Hi everyone! So I was in South Korea and Japan last December. And I have like 10 restaurants that I am keen to share with everyone. I finished posting the Korea ones, so… Do check them out if you haven’t. And I will be talking about Nukumi in this video. [PREVIEW] Opened in 2006 by Masaki Yamamoto san, the restaurant moved to its current location in 2016. The restaurant has earned 2 and 3 Michelin stars during its course of operation. And when visiting Nukumi, I recommend wearing shoes that’s easy to put on and remove. Cause need to remove before entering restaurant 😂 And here, I’m directed to head up to level 2. And here, I’m directed to head up to level 2.
(Messy counter cause I took this after my meal) Open kitchen to the right of the counter. And I’m starting my meal with a warm dish. A warm dish to warm/prep the stomach in this cold winter 😊 Codfish milt (shirako). Beancurd skin (yuba). Chef Yamamoto san and his team speak very limited English, so
I don’t always get a dish introduction. But this is definitely rice cake (mochi). Chewy, chewy! I’m very excited to see this on the menu! Female snow crab (seikogani) season only lasts for a few weeks. And my visit to Nukumi happened to coincide with the season!
What a precious treat! 😍 Although I later realised I enjoyed this wrongly 😅 I was supposed to flip the shell over. Not pour the content out!!! Close up of the 2 types of roe. Fertilised eggs (sotoko). Ovaries (uchiko) And since I poured the content instead, hidden beneath is… Chunky, sweet crab meat! And you’ll notice my phone picks up the sound of running water very clearly… 😅 Staff putting the finishing touch to the next dish. DISH 03 Baby tuna (meji maguro). Flounder (hirame). Bigfin reef squid (aori ika). Kelp. Back view of chef-owner Masaki Yamamoto san. Taste testing the broth Before continuing to pour the broth into the respective bowls. DISH 04 Clear, light soup containing various vegetables, yuzu peel and fish. And the skewer hole hints the fish was prepared separately.
Ie, not boiled in the soup. Staff is working on the next dish/course called Hassun (八寸). Hassun translates literally as ‘eight sun’ (8 inches). And assortment of appetisers are placed on… Uh huh, an 8 inches square tray! And it’s often made visually aesthetic with adornments representing the current season. Removing the adornments. Flounder (hirame). Monkfish liver (ankimo). Lotus chip. And beneath it are chestnut, baby yam. Abalone Salmon roe (ikura). Radish. Sea cucumber Without given a dish introduction, I thought the yellow stuff was egg omelette. But it’s actually yuzu peel! And I’m really impressed by this. You can see that they removed the white part (albedo) that usually leaves a bitter aftertaste. Only the yuzu peel left. All white parts removed! (You will realise I like to ‘dissect’ my food 😅)
And beneath the yuzu peel is… Herring (nishin). Kelp. Pine nut. Rice. Back view of chef-owner Masaki Yamamoto san, again 😝 And a little about chef-owner Yamamoto san. Born in Hokkaido, he has worked in Hokkaido, Osaka and Hong Kong. And at the age of 40, he opened his restaurant Nukumi in 2006. (Back to the kitchen!) Chef Yamamoto san is deep frying sea bream. Deep fried sea bream and ginkgo nuts, and sudachi. When this was placed in front of me, I wasn’t too impressed by the visuals. But don’t judge a book by its cover! The batter was thin and crunchy, while the fish chunk within was succulent and juicy! 😍 And eating fried food makes me crave for alcohol 🤭 So I am trying the fugu fin sake (¥1600)! And this will be my first in a very long time having fugu fin sake
since not many restaurants offer this! I’m not a sake expert but this is enjoyable! Please try! And my next dish arrives. But let’s first appreciate the beauty of this bowl set! DISH 08 A simmered dish of various vegetables, including yuzu peel, and… … mackerel (saba). Onto the last savoury dish: Oyster with rice. And the staff is portioning the rice course (gohan) after presenting it. But since I’m dining solo, this whole (iron) pot is mine! 🙊 And the oyster rice is served alongside pickles and… … miso soup. Beautifully cooked oyster! Look at how big and plump it is! And of course I went for seconds 🤣 🤤🤤🤤 And for dessert… I’m served orange jelly and pear. And this caught me by surprise. I thought the meal will end with the earlier plate of fruits. But hey, there’s always stomach space for dessert 🤭 And I enjoyed this Japanese pudding (purin). Creamy custard. Rich bittersweet caramel sauce. And that wraps up my dinner at Nukumi! But first, sharing a footage of their toilet cause I like the details to this space 🤣 Making my way out. And it was a nice and heart warming meal. Probably because of the set up, I felt like I was dining at chef Yamamoto san’s dining hall with the kitchen on my direct right. Or maybe it’s also because I had to remove my shoes. And thank goodness for the open kitchen because Chef Yamamoto san spent most of his time there. He’s very hands on with the cooking. Like how he personally deep fried the sea bream. And before the dishes go out, he would also check the plating to make sure everything is where it should be (on the plate). And the food was everything I expect of a good kaiseki meal. And I liked how he injected some fun and creativity with the custard pudding. So if you are in Hokkaido and looking for a reliable kaiseki restaurant? I would recommend Nukumi 😊 Reservation can also be easily made on Pocket Concierge! Thank You for Watching!
