Once again I was on the prowl for a great feast. This time around, a trip to the capital, Amsterdam. Located on the outskirts of Amsterdam city centre is the Okura Hotel, a hotel that houses not one, or two but three different Michelin starred restaurants. Tonight’s dinner was at the 1 star Japanese sensation, Yamazato. Nothing here gives Yamazato away as a 1 Michelin starred restaurant. The entrance carries a similar vibe to that of a typical upscale Japanese restaurant and the etiquette of the serve staff is unsuspecting as it is in the nature of Japanese people to be impeccably polite. But when the food came progressively, things started becoming serious.
The Omakase started with a trio of appetisers called the “Tsukidashi”
Chopped up little pieces of water cress, amber jack flesh and roe in a tea consommé. Very light on the palate but full in flavours. I like how each individual element had a sense of individualism as their taste was apparent and not masked by seasoning.
A small serve of sushi from the counter in Yamazato. The original Kaiseki menu serves a Mackerel and Anago sushi.
For me, I got the salmon and prawn because I wanted to stay away from the fishy offerings!
Both were amazing. The rice was at the right temperature and the grain stay whole. Picking it up, the rice held its weight and in the mouth it crumbled without much effort. It carried a nice bite and more importantly, the rice seasoning was good. However, a sushi is only as good as its toppings and Yamazato gave the glorious rice the treatment it deserved.
Slow braised daikon with mince and orange peel.
This was another sensational course served at Yamazato. I could not fault with anything. There was no bitterness in the daikon and the mince was super moist. Above all, every bite carried a citrus note that really gave a sense of warmth and fruitiness. Lovely.’’
After the trio of appetisers, we were served the Robin Mushi - Clear fish Soup in a Dobin Tea Pot
To ready us for our next course, we were served a fish soup that looked everything except basic. The prawns was cooked just right, the shrooms plump and the pork mellow. You can choose the squeeze lime juice into the soup but I thought it tasted best the way it is! A very refreshing course that cleanses the palate.
The Tsukuri, a sashimi course of brill, tuna, salmon and yellow tail.
Plate 1
Plate 2
Fresh fish! While it was every bit fresh, I was let down by the composition. There was nothing wrong with what they served in terms of quality but it lacked dimension. Give me some fish, some crustacean and perhaps an urchin too. I was looking for different texture, and flavours if you get what I mean. Perhaps, start off with a white fish, then some fatty tuna, a slice of smokey aburi salmon before sipping tea and enjoying the sweet crystal prawn and to finish, a briny sea urchin. This is what I my expect from a great sashimi experience.
Orange Gratin - Oysters with White Miso sauce
When I read the menu, I had in mind something that looked totally different. Perhaps something baked and served on a shell.
Nevertheless, the flavours were what I expected but a lot creamier and decadent. The way the fragrance of the white miso and orange complemented the dish was also another highlight. That sweet miso bean flavour with a citrusy kick was a great pairing for the humungous oyster in the orange! However, it can be a little daunting towards the end as it was a really rich dish!
Agemono - Tempura of King Crab and Scallops.
From the description, one would expect to have the best tempura of their life. Unfortunately, this was not true. In a case that the scallops was either left out for too long or not pat dry before being fried, so the batter fell of all the scallops when served. Thankfully the king crab held together much better, so we did not have any such dramas. But at this level of dining, every detail is critical and this is why my fellow diners were left wondering.
Shiizakana - Grilled Fillet of Beef
Grilled courgettes, mushrooms, minute fried pepper and an amazing beef fillet served with red miso. Each bite was so tender with no resistance whatsoever. It was lovely! The best part was that there was no word of wagyu mentioned on the menu yet it was simply superb.
Shokuji - Steamed rice with sea bream and miso soup
Most Japanese meals finish with a course of carbohydrate and this is no different. Some might criticise this finishing course at Yamazato to be very bland and to a certain extent that is true. But there is always something golden about a simple rice dish. Perhaps this was the intention of the chefs at Yamazato after a roller-coaster of flavours presented in the earlier courses.
To finish the evening, we were served two desserts. The first was the Japanese Ice Cream
Persimmon Pudding
A great end to the meal. The Persimmon pudding at Yamazato was my favourite that night. It had the right consistency and balance with a pronounce fruitiness in it. I was not bowled over by the ice cream for a couple of reasons. The first being a soggy macaron and secondly, the ice cream itself was not churned to a state that I was looking for when I eat ice cream in a fancy restaurant. I was looking for a sticky almost melting consistency that’s not icey but coats the spoon with a silky layer and is simply perfect for eating.
Alas, Okura Hotel should be known as the foodies hotel with the amount of world class restaurants residing in it. Yamazato, one of its oldest restaurant is delicious and fed me what I describe as “an over all great meal”. Was in an exceptional one that deserved 2 stars? Perhaps not, but it definitely deserves its 1 star rating. Note that despite the harsh comments I have made on several dishes, Yamazato is still a force to be reckoned with. Its fully simple, yet sophisticated on the palate with all of its dishes retaining the original flavours of the core ingredients. After my lacklustre encounter with Sushi at Morikawa in Den Haag, I am interested in going back for the sushi course at Yamazato! Maybe next time.
WenY
