Foodies Notes: When Tokyo Met Paris in Canggu - Dine & Wine Bali
Indigo Canggu's philosophy has always been to create an eating experience for guests, pushing the boundaries of Japanese cuisine with an inimitable style of cuisine. Last week, April 18 & 19, Chef Shige Morita treated us with a menu inspired by a Tokyo Meets Paris theme.
The set dinner offered Japanese-French fusion dishes with surprising, simple and flavourful components, taking the tradition and heritage of Japanese gastronomy and mixing it with modern European cooking techniques, creating a world-class dining experience. They also provided a fabulous list of first-class sakes, an assembly of premium local and imported wines, with a well-rounded list by the glass, to pair with the food.
Amaebi on Pie Amuse-Bouche
The meal began with an amuse-bouche of Amaebi on Pie. The biscuit was crunchy and fluffy, and the topping with its lime soupçon, married with the Welcome cocktail, made of Two Islands Reserve Pinot Noir/Chardonnay Sparkling Wine and Blue Curaçao pearls, was a great taste buds’ opener.
The first course was Caviar, Alaskan King Crab, Potato Purée & Crab Espuma. Extremely delicate, the king crab was moist, the purée silky-smooth and the caviar popping on the palate elevated the dish exquisitely. Recommended by manager Shiori-san, we paired it with sake from Mie Suzuka, the ZAKU, a Junmai Daiginjyo 2018. Great match!
Caviar, Alaskan King Crab, Potato Purée & Crab Espuma
40°Salmon Fillet Confit
The next dish, a 40°Salmon Fillet Confit served-chilled was, for many, the most surprising. The sous-vide cooked fish, soft as butter, was melted in the mouth. A texture between sushi and smoked fish. Genius. The Parsley vinaigrette with a genuine herbal kick and colourful micro-green were spot on, and the buttery Two Islands Reserve Chardonnay 2015 complemented the gracefulness of the salmon.
This was followed by Black Truffle, Grilled Hokkaido Scallop, Sake Beurre Blanc & Mushroom Duxelle. This was an unusual take on scallops. The mollusc had a slightly crisp coating, very carefully cooked, managing to retain its fineness in the centre. The truffles, just in season-ending had brilliant musk, and the butter sauce added an extra sake’s note to die for. With this land-and-sea mixture, I opted for red wine, with a glass (or 2 maybe!) of Lalande de Pomerol, Chateau de Bel-Air 2012, and enjoyed every sip of the velvety wine with that dish. Yes! In that case, seafood and red wine works, trust me!
Black Truffle, Grilled Hokkaido Scallop, Sake Beurre Blanc & Mushroom Duxelle
Dashi, Karasumi, Baby Spinach & Radish
Foie Gras, Kisyu Binchotan, Black Angus Tenderloin & Red Wine Sauce
As a “Trou Normand”, which usually consist of sorbet with a dash of spirit, we’ve been served with a homemade Dashi, Karasumi (cured mullet roe), Baby Spinach & Radish. Dashi is the mother of Japanese gastronomy, a flavourful broth generally made with kombu and bonito flakes. With a distinctive sweet and savoury savour, it almost reminds you a taste of ocean. It is rich yet delicate.
Then came the Foie Gras, Kisyu Binchotan, Black Angus Tenderloin & Red Wine Sauce. The A+ grade Black Angus beef grilled on Kishui Binchotan charcoal was tender and juicy, well marbled and fatty just enough. Accompanied with a generous portion of seared foie gras topped with Autumnal garnish, with the gentle scent of red wine sauce lifting the dish, heightened by the full-bodied Two Islands Reserve Shiraz 2015 and its dark fruit palate.
Yuzu, Meringue, Caramel & Mango
The dessert ended the meal with elegance and all in subtlety. Yuzu, Meringue, Caramel & Mango. Beautifully presented, the spherical meringue was cooked to perfection, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, while the Yuzu ice cream had excellent airiness. The grated at-the-table Yuzu peel brought a deep citrus zest and the fresh mango a nice fruitiness. Overall, the contrasting textures worked very well together. A dessert that should be à la carte ASAP (please chef!), as should be the excellent Sake DASSAI 39, Junmai Daiginjyo, we had with.
This was a lovely meal in an intimate setting. Great value-for-money! Unquestionably worth it, no matter what. I sincerely hope Indigo Canggu will repeat this type of unique evening. Chef Shige is a real magician and you can feel his love and passion for fusion cuisine in every dish. Sensei Shige, arigatōgozaimashita.
Experienced May 2019
