Venturing Up North

Spending the weekend in Shenzhen turned out to be quite a revelation for me. While most people travelled to our neighbor north to the border in the hunt of bargains, we went in search of some finer things with many new restaurants and hotels opening even before and during covid that easily rival those of similar caliber in town. 

Springtime on the table

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. 

Food Pairing Sake Dinner, the Sequel

There were certainly something special about the food we had that night. And the drink too. And not in particular order. 

With hot summer slowly giving way to the (equally hot) autumn we returned to Ryota Kappou Modern to check out the seasonal menu by Chef Ryota Kanesawa, again, courtesy of our friend C who organized this at this favorite restaurant of his. Last time after an already great line-up of bottles he organized for us we challenged him to show us more, and he did, this time with more jaw-dropping ones. Yes, that’s plural right there. 

Food Pairing Sake Dinner

"Don't worry about the wines - I will take care of it." we realized what our friend C meant when I managed to take a peek at the bottles he brought to the restaurant before our dinner began. Let's just say having any one of them on any given occasion would have been the highlight, but going through all of them in one go was simply beyond remarkable. Better yet, he also went through the menu with chef at his go-to restaurant to make sure the dishes did justice to the outstanding bottles. 

Taste of Springtime

I found myself eating more and more at Japanese restaurants lately – maybe that’s subconsciously my way of getting through the pain of feeling stuck in town for over 2 years already. One of the most recent ones I tried was Nagamoto, a Kappo-style restaurant in Central headed by Chef Teruhiko Nagamoto. 

Ryota-san's Special Menu

It's a no-brainer when our friend C asked us whether we would like to get together at Ryota Kappou Modern, a restaurant that he frequented, let alone he offered to arrange everything, booking out the private room and sorting out the menu with chef-owner Ryota Kanesawa prior to our meal in early August.