川井 潤
Night visit to "Reika Seiran Kyu" after a long time. This season is perfect for enjoying Shanghai crab, so I reserved the "Double Shanghai Crab Course (tax included 20,900 yen)". Started with a champagne toast, then the food began. First up was the "Shanghai Crab Soaked in Shaoxing Wine"... soaked in Shaoxing wine for 2 weeks. The Shaoxing wine flavor has soaked in well, making it easy to eat, but the best part is sucking up the remaining wine at the end. Next was the "Assorted Seasonal Appetizers"... featuring prawn spring rolls, bite-sized sweet and sour pork (pork under cabbage), black soybeans (seasoned with Chinese seasonings), smoked yellowtail (seasoned with yuzu salt) with sweet potato chips at the bottom, Chinese-style dish with snow crab and chrysanthemum flowers (seasoned with vinegar and citrus), steamed chicken (spicy with mayonnaise and doubanjiang), and jellyfish matsumae pickled in egg rolls. The chrysanthemum flower slightly masked the flavor of the snow crab, which was a bit of a shame, but overall, all dishes had a refined and gentle flavor. Switched to white wine for the next course. "Shanghai Crab Bisque Cappuccino" was up next... a soup rich in crab flavor that filled the air with its aroma. Delicious. Then came the specialty of the restaurant, "Braised Shark's Fin in Clay Pot"... arrived simmering hot. As always, this dish with its rich sauce and impressive shark's fin never fails to satisfy. Black vinegar (to intensify the flavor) and red vinegar (to make it refreshing) were provided for flavor variation, but ultimately, I only used a bit of black vinegar as the original flavor was delicious. Now for the main course of the course, "Steamed Crab"... nicely prepared and easy to eat. The female crab on the right had a richer flavor. Started with that and then compared it with the male crab while enjoying both with two types of vinegar - black vinegar on the right and three-cup vinegar on the left. So delicious. Eating this much crab definitely left me completely satisfied. After finishing, I had some "Ginger Tea" to warm up the body as crabs are considered a cooling food. The seasonal meat dish was "Duck in Spicy Sauce"... tender duck meat in a slightly spicy Chinese-style sauce. A unique way to enjoy duck meat. By this point, I was quite full. For the finale, there was "Shanghai Crab Risotto Baked in the Oven"... hot, rich, and delicious. Completely full. The seasonal dessert included "Creme Brulee, Milk Ice Cream, Mask Melon from Kochi Prefecture, Spicy Cashew Nuts, Tochiotome Strawberries, Pound Cake with Kumquat Jam, and Egg Tart"... a plate of sweet treats with a variety of flavors and a generous portion to leave a gentle feeling as I headed home. Overall, very satisfied. My relationship with Reika has been going on for almost 15 years now. The consistent and delicious quality has remained unchanged over the years. Chef Niizuma's solid skills and the bright attitude of the restaurant's madam have also remained constant. On this day, the madam even came to greet us from the Shinjuku Gyoen branch, which was a bit overwhelming. The restaurant is gradually gaining the elegance of a renowned high-end Chinese restaurant in Japan. Thank you for the feast.