Valentine's Dinner

Gaz and I went to a Japanese restaurant, Wabi Sabi Garden in St Kilda yesterday for a Valentine's dinner. He knows how much I love my Japanese food! We had dinner in their courtyard garden which were nicely decorated with bamboo trees to hide the starkness of the concrete walls. There were little lanterns and Japanese statues scattered everywhere. The lovely warm day was terrific for our enjoyment of the alfresco dining mode. We had done our homework before reaching the restaurant, wanting to try their wagyu beef and black cod that received very positive reviews from customers who'd been to the place before. Unfortunately they only had a set menu operating for the night.

The courtyard garden where we were seated

Lightly torched ocean trout sashimi topped with grated daikon.

 

We had sparkling wine (aka champagne - only that it wasn't grown in the Champagne area in France)

 

Assorted sushi - salmon and scallops. A bit disappointed that there weren't more variety, was looking forward to having melt in my mouth tuna. Nevertheless, the rice was just right, and the scallops were so sweet and fresh.

 

Tempura prawn in buckwheat flour, atop a creamy apple mayo with black sesame sauce. The prawns were beautifully done, cooked just right encased in the crunchy buckwheat batter.

 

By this course, the lighting was a little dark since it was already evening time. This was probably about 2 1/4 hours into our dinner. Here is the Eye Fillet Steak with Fried Lotus pieces, mashed potatoes and steamed french beans. We wanted the wagyu but it wasn't on our menu that night

Tempura flounder and vegies with side salad with ponzu dressing. This dish wasn't part of the set menu, Gaz used his charms to change one of the mains into something we wanted to try. The flounder fillets were so fresh and sweet, plus I love my deep fried foods, so this dish was my fave.

Now you can see why we wanted this dish so much. The flounder fillets and vegies are cleverly served in the body of the flounder, shaped like a bowl and fried so crispily that even the bones are edible

Combination dessert - black sesame ice cream, green tea cheesecake and chocolate mousse

Overall the dinner was very good, and the service was as good as it can be for a busy Valentine's Day dinner. They had a full house that night, although there were some confusion initially about Gaz's reservation (they couldn't find his name on the list. Eventually after pronouncing it several times - Gerry? Kery?, they found his reservation), we had a speedy and friendly service. Overall, the food was delicious and modern although having dined in their main restaurant in Collingwood, could have been a little more delicate (presentation wise) if it wasn't for the pressure of V-Day. The reviews on the Web showed very positive feedback about the place, and I hope to go back for their wagyu beef and black cod.