“So, how often do you all eat out together like this?” asks Chef Hiro, as I make my way through the kitchen (on the way back from the bathroom). I thought for a moment before glancing over at the table from whence I came. “Fairly often” I replied “and if we aren’t eating out, we’ll find a way to eat in!”

And then a strange, warm, familiar feeling came over me. Less than a year ago, the people I was eating with were names on a screen. People I only knew through the food they ate and the pictures they took. And now, there were faces, and phone numbers, and emails that seemed to take on a life of their own… and tapas.

You’ve heard about my misgivings surrounding tapas before, so I won’t repeat them here. I will, however, say that this was actually Part 1 in my re-education (Part 2, of course, being the meal I had with the Bean at Emmilou).

 

And what a re-education it was.

The room is all dark wood and inviting chairs. The light is comfortably dim. And I? I am drinking a glass of bubbly and wondering how a meal of Japanese-and-Spanish influenced bites will turn out. Will there be sake in my sangria? Sashimi in my paella? I decided to leave it to chance (and the deft hands of Chef Hiro, who provided us all with a complementary selection of food for the night).

 

Oysters. I can do this. In fact, I can more than do this. The more-ish umami flavour of the wakame melds wonderfully with the fresh, sweet and slightly salty flavour of oysters.

 

But I am more curious about the next dish that has arrived. Razor clams. They of MasterChef-Hong-Kong-Super-Challenge-fame! De-shelled, of course, and served up with a fresh salad of peppery rocket, preserved lemon jus and a fruity splash of olive oil.

They are, in a word, meaty. The chicken of the sea. They are firm without being chewy, and seafoody but substantial. And I think I rather like them.

 

You can’t go wrong with jamon. And handcut! The rough edges give the slices of fatty, cured pig a slightly different texture – one that I personally enjoyed.

 

But oh! I would give up all the piggy jamon goodness in the world for plates of this! And yes, I do realise that I (rabid carnivorous beast) have just picked a vegetarian dish over pure, unadulterated meat, but that is just how good this was.

Have I mentioned I’m an eggplant fiend? Years of distrust has led to the startling revelation that I love this stuff, and more so when it is paired with a crisp outer shell of panko breadcrumbs and a sweet malty drizzle of honey and tart balsamic reduction. In true Rachel Zoe-style: I die.

 

The chicken came on sticks and was wonderfully tender. Also unexpectedly spicy – though the pesto mayo did a good job of tempering the heat. Patatas bravas (a tapas staple) accompanied the morsels of juicy flesh. (I would say more, but at this stage I was still in an eggplant-coma).

 

And it seemed the dishes just kept coming. Another vegetarian option was this medley of chickpeas, enoki, shitake & wood ear mushrooms. Texturally, it was fantastic. Slippery, firm, soft, crunchy. And for a person who loves to play with their food in-mouth (as opposed to on-plate) it was a lot of fun.

 

A bevy of bloggers is a fantastic opportunity to test out new recipes. This one was certainly interesting. Like a sausage with a steamed cabbage skin, I found it densely meaty – though flavoursome.

 

Cucumber pinchos divided the table with some declaring it the ultimate beer and footy snack (minus the kazillions of calories!) and others blinking wildly at their neighbour whilst trying to process the flavour. I’ll be honest, it was strong. Strongly fermented seafood. I know I like that flavour. I also know that not many do.

 

And the food kept on coming. Warm meatballs in a more-ish sauce of tomato and coriander were a welcome addition to the table following the cucumber. They were like a big, wholesome hug from somebody’s granny when your own was too far away.

 

And the food kept coming! “Chef Hiro, when he does his banquet menus” explained our waiter “he keeps sending the food out until the people are full and they say ‘No! No more!’”

Portabello mushrooms were given the same treatment as my beloved eggplant, but with flakes of salt atop instead of the honey/balsamic duo. The quail was eagerly contested as each person snagged a leg and breast for themselves – picking up the bones and gnawing so as to ensure none was left behind (all whilst watching the plate like hawks so that the other half wouldn’t “accidentally go missing”). And the wagyu beef cheeks! Tender and melting as wagyu should be, and with that sauce that you could just cuddle up with and fall asleep to…

(And I must have been falling asleep because my pictures – oh! How terribly taken they were! So many apologies…)

 

Dessert! At long last! My favourite was the first, with a hint of sour from the cider jelly and a burst of sweetness from the peachy sorbet. The coconut cream’d strawberry was also a treat, the smooth tropical creamy coconut coated the tongue before it was shocked with a fresh burst of strawberry.

And the crema catalana. It was vodka infused, which will make all you crazy boozehounds happy – and had tapicoa pearls in it, which will make all you crazy play-with-food-in-your-mouth-types happy. But alas! No crunchy sugar top! Needless to say, I finished the lot… and possibly all of someone else’s serve.

And why? Well partly because, true to this blog, I was going the extra mile and taking that little extra bite more – and partly because it had been just so long since I’d enjoyed a meal out at tapas, and I honest to goodness didn’t want this one to end.

 

Japaz
165 Wycombe Rd
Neutral Bay 2089
ph (02) 9904 0688
Dinner: Monday – Saturday, 6:00pm till late
Lunch: Thursday – Friday, 12:00 noon to 3:00pm

« malaysian mondays #01 malaysian mondays #02 »