Next Restaurant - Kyoto

Next Restaurant's series of dinner is probably one of the most innovative, yet, traditional culinary innovation by Grant Achatz. The series' inspiration comes from all randomness: from Achatz' childhood to different restaurants to different locations in the world. This time around, it's Kyoto.

After a trip in Kyoto, Achatz has orchestrated this dinner using the most traditional flavor from Kyoto, bringing Kyoto's spirit with him and allowing diners to have a flavor of it.

Corn Husk

Its name might be very simple, however, the flavor of this broth carries heavy sweetness of the corn. 

Chestnut, apple, white miso, hay aroma

Japanese Maple forest (Shrimp, Roe with custard and compressed fish eggs)

Sashimi (Madai, Salmon and Kanpachi), Shiso, Tamari

Abalone, cucumber, red sea grapes

The abalone has a nice chewy texture and carries the freshness of the mollusk. The red sea grapes provide the citrus and sweetness, which makes it a nice compliment to the abalone.

Anago, maple dashi, shimeji mushroom

This is probably one of the best Eel soup I've had so far. The broth is light but carry a bit of a dashi saltiness. The eel is lightly flavored and the mushroom provides a nice chewiness to go with the soup.

Matsutake Chawanmushi, pine

I am known to be a chawanmushi snob and this chawanmushi is surprisingly delicious. The egg is extremely light and airy, while it carries a bit of saltiness. The mushroom is a bit of an after thought though, however.

Ayu, wasabi leaf, cured yolk

This fish is probably one of the best preparation I've tasted. The fish is cooked to perfection. It is grilled nicely: the meat is firm but moist while its skin has the perfect crunch. The fish carries a nice flavor from the grill and combined with perfect seasoning, creates this nicely orchestrated fish. 

We get to eat the bones as well, it's fried to crisp. Seriously, eating the fish's bone is like eating chips.

Chrysanthemum, eggplant, shiso leaf

The tempura is extremely light and airy. I'm surprised by the lightness of it. However, I guess I was still overwhelmed by the fish from the earlier course, so I think this is an after-thought course. But it provides a nice intermission. 

Australian Kobe, carrots, vegetable with soup, rice and pickles

The beef is perfectly cooked with nice flavoring to complement with the rice, vegetable and miso soup. This is a heart warming dish. A very traditional, yet, delicious course.

Roasted Fig, Yuba, Emperor II

Warabi Mochi, toasted soy

The mochi is light, chewy but not sticky. I can simply eat another dozen of these. 

The kyoto dinner course definitely brings in all the traditional kyoto flavor, with a little bit of Grant Achatz's spin on it. The food and flavor are simple, but it carries the comfort that highlights Japanese food. It took a few days for me to truly appreciate the essence of this dinner. I would have to say that Grant has wrapped this one up nicely and I'm looking forward to future series.