Review: Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai proves his mettle at dinner in Kuala Lumpur

You can imagine our excitement upon receiving an invitation for dinner prepared by Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai (pictured above, right) and Japan’s top patissier, Chef Toshi Yoroizuka, together with TEN's Chef Miyake (pictured above, left).

Hailed as the ‘Delacroix of French cuisine’ for his highly artistic dish presentations, Chef Sakai is best known for being Iron Chef French on the Japanese culinary show ‘Iron Chef’.

At 71 years old, Chef Sakai is remarkably energetic, with an infectious charm only overshadowed by his cooking. Chef Sakai is also the owner and head chef of La Rochelle restaurant in Tokyo – already a ‘must-go’ on our travel list after a taste of the fine dishes he prepared at TEN Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.

 

We also had the privilege of Japan's most celebrated pastry chef, Toshi Yoroizuka (pictured above), prepare dessert for the evening. Trained in France, Germany and Belgium, Chef Yoroizuka proved to be a master of his art with a humble and sweet persona only matched by his delicately, intricate desserts. His dessert bars in Japan often have hour-long queues, so it was indeed an honour to have the man himself in Kuala Lumpur for an evening of fine food.

Read on to see what Chef Sakai and Chef Yoroizuka prepared for dinner and dessert, and how each course fared.

 

 

Amuse (prepared by Chef Sakai, Chef Toshi and Chef Miyake)

• Cake piment
• Halibut marinated in konbu with angler liver and cedar barrel soy sauce
• Chawanmushi with the fragrance of lobster and aonori seaweed
  Billecart Salmon Brut Rose NV, Champagne, France

 

Created by all three chefs, the amuse bouche was a delectable start to the evening. Looking at the cake piment (which resembled a mini muffin), we weren’t sure if the first bite would turn sweet or savoury. But indeed it turned out to be a pleasant surprise, with bits of smoked meat and olives mixed into a cake-light texture. This went particularly well with the champagne paired for the course.

Presented innocently enough, the halibut was a nice, clean canvas that highlighted the accompanying angler fish liver and soy sauce – an addictive flavour that started on a sour note and quickly faded into a tangy aftertaste. The texture was incredibly smooth, similar to ultra fine pate.

The king of the trio though: the chawanmushi. The first spoonful was an eye-opener, partly because it was a highly aromatic experience and also for its texture that could put silk to shame. It was a simple serving that came with a small piece of lobster meat, yet it didn’t need much else when its perfume was this heavy and continued to permeate through the palate long after consumption.

 

 

Cold appetizer (Iron Chef Sakai)

Green asparagus mousse charlotte style, assiette de fruit de mer and Oscietra caviar
TEN’s house sake, Tokubetsu Jyunmai-syu, Niigata Japan

Here, Chef Sakai proudly displayed his worthy reputation as the 'Delacroix of French cuisine'.

A beautifully assembled course, the ‘ring’ holding the assiette de fruit de mer (mixed seafood) was meticulously made from bite-size pieces of asparagus stalks individually put together.

Inside the ring: an asparagus mousse cushioning pieces of abalone, prawn and king crab. A thin asparagus ‘jelly’ formed a pool around the asparagus ring.

The seafood mix gave a natural sweetness while the different asparagus styles created a nice play on texture: crunch from the stalk, creaminess from the mousse and softness from the spear. The caviar was lovely and gave a gorgeous pop with each bite.

The sake matched this very well too; the wine balanced the course – light and crisp at first before its complexity took over, and yet it never overpowered the food’s aftertaste.

 

 

Warm appetizer (Iron Chef Sakai)

Foie gras croquette, truffle and mushroom sauce with a Parmesan tuile
Osawa Prestige Chardonnay 2010, Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

The truffle aroma from the sauce arrived at our table well before the dish was set before us. Tastefully plated, the croquette made with Japanese Hokkaido potato was deep fried to a beautiful golden hue.

The foie gras held inside the croquette – while being the star of the dish – had other textures to contend with: the soft potato filling and the light crunch of the croquette skin. Purists would probably have preferred a simpler serving of the liver.

Given how superbly rich and aromatic the truffle and mushroom sauce was, it should be kept in jars to replace every other style of mushroom sauce imaginable (wishful thinking).

The chardonnay from Japanese winemaker Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand had wonderful earthy flavours that held its own against the weight of the foie gras and truffle.

 

Fish cuisine (Chef Miyake)

Japanese Pacific blue fin tuna with a shark fin soy butter sauce
Osawa Wines Prestige Collection Pinot Noir 2011, Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

Another eye-opening course, this time from TEN’s resident chef; the fish course steered the menu headstrong towards the main.

Full of attitude, Miyake’s take on the tuna was intriguing and fantastic with its complex layers. It began with a tug-of-war between the salty and peppery flavours, but a sharp spiciness conquered all: the bite of chopped, fried garlic.

Mushy eggplant, soft and lightly seasoned, did a splendid job to soften the blow of the feisty garlic without competing with the fish.

With that much excitement going on in a single course, the Japanese-styled dumpling on the side paled in comparison and proved to be unnecessary.

The pinot noir paired with this course was especially enjoyable (and turned out to be our favourite wine of the evening). Medium bodied, the pinot noir’s berry and oak flavours boldly stood out with excellence.

 

Meat cuisine (Iron Chef Sakai)

Japanese premium wagyu beef served wellington style, sauce de boeuf
Flying Sheep Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Ever the showman (he was on a television show after all), Chef Sakai flambéed a loaf of bread with brandy and vodka before slicing it open to reveal a slab of wagyu beef wrapped in bamboo leaves.

The Iron Chef said the bamboo leaves would make the beef even more tender and juicy. Say no more; you had us at the first appetizer.

Any doubts of Chef Sakai as a master in Nouvelle Cuisine were silenced when the beef was served.  Exquisitely buttery-soft with luxurious marbling wrapping each bite of meat, chewing was hardly required; our teeth simply glided through the meat effortlessly. The beef was juicy enough on its own without the need for the accompanying beef sauce.

The cabernet sauvignon was excellent with the beef, although we loved the pinot noir from the fish course so much that we found it to be an outstanding choice to wash down the meat.

 

Avant dessert (Grand Patissier Yoroizuka)

Compote poire
Osawa Wines Noble Gewürztraminer 2011, Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

For our pre-dessert dessert, Chef Yoroizuka prepared a glorious pear compote – a mixture of Japanese pear, pear ice cream with a white wine mousse and sabayon cream.

The Grand Patissier said to “enjoy the differences” in temperature and texture, adding that these “differences are very important when making dessert”.

Indeed, there was a whirlwind of contrast: a crunchy, fried noodle of some sort; cold ice cream; milky custard cream; the pear compote. Cutting portions by half would’ve been perfect as this ‘light’ dessert wound up being very heavy.

The multiple award-winning dessert wine was an instant favourite: strong, lychee notes that added depth to the dessert. On that note, all of the wines were skilfully paired and were spot-on with each course.

 

 

Grand dessert (Grand Patissier Yoroizuka)

La Terre Nourriciere

A grand combination of pistachio, chocolate, hazelnut and truffle to end the marathon of flavours, Chef Yoroizuka showed originality with this dessert.

We especially enjoyed the truffle ice cream, with bits of chewy truffle; this should be sold by the pint (again, wishful thinking). The chocolate mousse was sublime, with hazelnut cream and the biggest truffle shavings we’ve seen yet.  A perfect ending to a decadent dinner with two of the most highly respected chefs in the culinary world.

 

(Photos: ASATSU-DK)