Kinu by Takagi at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is no stranger to all things luxe and to kick-off the beginnings of the festive season, until the end of December, it is offering a special caviar promotion.
Chef Takagi Kazuo, who lends his name to the 10-seat kaiseki-style Japanese restaurant, has selected various premium black caviar from his favourite French brand Sturia, a sturgeon caviar producer and breeder, to complement his five-course Kyo-ryori lunch and 10-course Kyo-ryori dinner.
Ikura or fish roe is common in Japanese cuisine, though the red caviar like salmon roe is used most often. Black sturgeon caviar or black ikura takes Japanese food in a whole new direction, especially when combined with the finest seasonal ingredients. Sturia uses different maturation processes to produce various types of caviar, making it a “haute-couture” caviar. From fresh caviar to newly-caught and mature caviar, a variety will be available on this menu.
Delicately crafted by kaiseki maestro, chef de cuisine Norihisa Maeda, starts off with a simple “made tableside” Chawanmushi topped with caviar. Chef Takagi’s seasonal menus open with “sakizuke” or an amuse bouche of slow-cooked Hokkaido scallop and snow crab tartare served with beetroot, lotus stem, pumpkin puree and Sturia oscietra caviar from Gueldenstaedtil sturgeons. The oscietra caviar with a delightful marine flavour and a touch of dried fruit followed by notes of butter, nuts and avocado.
The “hasson” features chestnut compote with fried somen noodles as to depict a chestnut falling from the tree in the autumn, persimmon-shaped salmon sushi and grilled Kamasu or barracuda. Adding flavour to these bites is the Sturia origin caviar – a powerful caviar refined for more than eight months in a maturation process. At the 10-course dinner, Kinu by Takagi’s signature steamed abalone is served in an abalone liver sauce. Delish!
The lavish Japanese culinary journey ends with dessert of the season: Persimmon and pears with Houji-cha tea jelly served with chestnut ice cream and brown sugar sauce.
Though the caviar extravagance is incomplete without a sake pairing. Indulge in Sakunohana from the Nagano prefecture, Kariho sparkling sake from Akita prefecture, Nabeshima from Saga prefecture (and my favourite) and Noguchi from Ishikara prefecture.
The special caviar menu for lunch and dinner is available until Dec 30. Kinu by Takagi is open from Wednesday to Sunday for lunch at noon and dinner at 6. A five-course lunch is priced at B4,000++ per person and the 10-course dinner is priced at B8,000++ per person. Call 02-659-9000 or email restaurants-mobkk@mohg.com.
