We had the pleasure of joining our friends P and G for a dinner at Godenya during the Easter long weekend. There’s no better place to enjoy the dinner served in traditional Kappo style with unique sake pairing by Chef Goshima Shinya. P called this his favorite season to visit the place, and I can understand why with the menu filled with seasonal sansho flowers and sansai, both known for its distinct, season-defining flavor and aroma.
I almost got lost trying to find that discrete entrance of the place – that showed how long it has been since my last visit here – and we couldn’t help but admire the wabi-sabi-like décor of the place completed with all the antique ceramics pieces on display. We took up half the counter space nearest to the preparation area so got a pretty good view of the chef (and sommelier) Goshima-san in action. Nine courses were served with each ingredient and its origin listed on the menu, along with 8 different sakes next to each dish with its serving temperature, written in both Japanese and English so we could follow along easily.
Not the most unusual way to start with something this rich, but the soft ankimo (monkfish liver) was mixed with bits of akagai (ark shell) to form a “pate ball” and on the outside, it was coated with warabi (bracken), Hana Wasabi (wasabi flower) and kinome (sansho buds). Somehow the creaminess of the monkfish liver worked extremely well with the vegetables filled with interesting aroma and flavor – there’s a slight hint of bitterness, a slight kick of spice and a nutty aroma, cutting down the fatty flavor nicely with a bit of bite from the chunks of akagai, barely cooked and minimally seasoned. For sake, we began with something refreshing, a nama sparkling nigori served cold (10C) – good acidity to cut down the fat and strong flavor with a hint of lactic taste.
Felt like we stepped out further in terms of richness for our next cold appetizer, this time, thin threads of soba served with Hamaguri (giant clam) and uni-fukinoto sauce on top. The fukinoto (butterbur bulb) bitterness counter the uni (sea urchin) sweetness) for an unique flavor profile with the dish almost served like a “pasta salad” in the Hamaguri shell except it’s distinctively Japanese, or Japanese spring-time to be exact. We stepped up in flavor and aroma with the sake too, this time a Junmai Daiginjo served cold, more rounded and balanced on the palate.
Late spring also marked the short season for Hotaru-ika, with this little firefly squid creatures lighting up their natural habitat along Toyama Bay. This time it’s paired with other seasonal ingredients such as bamboo shoot and hana-sansho and served as spring roll. “Spring roll for Spring ingredients, got it?” Goshima-san jokingly told us how the idea of this dish was conceived. Inside the spring roll wrapper was the tiny squid with a nice bite, crunchy takenoko (bamboo shoots) with a clean flavor (they were blanched to tone down the bitter taste), sticky rice mixed with creamy squid innards, and served on the side was the hana-sansho with a pleasant aroma. Everything just worked so nice together – simple flavor with so many different textures. For pairing, it’s a nama genshu (unpasteurized, unfiltered sake) with refreshing taste but got quite some leg to go with slightly higher alcohol content.
Continue the seafood theme with our next course which was Akazaebi (scampi). Call me ignorant but I don’t even know Japanese scampi exists. And they came in very nice size just perfectly cooked. More shellfish on the side in the form of scallops, and sauce made of the crustacean shells and Sakura-ebi for the deep umami flavor, along with broad beans, asparagus and taranome (Japanese angelica shoot) for the earthy hint. Went with another Junmai Ginjo nama genshu served closer to room temperature (23C) with more flavor and fragrance released from this bottle from Shizuoka Prefecture.
Kegani (crab) and tai (sea bream) were served as the Futamono dish. What looked like a “manju” (steamed dumpling) served in a colorful porcelain bowl was indeed blob of picked crab meat (horsehair crab from Hokkaido) covered with slices of sea bream fillet. On top was salt-cured Sakura leaf and flower, for that touch of minerality and acidity (and seasonlity). There were more underneath the crab meat too, with sea-bream roes, hijiki seaweed and fuki (butterbur stem). Warm sake was served this time at 45C, with the wine done through an old-school method called “Mizumoto” (something to do with how the shubo, or starter, was prepared and would result in sake with higher acidity)
There were two more dishes, all seafood. Love the abalone served with vinegared rice, abalone liver sauce and chunks of white asparagus – can’t go wrong with this combination and the touch of pine nuts added to some textures.
Last main course was grilled kinki (scorpion fish) from Hokkaido, grilled and served in a Japanese “salsa verde” (my word, not Goshima-san’s) prepared with thickened dashi and seaweed sauce. I also liked the contrasting flavor of the side vegetables – with the sweet onions, bitter Brussel Sprouts, Kogomi (ostrich fern), nano-hana and more nano-sansho. The sake was another interesting one, aged in normal temperature for over 10 years and bottled just last month and got a nice intense flavor.
The small bowl of somen noodles was another intense one – with the rich broth and plenty of Sakura-ebi on top providing the umami bomb. Our last sake pairing came together with the dessert, with fresh strawberries served with earl grey crème brulee and pecan ice-cream with the cask-aged old sake poured on top for the hint of smoky oxidized hint to counter the sweetness.
We didn’t get to travel to Japan this Spring, but Goshima-san certainly brought the mood of spring to our table this evening with this nicely thought-out menu and great pairing.
More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/sets/72177720307913365
When? April 7 2023
Where? Godenya, UG/F, 182 Wellington Street, Central
Menu Highlights? Hotaru-ika, Bamboo Shoot, Sticky Rice, Hana-sansho Spring Rolls
Drinks?
Ise no Shiroki Junmai Nama Sparkling - Takahashi Shuzo, Mie Prefecture
伊勢の白酒 純米生活性酒 - 三重県タカハシ酒造
Tedorigawa "Shukon" Junmai Daiginjo Nama - Yoshida Shuzoten, Ishikawa Prefecture
手取川 酒魂 純米大吟醸 特醸あらばしり- 石川県吉田酒造店
Yuho Junmai Ginjo Nama - Mioya Shuzo, Ishikawa Prefecture
遊穂 純米吟醸 生うすにごり - 石川県 御祖酒造
Kaiun Junmai Nama-genshu - Doi Shuzo, Shizuoka Prefecture
開運 無濾過 純米生酒 - 静岡県 土井酒造
Tenon Mizumoto Junmai Ginjo - Itakura Shuzo, Shimane Prefecture
天穏 水酛 純米吟醸 - 島根県 板倉酒造
Tamazakura Junmai Nama Nigori - Tamazakura Shuzo, Shimane Prefecture
玉櫻 とろとろにごり 純米生 - 島根県 玉櫻酒造
21BY Juji Asahi Konarezake Junmai Ginjo Genshu - Juji Asahi Shuzo, Shimane Prefecture
十旭日 純米吟醸 熟れ酒 原酒 (21BY) - 島根県 旭日酒造
1992 Yoshinosugi no Taruzake - Choryo Shuzo, Nara Prefecture
1992 吉野杉の樽酒 - 奈良県 長龍酒造
Web:
www.godenya.com
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