Kyo Ya

Kyo Ya was one of those places that I've been dying to go to.  Apparently, I also walk by it all the time without ever noticing it.  So maybe dying is a strong word.  But really, it was delicious and everyone should experience a kaiseki meal at least once.  Another plus was the special printed menus that came with our 9 course meal.  Horray!  Lucky for you, I don't have to rely on that vague idea you call "memory" for the food descriptions in this post.

shrimp mousse

First course was crispy fried rolled bread with shrimp mousse.  It was good, but definitely outshined by all the courses following it.  The thin and crispy shell and the flavor of the mousse reminded me of my dad's favorite Taiwanese snack food, ji chuan (chicken roll).  It was fried perfectly with no trace of greasiness.

squid babies!

Next up was one of my favorite of the night, hotaru baby squid and udo vegetable with mustard miso.  The baby squids were so tasty, tender with a burst of ocean-y innards.  The miso was sweet and mellow so it didn't overpower the delicate squid.  Plus I love the seaweed on the bottom, more for me to mop up the yummy miso.

umm 

Then came the daily special which had no description on the menu.  So I'm at a loss.  Oh memory, you fail me again.  I think it was some sort of salmon maki.  The outside was egg.  I do remember the sushi rice being very tasty, perfectly vinegary.

first of many soups

The fourth course was clam mousse with spring vegetable.  The green stuff on top was pureed peas.  Don't ask me what the pink stuff was.  I remember loving the pureed peas.  So bursting of spring flavor.  Ah spring, you rock my world.  The chopped clams in the mousse ball was yummy, but they were unevenly distributed in the fish mousse.

lots of stuff!

Following that was a grilled skewered ayu summer fish, fried fiddle heads, grilled baby abalone with watercress miso.  Next to the abalone was a piece of salmon and in the little pot, a chilled mountain yam soup.  The summer fish tasted like a milder pike.  I was hoping for some egg sac action, but was not granted with them.  I loved the fried fiddle heads cuz I'm obsessed with the flavor of spring.  The abalone was awesome.  Like a chewier but still tender geoduck.  Yum.  The salmon was good, but forgettable.  The pot of soup was probably my favorite.  It was refreshing and tangy from the drop of umeboshi.  I like how Kyo Ya upped the slippery/slimey quotient by putting a slice of okra on top.  Awesome.

 sancho power

Then it was another broth course, sake steamed tile fish with takenoko an (fresh bamboo shoots).  The little tree branch you see there was a sancho leave.  If you never had sancho leave, you should go seek some out now.  It was intense.  Spicy, minty, and numbs your whole mouth.  I need to get me some of that,

more food!

Yes, more food ahead!  The 7th course was asparagus, strawberry, and shrimp with yuba shira-ae .  It was refreshing and tasty.  I'm a fan of any type of yuba sauce/dressing.  I was fan of this one.

pickled

The last savory course was seasonal kamadaki rice (salmon) cooked in clay pot with miso soup and pickles of the day (shitake and string beans)

more food!

I love rice but I am not a huge rice eater because I try to save my stomach room for stuff with more flavor.  But I ate two bowls of this.  It was awesome.  The rice was cooked perfect - sticky and chewy.  It had lots of umami from cooking with salmon.  The little burst of briny salmon roe offset the sweet rice.  I've never had pickled shitake before, but I hope there will be a lot more shitake in my life!

the end!

We are finally at the end!  Sakura (cherry blossom) flavored tofu in sweet soup with vanilla ice cream.  The tofu was very firm, almost a panna cotta like texture.  Cherry blossom is subtle and fruity.  This was a perfectly light dessert to cleanse our palates.  

I really enjoyed Kyo Ya.  I think it would be interesting to go late summer and see what yummy creations they come up with with all the seasonal bounties.

Mané

Peruvian is one of those cuisines that I need to eat more often.  I think every week is probably a fair place to start.  So I did just that in Santiago, breaking my own traveling rule and eating at the same restaurant twice.  Mané, you had me at ceviche especial.

ceviche with corn!

There was a yellowtail-like fish that was sweet and buttery.  And some shrimps. And slices of calamari.  All living in perfect harmony in lime juice and thinly sliced red onions.  To add more textures, there were hominy and these fried corn things that were soooo good.  Like Cornuts on crack. OH CORN, HOW I LOVE YOU AND YOUR MANY INCARNATIONS.  The two orange chunks were sweet potato.  Did it go with the seafood, not really, but I love sweet potatoes, so I didn't care.  

fish in shrimp sauce

My entree one night was fish layered between fried corn tortilla like things (but more flaky) and topped with a creamy shrimp sauce.  This was awesome.  The fish was pan fried, one of my favorite fish preparations (along with steamed and raw)  The chips gave the dish a completely different textural contrast.  YUM.

seafood and rice

Another night, I had the seafood stew and rice.  It was tasty with lots of different seafoods, but I have very little recollection besides, "mmm, I'd eat it again".  Blame the pisco sour!  

chocolate cake

I have no idea what possessed me to order a chocolate cake for dessert one night.  I rarely order dessert and even less likely to order chocolate cake (not a cake fan, more a custard/pudding or pie kinda girl).  But I actually really liked it.  Probably because it was soaked in rum or something other liquor, so it escaped the sad and unfortunate dry cake syndrome that so many other cakes have been inflicted with.  This cake was so moist that it was almost a pudding!  yay for puddings!

Completo and Domino

Food stuff between buns are often eaten for their portability and convenience.  But here in Chile, the buns are less of a vehicle to keep you hands clean and the ingredients from your shirt.  They try, oh how valiantly they try to contain and maintain order.  But even the most brawny buns are no match for the overflowing layers of condiments.  Here in Chile, sandwiches and hot dogs are tackled with knife and fork.

mechada sandwich

Domino is a popular sandwich and hot dog chain in Santiago.  You get to choose a meat, like hot dog, roast pork, chicken, etc.  and then condiments, like fried egg, bacon, bbq sauce.  I opted for mechada, sliced stewed beef, with the most classic of all toppings, the Dinamica - guac, mayo, tomatoes, and Chilean's idea of cole slaw (Americana sauce).  Basically what you would find on the famous Chilean completo.  Do you see all that?  The inch of guac and inch of mayo?  Yep, I ate that.  The stewed beef was really flavorful while the condiments were mild enough that the flavor of the meat really comes through.  I thought the pound of mayo would have really weighed down the sandwich, but it was really light and fluffy, like it was whipped.  I vote to trade our McDonalds for Domino.  .

completo!

One Sunday, I ate a completo for breakfast.  Don't judge me.  At least it was a relatively "small" completo.  See the unnaturally white mayo?  Was it necessary to put half a jar of that on one hot dog?  But if you can, why not.  You can eat a completo for breakfast too, I won't judge.