Tetsuya's Super Dinner

TETSUYA'S RESTAURANT
529 KENT STREET
SYDNEY NSW 2000
TELEPHONE: (02) 9267 2900
www.tetsuyas.com

My wife and I were joined by 2 of our closest friends to celebrate our wedding anniversaries. Married a couple of years apart, we were both married in May. A bit early to be celebrating in March but the location of the celebration was the world renowned restaurant Tetsuya's where the waiting list to get a Saturday night booking is +6 months. The meal was served in a 15 course degustation menu. And the best part of the restaurant is that it is BYO. So a great chance to go into the cellar and pick out a few worthy bottles to go with this world renowned food.

The booking was at 7pm, so we all met at 6pm in our room for pre-dinner drinks and to start the night on the right foot. The Rockford Black was just the drop to do this ....

• NV Rockford Black Shiraz 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  2005 Disgorgment. Consumed before leaving the hotel to go to the restaurant. This was definitely better than the first bottle we had a few months back. Loads of upfront black fruit in the Rockford style. Although not overly sweet, this sparkler was a great starter to the night. This wine will only get better with age. Not overly complex right now, you can definitely taste the potential this wine will offer for those that are patient. The bottle disappeared VERY quickly!

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As soon as we got out of the taxi, I knew we were in for a special night. This restaurant has about as much security as the White House. As we walked up to the entrance the whirring noise of the electric gate opening could be heard. As we ventured into the premises we were greeted by not one, but four security/valet attendants. They greeted us with a friendly smile, eying my bag of wine suspiciously ... probably thinking it was a bomb or a cache of weapons! Anyway, they let us in without a fuss or a pad down, and we made our way to the reception desk. As soon as we said who we were, my blue wine bag was whisked away into the back rooms and we were escorted efficiently to our table overlooking the most magnificent looking Japanese garden. As we were getting comfortable in our chairs our waiter introduced himself and told us what was in store for the evening. My mouth was watering by the time he was half way though all the courses. Our drinks waiter then introduced himself and asked which bottle we would like to start with and the subsequent order of the other bottles. We started with the Kanta Riesling which was perfectly matched with the first 4 courses of the evening:
(1) Basil Gaspacho with Natural Yoghurt
(2) Tasmanian Pacific Oysters with Rice Vinegar
(3) Tartare of Tuna on Sushi Rice with Avocado Soup
(4) Tuna Marinated in Soy and Mirin; Scampi on chicken parfait; Salmon and Asparagus

The pick of this flight had to be the Salmon and Asparagus - lots happening here and an adventure for your taste-buds! However, this was not the concensus of the table, with the Tuna marinated in Soy being a table favourite.

• 2005 Kanta Riesling Balhannah Vineyard 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  My favourite white at the moment and the 2nd bottle consumed this month. Lots of floral and fruit aromas on the nose, this wine is definitely not your usual Aussie Riesling. When I first tasted this wine blind thought it was a Pinot Gris and I see even Campbell suggests it tastes like a cross between a Riesling and a Gris, so I suppose I wasn't far out. The palate is wonderful, with pear, spice and a fair bit of zing! Needs to be decanted to bring out its best as this wine just got better the longer it was opened. Went very well with the first couple of courses served. Dare I suggest it, I will be buying some more of this!

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The second round of savoury's were served with a 1995 Bordeaux, apparently a fairly good year in the region. Again the food in this flight was wonderful but the wine probably wasn't the best match for them. Probably another white was in order, or a different lighter bodied red, like a Pinot or something Italian. Anyway, the Frenchie is what we had and we enjoyed it anyway, even though it was altogether very different from the other wines served on the night. The rest of the savory dishes were:
(5)Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon & Fennel
(6) Seasonal Green Salad
(7) Ravioli of Spanner Crab with Shellfish Essence

The spanner crab here was the clear winner. Beautiful presentation and a dish that made your taste-buds tingle.

• 1995 Château Bellegrave (Pomerol) 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Purchased this wine at the Beverly Hills Liquor Castle, Los Angeles back in 2000 from a little old man named Levi. Back then didn't know much about French wine, and still don't mind you, but Levi suggested to buy this bottle and lay it down for 5-7 years then drink. Well 6 years had gone and the occassion seemed right so this was the first red consumed during the night. Decanted for 2 hours prior to arriving at the restaurant, the colour was a dull crimson, suggesting that this wine had peaked and was approaching the downhill slopes very soon. The nose was very strange, honey, coffee, earth ... my initial thought was this was going to be another disgusting, waste of time/money Frenchie. But on the palate the wine tasted nothing like I was expecting. Although you could tell the wine was fading it still had a subtle tannic backbone, surrounded by flavours of dark fruit, mocha, and pencil shavings. Very smooth with a medium finish, this wine was probably the most different of the night, but also the most interesting. My French wine education continues!

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Now after the very ordinary Bordeaux, next came Australia's answer ... a Moss Wood cabernet ... and the two wines were worlds apart in more ways than one. This was absolutely sensational MR cabernet. Elegant, silky and although it didn't quite go with the Spatchcock on paper, once you put the two in your mouth, all doubts were forgotten. This wine could have gone with just about anything ... including ice-cream.

(8) Twice Cooked De-Boned Spatchcock with Braised Daikon and Bread Sauce

Nice dish although a few at the table said it tasted a bit boiled. Probably needed a whack in the pan just to give a bit of a flavour.

• 1998 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  My first of this vintage of this wine, but have had the 1999, 2000 and 2001. Although 1998 was a great vintage in most parts of Australia, in MR it was just good. However, this wine was a surprise. Decanted for 2 hours, this deep crimson wine displayed gorgeous aromas of black fruit, leaf and cedar. The palate was even better ... smooth, very concentrated flavours of blackcurrant with very good handling of oak. Super fine tannins, this wine finished long and flavoursome. This had elegance and class written all over it. If this is what results after a few years of bottle age in just a good vintage from Moss Wood, the I cannot wait to try the 2001 in 5 years! WOTN so far but the Big Gun was about to come next!

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The part of the night that everybody had been waiting for. And we weren't just talking about the Wagyu Beef ... but the Grange. A perfect match, although thinking back the Grange may have just over-powered the food just a little bit. But hey, who can complain. Although the slices of meat were bite-sized, they were sooo good ... melt in your mouth kind of stuff ... that nobody at the table cared how big the portions were. It was all about enjoying the moment!

(9) Grilled Wagyu Beef with Asian Mushrooms and Lime Jus

• 1998 Penfolds Grange 97 Points

  Australia, South Australia

  The lowest professional wine critic score I have seen for this wine is a 97 ... so if there is going to be an Aussie wine that will blow your socks off ... then this has to be it. Decanted for 13 hours prior to consumption, this wine was still opening up in the glass when served. Purplish/red in colour, we all knew we were commiting a crime opening it up this early in its life ... but boy was it enjoyable. If you want a wine that has everything in abundant quantities then this wine is for you. The nose was full of intoxicating fruit .. blackberry, plum, blackcurrant. It was hard for us to take our noses out of the glass .. just like when you were a kid and loved to take in the freshly cooked smell of home baked cookies. But unlike the cookies, the aromas coming from this wine had a definite complexity about them, and they continued to meld and change as the minutes passed by. But I could wait no longer, I needed to taste this monster of a wine, a wine that Parker awarded 99 for and Andrew Calliard gave the perfect score too. And boy it did not disappoint. Massive in flavour and body, this wine is greatness in a bottle. Smooth, supple, balanced and complex ... the flavours that coat the palate are amazing. Blackberry, licorice, plum, chocolate, and raisin with a hint of oak in the background. In fact I was expecting a lot more upfront oak in this wine since it is so young, and don't get me wrong, it is there, but not to the levels you would expect from this caliber of wine. A long, long flavoursome finish with fine, ripe tannins. Although 14.5% alcohol, you wouldn't know it. A classic in the making but unfortunately you will have to wait +20 years to experience it. I will definitely be hiding my remaining bottles! WOTN and WOTY in a canter.

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I do not think I have had as many different desserts in all my life (except possibly at one of those Las Vegas buffets!) but these oozed quality. There wasn't much of each one but there didn't need to be. There was enough served of each dish to the point of leaving you wanting more. The desserts served in order were:
(10) White Peaches
(11) Beetroot and Blood Orange Sorbet
(12) Strawberry Shortcake; White Chocolate Truffle Icecream
(13) Floating Island with Praline and Vanillia Bean Anglaise
(15) Coffee with dates and coconut

I can honestly say that Beetroot definitely needs to left as a vegetable and not turned into a quasi dessert like sorbet. This was probably the strangest and least liked course on the menu. But the rest were divine - especially the Strawberry Shortcake.

• 2000 Inniskillin Vidal Icewine Niagara Peninsula VQA 95 Points

  Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

  The reputation that Canadian Ice-Wine has around the world was definitely not soiled by this bottle. What can I say ... liquid gold in a glass. This wine was syrupy in consistency. Light peachy/browny in colour, the wine displayed aromas of peach, apricot and honeycomb. And the palate was more of the same, lightly coating every inch of your mouth. Although sweet, it was not sickly sweet like some dessert wines you encounter, but a sweet that allowed you to drink more than one glass without feeling sick. Complemented the desserts that were served very well and I dare suggest that if this wine was a 750ml instead of the 375ml, then it probably would have gone as quickly. A wonderful wine that capped off a wonderful evening!

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After a ten minute walk back to the hotel and working off some of the food we had just enjoyed, we popped back up to the room and opened up a bottle of the 2004 Godolphin and talked about out favourite dishes.

• 2004 Glaetzer Godolphin 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Opened as an after thought back at the hotel. Top of cork was slightly stained and suggested that the bottle had been exposed to some heat during it's short life. And based upon the first bottle of this wine we had a few months back, this bottle was definitely not as good as that one. Deep purple in colour, the nose was very closed and unfortunately we didn't have anything to decant it in. But after some furious swishing in the glass the wine began to come to life with floral and black fruit aromas. The palate was rich but lacked the fruit intensity. Also the finish was a bit lacking but still the wine was very good. Very smooth and balanced this was still a great wine, but not the spectcular show I was expecting. After drinking this bottle I can now see why there are a few differing views on this wine, setting aside individual tastes, etc.

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A great night was had by all. Impecable service, friendly wait staff and of course excellent food. Also all wines were decanted for us and quality Riedel stemware provided for each new bottle. If you ever have the chance to have a meal at this establishment, do not say no. Grab it by the horns and look forward to the culinary ride of your life!