mousse (layers of steamed maine lobster and uni mousse in lotus wrap, garnished with smoked uni and caviar). Just when we thought the night was going downhill, BAM, Soto-san hits us with this mindboggler. He puts the aforementioned missing truffle soy in this lobster dish, and boy was it good. Uni and lobster and truffle? Definitely not too much of a good thing.
Such a memorable meal came out to be $200 for two people, that's including a bottle of sparkling sake and a bottle of unfiltered sake. Yes, it's a little much for my budget, but so worth it.
If you love uni, you'll love Soto.
This is the real deal, just look at the "fire pot"! It is designed for maximum heat conductivity. These pots are made out of copper, the best material for "fire pot". It diffuses and conducts heat quickly and cooks food more evenly, with a lower heat source than might normally with another pan, and prevents hot spots and sticking. The "chimney" in the middle allows for a deep trench of soup, but at the same time reduces the volume of soup needed to be heated, that's what I call efficient use of energy! These "fire pots" deviate a little from tradition. First, they are individual sized, as opposed to a communal, family sized one that's put in the center of the table to be shared by everyone. Secondly, we used alcohol burners instead of the traditional charcoal.
::drool::
And for something different, they also have fish eggs on rice.
